Columbia - fixing escalator stepping problems

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Columbia - fixing escalator stepping problems

Postby Walter Newton » Tue Feb 23, 2021 1:36 pm

In another thread this subject came up, Thursday, July 30, 2020, Marsonion said ...

No idea what the garbage sheet metal on the escalator is all about, but the messed-up stuff coming off the bar on the side is actually a makeshift shim which you should probably replace with a more tidy and robust one, because you'll probably need it. I've dealt with this several times before: <b>the shim is there to make sure that the escalator gets pulled far enough on each cycle to both accept and drop the coins... somehow, with age, wear or metal shrinkage or whatever, the escalator stops clicking all the way into proper position with each cycle,</b> and that shim helps to make sure it "gets there." Maybe there's a better fix for this problem [of the A-145 (Escalator Side Arm)], but I sure don't know what that would be... what's for sure is that nobody at Groetchen would've ever imagined that nutty people in the 21st Century would be trying to keep their ephemeral products in operating condition. These devices were simply not built to last, so they didn't worry much about servicing them either-- that's for fools like us!

My first Columbia, which I am working on right now, had the same problem, occasionally the escalator would not step fully to it's next rest position.

I noticed that the Cross Side Arm (A-145) that Marsonion was referencing was not really the problem on my escalator.

So here is some info that may help other collectors working on this problem.

The bottom circular "fin" (there are two) that make up the escalator cages, rides through a guide grove in the Coin Escalator Gate (A-137). That's the gate just below the gooseneck entry. If that bottom fin rides too high, or too low, through the groove, it can make it very difficult for the escalator to step.

Take the escalator top off, and turn the escalator by hand, and watch the groove when you feel resistance, and see if the fin is rubbing against the guide groove. You need to use a needle nose plier (preferably a small jeweler's needle nose plier) and adjust the offending fin. Carefully, you don't want to break the fin off of any of its mounting tabs.

Do this for any place on the bottom fin that appears to be riding against the surface of the guide groove.

Also, take the two mounting tabs (where the small bolts go through) on the coin escalator cover (A-118), and bend them ever so slightly inward, toward the center of the coin escalator cover. When you screw the cover back on, this will lift the cover, just a little bit, away from the escalator.

I did this because I notice some wear in two spots on the underside of the cover, and that suggested that the escalator was rubbing against the cover, which can also cause enough friction to impede the escalator from stepping properly.

You'll have to use a stronger pair of pliers on those cover mounting tabs, since that cover and tabs are made of steel.

If you have a Columbia with this coin escalator stepping problem, it's a good idea to check the things I mentioned above. Your problem may not be in the travel of the A-145 (Escalator Side Arm), and there may be no need to shim the side arm.

FYI
Walter Newton
 
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