Those two spring loaded doors don't spring shut anymore. Anyone else have this problem and did you find a solution?
I'm going to attempt to disassemble that area to see what I can find.
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A drop of plastic compatible oil may help. It did for me.
Thanks Jim. I'll try the drop of oil.
I took them apart and they are a very sloppy fit. After the culvert is carried thru the doors, the doors need to swing back the same, meaning both doors need to be at the same angle to cash the culvert so its released from the magnet. If the doors don't swing closed the same, the culvert gets all crooked, turned around, sometimes doesn't release. Check out this video from Lionel. scroll to 10:32 and you'll see he has the same issue. He keeps referring to adjusting the cherry switch, the switch has nothing to do with the issue of the culvert not dropping correctly, the right door doesn't close at the same position as the left door. I know because thats the issue I'm having. Not sure who the guy is in the video but its a bit embarrassing if you ask me.
Here is with doors operating correctly, the culvert catches both doors at the same time.
I've tried every thing, I am planning on calling Lionel to see if they have a fix for this issue. I wonder if I could send it in to Lionel Service for repair. The servo motor thats enclosed in the overhead crane need to have its stops adjusted also (not the cherry switch (done that already)).
FWIW, I had to both tinker with the doors and adjust the switch to get it working properly. Mine still screws up about one in 40-50 times, I'm not sure it will ever be truly perfect.
I had to do some forming on the jaws to get it to drop them loading as well.
Ah yea been there. The doors on mine were doing the same thing. Tried adjusting the spring on the doors, tried a different spring no luck. I seen the problem was not so much the doors but the way the pipes were dropping. I put my finger on the motor and pushed down on it a little bit and the pipe would drop very well. Put a 3/4" nut on top of the motor held on by that piece of tubing that (which has the wires in it for the motor) runs across the top of the motor. Now the pipe drop every time like it should. I think the weight on top tilts the motor on the beam so the pipe drop real nice.
