I recently purchased a 2025 locomotive with a 6466 tender. I was able to get the whistle working but not well. The light works on the locomotive and the locomotive moves intermittently.
Specific questions:
Thanks for the help.
Dennis
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ctt.trains › ... › ... › repairing-lionels-smoke-units
Repairing Lionel's smoke ... Pry off the original smoke unit cover with a screwdriver to ... That is why so many postwar smoking locomotives are found with burned .
The lever on top is your E unit. It controls your forward-neutral-reverse. If it runs intermittently, I spray some WD-40 on the E-unit and it should improve.
Are you sure the smoke unit is bad?,
Yes, pellets are still available, I use liquid smoke in all my post war locomotives, and never converted one. They work just fine with liquid.
Hope that helps.
Some folks don't think spraying WD-40 on trains is a good idea.
Use contact cleaner instead of WD-40. CRC 2-26 is available at box box home improvement stores.
As for smoke unit repair, it is easy to replace the heating element. Part 671-225 is available from most postwar parts suppliers.
In terms of servicing the locomotive, all the documentation is on one of these 2 pages depending upon version:
http://www.olsenstoy.com/2025-46.htm
http://www.olsenstoy.com/2025-52.htm
Also, no need for fluid conversion - these smoke units take pellets or fluid just fine, and unlike some upgrades, don't get harmed when inevitably run dry.
Use contact cleaner instead of WD-40. CRC 2-26 is available at box box home improvement stores.
I like CRC 2-26, but it is not a contact cleaner. It is a lubricant. It does have some applications in the world of electrical components.
CRC does make a contact cleaner.
Here is the Manufacturers page on it.
CW, not to start a war or derail this thread, but to share more information: A further review of the manufacture page and the safety data sheet cor CRC 2-26 (http://docs.crcindustries.com/msds/2004.pdf) will show that it is made up of Mineral Oil (lubricant), n-Butyl stearate (waterproof lubricant), petrolatum (lubricant), and petroleum distillates (cleaner). Then take a look at their contact cleaner data sheet (http://docs.crcindustries.com/msds/2125.pdf) and see it is made up of petroleum distillates (cleaner). Thus, CRC 2-26 is a contact cleaner plus lubricant.
If I may, CW is right. Some people don't recommend WD-40, I should have added, "a lite spritz of WD-40". Also, if DS TEXAS doesn't know what the lever is for, then rebuilding the E Unit may be beyond their current skills. NO OFFENSE INTENDED.
Finally, we just had a thread erased because of a difference of opinions, I'd hate to see that happen again. Just my opinion.
CW, not to start a war or derail this thread, but to share more information: A further review of the manufacture page and the safety data sheet cor CRC 2-26 (http://docs.crcindustries.com/msds/2004.pdf) will show that it is made up of Mineral Oil (lubricant), n-Butyl stearate (waterproof lubricant), petrolatum (lubricant), and petroleum distillates (cleaner). Then take a look at their contact cleaner data sheet (http://docs.crcindustries.com/msds/2125.pdf) and see it is made up of petroleum distillates (cleaner). Thus, CRC 2-26 is a contact cleaner plus lubricant.
I guess CRC advertises 2-26 as a lubricant because it leaves various lubricants behind. Their Contact Cleaner should not contain lubricants, and should not leave anything behind. This is true of all the contact cleaners I've used over the years.
I know there are people who believe that e-units should be lubricated.
I don't think so, and I don't think Lionel has ever recommended lubricating their e-units.
if you can find it, TV Tuner spray is the best.
Clarence Siman - I probably should have asked a different question about the E-Unit lever. I found the answer I was looking for in the 1955 Operating Manual. The middle position or OFF is used if you want the locomotive to only move in one direction e.g. "when you have an automatic station, an operating bridge, or insulated track blocks".
Thanks for all of the responses. I'm sure I will have additional questions.
There is NO "middle" position for the e-unit lever: it is either on or off.
Repairing a 2025 smoke unit is easy, putting a 2025 back together ah that's annoying.
You can use smoke fluid in the original smoke unit, it does not have to be converted to a newer type.
WD-40 IS NOT A LUBRICANT it is a rust preventer and is highly flammable. Read the label.
Jim
Just went to the WD-40 site. They have lots of different WD-40 products now.
Here is the MSDS sheet on the original WD-40.
Call it what you will. The manufacturer lists lubricant as the first product use.
It leaves behind considerable residue. I use it to clean and protect hand tools & and my assortment of metal blocks.
Each of us may have different techniques to repair trains. It's not just the product chosen, it's how the product is applied, etc. So what works well for one might be horrible for another.
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