I have the 2026 engine running. It was not the field coil but the E-Unit. I disconnected the E-Unit and wired the train to run forward. The engine runs like a top; the E-Unit is another story. After working on the E-Unit for many hours, I do not have it work properly. I had to replace the E-Drum which had broke into three pieces, and replaced the upper, lower finger contacts. Each time I fix one issue, another problem occurs. I am think of leaving the original E-Unit out, and replacing it with a Marx E-Unit, so I can have forward, reverse, and a lot less stress.
O, I picked up a Lionel 1615 engine. It tried to run a few times during testing, then it just tripped the circuited breaker, just like the 2026. I pulled the shell and found that the issue is the E-Unit, again. The E-Drum is out of place. At least it is in one piece and the contacts look OK. Boy, these old Lionel E-Units are a pain.
