Hi there,
A few months ago I received a gift from my mother of a Prewar Lionel 248 electric. The engine ran very well for a while but now it will randomly get stuck and will bind. This can be undone but it isn't something that should be happening with a locomotive. I've checked the interior and it doesnt appear anything is caught in the gears. Does anyone have any ideas what the culprit could be? I really want to get this locomotive fixed as soon as I can.
Thank you!
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Seems as though something is out of line. Check the motor to make certain the commutator shaft stays in place. A worn bearing or brushplate could let it move out of alignment. That would jam the gears. In another thread, someone repairing a postwar 601 switcher discovered that a loose bearing in the truck was allowing the commutator to rub against the field. Check the axle bearings, too.
That engine was running, so it is probably something simple.
Check the running gear and see if any foreign matter has worked its way in there. That usually happens when a postwar Magne-Traction locomotive attracts a small piece of metal. But it could happen to an older locomotive.
Check the wheels and make sure they haven't deteriorated with age (zinc-pest). They may have swelled to a point where they are binding against the motor or the frame.
PD
This is indicative of worn gears, especially if the motor is of the later style with the fiber compound reduction gears. The teeth may seem fine but they are worn enough to allow meshing issues. Inspect them carefully for wear.
Gandy
ReadingFan, PD, and Gandy.
Thanks for your replies. I opened her up again and sure enough one of the gears seems to be missing about 4 or 5 teeth in a row. Is this an easy fix? I'm more of a modern operator so I'm not really equipped to handle repairs that require rivets or that sort of thing.
Thanks! Alex
Alex, you'll need to pull the drivers off. Not too big of a deal with electrics as they don't have to be quartered when reinstalling. You should replace both compound gears at the same time. I know you can get metal ones these days as opposed to the fiber ones installed originally. Its possible that someone is making them in fiber materials again. The difference is the metal ones will take a long time to wear out and the fiber ones seem to be quieter. Check with Jeff Kane at The Train Tender for them. Once the drivers are off the old gears just lift off the studs. Wash the old grease and grime away with WD-40, place a gob of grease on the stud and install the new gears.
Gandy
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