RickO posted:Bad smoke fan motor. Very common issue since 2011 or so. It seems Lionel can't overcome it.
If your comfortable doing your own repairs sometimes a drop of oil on the output shaft bushing will quiet it. Otherwise the fan motor will need to be replaced.
You could always contact Lionel for warranty service if it's new. However It will likely be awhile before it returns.
What he said. I have had smoke fan motors quite down after some use