Lionel 601 Seaboard Restoration

[Anonymous]

Hello -

I'm in the process of restorng some of my dad's old Lionel's and am currently working on a 601 Seaboard switcher from the late 50's.  So far, I've been able to take the train from not being able to move an inch, to being able to drive it around my layout simply by giving it some oil.

I have a couple issues...

1 - When I drive the train in reverse, it works quite well.  However, when I drive the train forward, it sounds like "gravel in a blender".  (Sorry!  I'm new to the hobby!)  It does move forward, but nowhere near as smooth as when I drive the train in reverse.  Any suggestions?  I'm going to buy some TV tuner cleaner tonight and give it a good cleaning, but since it works well in reverse, not sure if cleaning it will correct the issues I'm having driving the train forward or not.

2 - The horn doesn't work at all.  Does anybody know if this model needs a battery or not?  I don't have the book for this engine, and can't seem to find much info on it via the Internet.  I'd hate to start taking the unit apart if it's a simple fix....

 If there is additional info I should be posting, please let me know...  Like I said, I'm quite new to this hobby....  I've bought some books on Lionel repair, and they have been quite helpful.  I'm just not sure where to go from here....

 Bob

[lionelsoni]

It sounds like a thrust-bearing problem.  There should be a single ball bearing under the armature shaft and a "thrust collar" on the top.  If one of these is missing, the armature will travel vertically, driven by the rotating worm, until it hits something else.

[ADCX Rob]

The horn uses a "C" cell battery.

On the motor issue,  you will need a tuner cleaner, I use CRC Contact Cleaner(from Lowes).

The problem is the lower bearing plate is floating in the stamped aluminum motor side frames as the factory staking has worked loose over the years.  The old Lionel fix for this was to "dent" the side frames with a punch, some shops used cardstock jammed in to firm up the plate.

I have had good luck using tiny self-tapping screws into drilled pilot holes to hold the bearing in place.

My latest method, though, beats them all.  Using the CRC, clean ALL oil & residue from between the sideframes & the bearing, using the nozzle to spray into the crevice.  Dry it out well, several hours or overnight.

Now use the regular "thin"(not gel) CA adhesive("Super Glue", Eastman 910, etc.) and flow the cement into the crevice on both sides, letting it creep in by capillary action to fill the gap.

In about 10 minutes, the loco is ready to be lubed(grease on gears, oil on pivots & bearings/axles) and will run like new. 

Rob 

[themi01]

could be as easy as a brush either thrown.. missing or miss aligned  too