Wisconsin Engine

Wisconsin Engine

Trains produced by the Miniature Train Company came with Wisconsin Engines in them. I've heard a lot about how parts are hard to find, they don’t make Wisconsin Engines anymore, you can’t get parts for them, etc., etc., etc. It’s not all bull, at least it wasn’t for me. Parts for Wisconsin Engines are not carried by your average auto parts store (although I have had some luck at Napa and Bumper to Bumper). Fewer and fewer small engine shops will handle parts or even work on Wisconsin Engines. My suggestion would be to talk to your local farm implement dealers, a lot of the Wisconsin Engines were used in farm equipment like bailers or skidders and such. This is where networking among train owners becomes extremely important. Talk to other train owners about your problems if they haven’t had the problem see if they know of someone who has. In my searching I found a shop called Wisconsin Engine and Machine in Green Bay, WI that still does a lot of work on the engines.

One lesson that I’ve learned in the short time I’ve been a train owner is that if you buy after market parts make sure they meet the specs of the original. For example – Our train has a history of grinding out starter drives, after doing things like making sure the starter was lined up correctly and wound to the correct voltage (trains are known to work at either 6 volt or 12 volt systems) and talking to the local starter shop, and mechanics, other train owners and engineers that have worked the train over the years I found out that back to a certain point they’d just always gone through a couple of starter drives during a summer. At $100.00 (cost of drive and installation into starter) a drive I didn’t like this idea. After locating a Wisconsin Engine Manual on E-bay I returned to the starter shop who cross-referenced the drive number with what they have been supplying the past owners of the train with and told me I had the correct drive. Still not making sense and still grinding out drives I was unswayed for a solution to my problem. When I located Wisconsin Engine & Machine and visited their shop I actually had the opportunity to look at 3 different starters for my engine, and guess what, my starter drives have all had 9 teeth, the ones I looked at, had 10. This winter we will install a drive with ten teeth and I feel good that it will solve my problem. Update - during the Winter of 2002 we removed the engine from our locomotive and replaced the ring gear and put a new 12 volt starter in, during the 2003 season we experienced no problems with grinding out starter drives. Therefore I surmise that the starter which had continually ground down drives in my train was improperly rewound from a 6 volt starter to a 12 volt starter.

Napa and Bumper to Bumper Stores
Napa and Bumper to Bumper Stores both have had access to distributor caps, rotors, points, and plug wires.

~ Reader Feedback ~

Wisconsin parts are available from

Automotive Equipment Service

( new name AES Lawnparts )

1651 E. Kansas City Road

Olathe, KS

913-254-2600

There are not as many Wisc. around as there used to be. I have done bussiness with theese people for the last 42 years. They are good people. Although the 2nd generation is not like the old folks. They do not stock as much as they used to, but can get anything in a couple of days.

J. W. Armstrong

PS I have a full set of older Wisconsin manuals and can look up part # for you.

I was a heavy & Highway construction mechanic in the KC area for 40 years.

Thanks J.W.