Hello, this is my first time on this forum and I am very new to model trains. I have a 0-27 gauge Lionel Silver Star (no. 6-1183). Just a few questions. The transformer hums, is that normal? The train either needs a push or a little fiddling with the switch on the top of the train to actually get it moving. Is that a problem with the engine or just a bad connection with the tracks? And one more, the sounds are non existent. Could that be a bad speaker or sound board and are those replaceable? If anyone has answers I would greatly appreciate it. Like I said I'm very new to this but need to start learning somewhere. Thanks.
First off
Some transformer hum is normal
I don't know what a Silver Star (no. 6-1183) is but it sounds like it could be a combination of problems.
One of the Lionel experts can help you
Banks, Proud member of the OTTS TCA 12-67310
The Silver Star has The Mighty Sound of Steam and a two-position reverse unit. Because your engine is so old (38 years!), it really needs a good cleaning of the armature, brushes, and e-unit.
I would disassemble the engine, removing the brush-plate and brushes. Check to see that the brushes are approximately 1/4" long and can-shaped.
Dump the rest of the motor assembly into a shallow pan with mineral spirits. Brush both the armature and e-unit out with an old tooth-brush. When all the black gook stops coming off, set out in the sun to evaporate off the mineral spirits.
Then lube the armature shaft ends during reassembly. Lube the gears. Check to make sure that the smoke unit cam is not jamming as the piston rides up and down.
The Tender: Chances are more than good that your foam board-mount for the Mighty Sound of Steam is shot. Gets some new foam and replace this. The "Sounds" should sound like a mis-tuned AM radio being turned on and off if it is working. There is no whistle or bell.
Jon
Wow!!! Thank you for such a detailed response. As I am new to this I have no idea which parts you are talking about. I will have to download a diagram of the engine or find something similar. Do you know of any sites that might have a diagram or the manual for old engines? Oh and one more thing. Is the smoke unit supposed to line up with the smoke stack? It doesn't at the moment, it is set a little in front of the smoke stack. Thanks again for your advice.
Sam
Okay... according to the Lionel web site schematic, this set came with a #8041 Engine with manual reverse switch. This means no cycling between forward and reverse. You have to do it manually with the switch on top.
Here's the LINK.
Scroll to the second choice.
If the engine has a real reverse unit, then there should be a solenoid coil and plunger mechanism where the manual reverse switch is shown.
Your problem may be that the smoke unit is improperly aligned, and jamming the drive mechanism.
How about some pictures?
Thanks Jon. I went to the link and it looks exactly like that. The way I could find to put a picture on here was my profile picture. That in the motor in the Silver Star. I was able to align the smoke unit and the problem didn't go away but the smoking mechanism works. I'm just unsure what to take apart and clean because I am unfamiliar with the terminology. As far as I was able to determine the switch on top is the E-unit, or not? Thanks for your patience. My 4 year old son loves trains to a fault and has been asking me everyday to fix the new engine. It was because of his love for trains that I got interested, now I'm hooked. We just went to a train sale in La Crosse, WI and his picture turned up on the front page of their newspaper. So this is all very exciting but I am extremely ignorant of 99% of all things Lionel.
To post a photo, you'll need to down-load it to a photo sharing site. There's plenty of good free ones out there like PhotoBucket. I use Shutterfly.com, and am very happy. Once the photo is there, you can copy and paste the code from the photo location on the sharing site into the space between the [img] markers.
Things to look for: clean track (use a ScotchBrite pad...NEVER steel wool around trains!), clean wheels, and clean pick-up rollers.
Yes, there are replacement boards available for the sounds. There are even BETTER ones out there from:
The Electric Railroad Company
But you'd then have a sound system worth way more than the engine!
Sam, glad to hear that your train is up and running! I'm going to get you caught up on some of the terminology you were asking about earlier:
The E-Unit is a Lionel term for the widget that makes the train change directions when you cut the power to the engine. There are 2 position e-units (engine runs forward or reverse) and 3 position (engine runs forward, sits powered in neutral, then in reverse). Newer trains do not use an e-unit, properly speaking, but a circuit board that does the same thing and requires no maintenance. The lever is there to "lock out" the e-unit, so that the train will always start up in the same direction.
Parts of the motor: the black plastic plate with 3 (I think) screws (facing me in the photo you posted) is called the Brushplate. If you remove the brushplate, two little cylinders with springs attached to them will fall out: these are the Brushes. The brushes conduct electricity to the spinning part of the motor, which is called the Armature. The part of the armature contacted by the brushes is a round, flat copper surface (in this motor divided into three sections) called the Commutator Face.
Maintenance on the motor involves removing the brushplate and cleaning the commutator face until it is shiny. The brushes are also cleaned, and so are the wells they sit in. Mineral Spirits is good for this, but rubbing alcohol will suffice. Use a toothpick to scrape any gunk out of the slots separating the sections of the commutator face. DO NOT oil or lubricate the commutator face or the brushes or the brush springs.
Once you get the motor back together, you can oil the end of the Armature Shaft (which is, um, the shaft that comes out of the armature) at the point where it passes through the brushplate. Also, oil the other end, on the other side of the motor, which runs in a bearing of some sort. A little grease on the gears here is also good (a lot of people like Lucas' Red 'n Tacky #2, a wheel bearing grease; the auto parts store will sell you a tube that will last a lifetime for about $5.00). Also, oil the axles at the point where they pass through the axle bushings. After this, the engine should run a little quieter, and at lower voltage.
Re: the sound board, icky foam will not hurt the board, but the deterioration of the foam may have allowed the solder points on the board to touch the bottom of the tender and short out (which is what Jon was referring to). Isolate the board from the tender floor with new foam (or velcro or whatever is handy); make sure that all the wires that connect to the board are in good condition and wiggle them to be sure the solder joints are not loose. Also, check the smoke unit: IIRC, there is something there that makes and breaks electrical contact as the smoke unit is puffing, and this tells the board in the tender when to sound. If all of that is in good order and the sound still does not work, you may just have to replace the board
i also have the 6-1183 train set with an engine that says 4181 on the side, and would like to rebuild the engine as described in this thread. however the link to the schematic provided 5 yrs ago is not longer valid, and i cannot locate the schematic on the lionel site. can any one help? Thanks!
If you're planning on getting into vintage Lionel in a big way (and why not, they're a gas!) Let me suggest you click on the word "Shop" in the black bar on the top of the website. Follow the links to "books" and order yourself a copy of "Greenbergs Repair Guide for Lionel 1945 to 1969." I've got one and it's worth it's weight in gold for diagrams, parts numbers and nomenclature, and disassembly how-tos.
And welcome to the family!
I believe the 6-1183 set came out in 1972 (i think). Does the book have the 8141 engine in it? my 6-1183 came with the 8141, not the 8041. I'm willing to buy the book if someone could peek inside it for me and tell me if it has the dissassembly and cleaning instructions for the 8141 or the 8041. thanks.
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