Like to know if any one knows how to remove the shell from a 258? I need to replace the collector plate and assume you have to remove the shell.
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I looked at mine and there is a screw in front of the front drivers and under the front truck. I imagine it goes up in to the shell and it looks like the rear of the motor locks on to the shell in a slot. take out the screw, lift the motor out. You might not have to do that to replace the collector plate so wait and see what the experts say. Good luck.
Is it the all stamped steel or earlier cast frame version?
Steve
Is it an 027 motor or O motor?
My 258 is marked "O" gauge on the bottom and has a stamped metal boiler with the screw on the bottom.
You might want to post pictures of it, as it sounds like a hybrid engine.
You need to post a photo for better identification. Is it the Ives version, with rollers on the collector plate, or is it the later version with slide shoe contacts, & "Lionel 027" tag on the bottom. The first 258's were made as a transition piece after Lionel acquired Ives from bankruptcy, made in 1930. By 1933 all Ives identification was removed.
not sure how to add pictures but plate said for "o" gauge track. The Lionel Corporation N.Y.
Old 2065
It sounds like the "Lionel-Ives" transition loco with rollers on the collector and not the later "slide shoe" version. Your best bet to remove the collector plate would be to purchase an ST-350 FST (frame spreader tool) to spread the side cheeks of the motor apart enough to pry the plate out of the slots. Jeff Kane (Ttender.com) sells the tool for $20, and is the best way to take the plate off and not breaking the tabs. Just google search the item to see what it looks like.
What do you need to take the plate off for, unless you need to replace the wire with broken/missing insulation?
The plate broke right where the roller attach.
old 2065
In that case, I understand the need to take it out and replace it with a new one. Then I would definitely recommend buying the frame spreading tool to alleviate the breakage problem trying to remove it from the slots in the side cheeks. They are not the easiest thing to replace with screwdrivers or the double wrench method.
I didn't have a spreader so I used a small C clamp put inside. Worked.
