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Hi folks, newbie here.  Hope you can help this old Coastie.   I have my dads 260E.  Dad passed when I was 2 and this was stored for years, its close to 90 and my prize possession.  Was serviced about 30 years ago and ran great.  Well time has taken its toll again.  I sent it to a "*$&@)@#"  guy in NJ that promised id get it back in a week, well 3 months later and I just got it back.  Charged 90 bucks and he never touched it!!!

Soooo I'm going to try and fix it myself.  I have learned a bunch just looking at your site.  I have determined that my 260E has a pendulum reverse unit and it appears to work because the train will run in forward and reverse.

This is where my problem is.  In reverse it runs like a champ,  in forward it can barely drag itself around the track.  I am running fast track but it did the same thing on the 3 rail.

I found and article on line that suggest its probably my armature and brushes so i am purchasing new brush holders, brushes, springs, the plates that hold the armature, and the armature and gear.

I am praying that this will cure my problem,but i'd love to put it to all you experts.

Thanks so much!

Captain Ru20151217_20545520151217_20544220151217_20543120151217_20541920151206_140920ss

 

 

 

 

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Captain Russ,

   To bad you were not a member here on the OGR before, your 260E would now be fixed correctly.  You have a real nice old engine, I have the original 263E.  Now instead of playing round with the good 260E, contact GGG here on the OGR, send the engine to him and have it fixed correctly, by a man who knows what he is doing, and is professional at it.  When I dig my more modern MTH P2 NASA engine out of storage, I will be doing the same thing, don't endanger your prize possession, let George (GGG) fix it correctly.

PCRR/Dave

Last edited by Pine Creek Railroad

Thanks for your response and advice. The armature came right out without removing the wheels.  I just unscrewed the brush holder from one side and the plate from the other side and the armature came right out.  Maybe I can shoot a pic of that tonight. The commuter looks horrible and the brushes will be replaced.  One of the things I did before i sent it to the wacko in NJ was spray it down with electric contact cleaner that why it all looks dry.  It has always been lubed with a light sewing machine oil used sparingly.

The only reason i'm going for the armature is because it pretty inexpensive and an easy install.  I read an article somewhere where a repair guy sort of refaced the commuter on a little lathe (sort of like resurfacing a brake rotor).  I figured what do I have to lose.

The wheels are original.  However the wheels on the rest of the set are supposedly standard gauge.  Not sure what happened in the years before my folks got together but as far as i know it came from the factory like this.  The original box does not have the 260 engine on it either.  Maybe they did a mix and match.  A local train shop that did not fix it either said the wheels on my tender and cars are std gauge not O,  but the engine has O wheels??

I'm highly mechanical, fixed and built race cars much of my life.  Have brother that works for snap-on tools as well so i think I can handle the repair.  I do appreciate your cautions!  I've done a few carbs in my lifetime, holleys, carter, quadrajunks.

Thanks again!!

 

The flip-flop pendulum e-unit can be the culprit as well. This is a sliding contact that can corrode and any resistance will impede circuit. This unit can be disassembled and cleaned. To check this, simply by pass e-unit with a jumper wire and see if that does not solve sluggish running. I have rebuilt numerous units such as this and is not hard.

I have my dad's old 260 loco from 1931, but with a manual reverse unit. I did have to replace wiring because the insulation was falling apart. The loco had an issue with binding on curves in one direction only. It had a fair bit of wear in the wheel bearings and I discovered the wheel gears were rubbing on the frame when it took curves in the one direction. I was able to improvise a thrust washer of sorts with a loop of brass wire around each driver axle on one side, outside of the wheel bearing to reduce the side play of the axle. I didn't want to try pulling die-cast wheels to replace wheel bearings (if I could even get parts) because the wheels would likely break. So I made an adequate fix on it, but I don't run it so much anymore out of respect for its age.

On a prewar Lionel 259 loco acquired more recently (in parts), the armature bearing was squealing due to wear. Oiling it would quiet it for just a little while. The armature end just spins in a hole in the fiber-board brush-holder unit with no real bearing. I made a bearing by slightly stretching the bore of a brass rivet on a large tapered needle, drilled the fiber-board to accept the rivet, and super-glued the rivet into place. Now it's a great runner !

If you can obtain correct replacement parts, that's a good way to go. I had to improvise for lack of parts.

edit/correction: mine is a Lionel #262. Dyslexia with numbers sometimes.

Last edited by Ace

Wow, mine was stored for 35 years.  My dilemma, who do I pass it down to.  My nephew, the only boy with the family name, or my niece (also godchild) who works for the NORFOLK SOUTHERN railroad.   She is such a train girl too!!!!  This is really hard!!!  

I am thinking of buying another 260E and giving them to both and only I know who get the real one.  I take that secret with me when I go.

 

Absolutely!!!!  What a beautiful train you have  looks alot like mine!

 

I cant wait to post some pics of mine when i get it all back together.  I may just leave it up all year.  Yes its march 4 and my tree and trains are still up.  I may hang easter eggs on it.

 

Dont laugh at me i bought all fastrack this year thinking that was my engines problem.

OK guys Check this out my story!!!

The guy who took my 260E,

promised it would be back to me in a week in time for Christmas. 

He kept it for 3 months

DID NOT FIX IT  charged me 80 bucks which i gladly paid immediately

You can see FROM THE PICS HE DID NOT TOUCH IT. Screw heads all still in same place.

One of you noticed the engine was not even lubed at all in my pictures.

Imagine that!  a train repairperson who claims they fixed it, did not even lubricate anything

kept tellin my i needed an e-unit which my engine does not even have.

lots of other lies and BS,  did not even ship it back for 3 weeks after he took my payment

now hes ****ed cause i informed my credit card company to stop pay.

claims he will have the state police come arrest me for theft of train repair services  lol lol lol.

Claims there will be civil as well as criminal actions.

I cant wait to show it to any one he gets involved.

What do you guys think??

 

 

 

 

 

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