This 2046W-50 tender came with either my 736 Berkshire or my 685 locomotive when I purchased them back in the late 1990s at a train show. I do have a 2046W tender that I assume went with the other locomotive.
I plan on cleaning & lubing both tenders, but starting with the 2046W-50... the whistle blows but there is some sticking and grinding.
I removed the shell and there is a light bulb installed towards the back to illuminate the back red (3) lens.
I assume someone added this light, but maybe it was manufactured with one ? Anyone know for sure ?
One of the wires was soldered to one of the nuts that holds the motor in place, but broke loose. The wires are pretty thin and brittle, so I was thinking I may replace the light.
Is there a good source for the light (bulb, socket, and wires) ?
Probably needs to be at least 14v, but maybe 18v or more if I use it on a track that is hooked up to command control due to the higher voltage.
Maybe there is an LED setup, if it is bright enough.
Here are some photos of the tender.
Thanks for your help... again!
I've got a number of vintage Lionel whistle tenders but none have an internal light. I've never heard of Lionel doing so but just because I haven't heard of it doesn't mean they never did. I suspect it's an add-on but it's pretty cool just the same.
I may just try it myself!
As far as a source for light sockets I'd almost suggest Radio Shack, but as I understand it they're rapidly disappearing, they certainly are in my area. Lionel parts dealers may be a good place to start.
Here's a posting from years ago about those rear lights:
http://cs.trains.com/ctt/f/95/p/142884/1589326.aspx#1589326
I long ago modified the 2671W that my 681 pulls by adding directional lights: a white backup light and two red taillights, using 3-millimeter LEDs. (The 2671W and the 2046W use the same shell.)
Bob Nelson
Madison Hardware (NYC) sold tender backup light kits. It consisted of the light bar, a Lionel socket, bulb and wire. The socket may or may not be the same as what Lionel actually used in the tenders that had backup lights. I have a few of the kits. I don't recall whether any of the lenses are dyed. I don't recall seeing the Madison Hardware kits on EBay. The bars show up alone quite frequently.
That looks like a home brew back up light IMHO. The extra noise your getting when you blow the whistle is the motor needed to be serviced. Do your normal service like for the locomotive motors, lubricate the bearings top and bottom, remove the brush plate and polish up the communtator surface, makeing sure the slots between the segments are clean. Then reassemble and test out. Usually just a good service is all the whistle motor needs to run well again. There was a 6 axle tender that came wiht a Turbine that had a back up light, but its not common to find. Most were the Madison Hardware upgrade. I have the same style tender behind my 2056 Hudson. Mike
Silly NT's, I have Asperger's Syndrome
I did the normal service to the motor... kind of hard to lubricate the bottom bearing since it is not very visible... not sure if I got it or not.
It seem to test find on my bench by manually engaging the relay... but when I set the tender on the layout track and applied the KW whistle, the relay engaged, but did not disengage like it should... the whistle kept going.
Maybe the relay contacts need adjusted... or I need to test it with it attached to an engine and cars while running ?
emdmike That looks like a home brew back up light IMHO. The extra noise your getting when you blow the whistle is the motor needed to be serviced. Do your normal service like for the locomotive motors, lubricate the bearings top and bottom, remove the brush plate and polish up the communtator surface, makeing sure the slots between the segments are clean. Then reassemble and test out. Usually just a good service is all the whistle motor needs to run well again. There was a 6 axle tender that came wiht a Turbine that had a back up light, but its not common to find. Most were the Madison Hardware upgrade. I have the same style tender behind my 2056 Hudson. Mike
The relay contacts are pitted and sticking, you need to polish them up. I find a stainless steel wire brush in my vari speed dremel on low speed does wonders at fixing this issue. To get to the lower bearing, a needle oiler can sometimes reach between the windings to get to the lower bearing, otherwise you have to remove the motor/fan assembly from the plastic whistle chamber, pry the plastic fan up and off shaft, then lubricate. Then the fan can be pushed back on the shaft, reassemble and check for any binding. If the fan isnt far enough on the shaft, it will drag on the whistle chamber. I just did this with my tender as the whole motor was frozen with rust. It works great now. Mike
Thanks Mike... I did use some fine sandpaper on the relay contacts... I will try my Dremel with a wire brush... not sure it is stainless.
I'll try your recommedations for oiling the lower bearing too.
I saw somewhere on YouTube where someone recommended using automatic transmission fluid instead of the Lionel oil... any thoughts on that ?
Ken
emdmike The relay contacts are pitted and sticking, you need to polish them up. I find a stainless steel wire brush in my vari speed dremel on low speed does wonders at fixing this issue. To get to the lower bearing, a needle oiler can sometimes reach between the windings to get to the lower bearing, otherwise you have to remove the motor/fan assembly from the plastic whistle chamber, pry the plastic fan up and off shaft, then lubricate. Then the fan can be pushed back on the shaft, reassemble and check for any binding. If the fan isnt far enough on the shaft, it will drag on the whistle chamber. I just did this with my tender as the whole motor was frozen with rust. It works great now. Mike
If you can make the relay operate and the whistle blows, then there's nothing wrong with the relay contacts. When the whistle relay does not release, it usually means that the relay armature and pole piece are making such good contact that their residual magnetism is the culprit. The easy fix is to stick a small bit of tape, like masking tape, to the armature or the pole piece, to keep them just the tiniest distance farther apart when the relay operates.
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