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You may want to repost this to the Classic Toy Trains forum. The Classic Trains forum is for discussing prototype trains.
Your locomotive and cars should be serviced before you use them.If you took good care of your trains, and stored them properly, they'll need nothing more than lubrication. Folks are passionate about what lubricants to use. There is a another lengthy thread on the subject. I use Labelle #106 grease, and their plastic compatable oils. (available at many hobby shops)If you do this work yourself, remember, too much lubricant is almost as bad as not enough.And despite what some advertisements for lubricants say, not everything that moves should be lubricated. No lubricants should be placed on the reversing (E) unit, or in the brush holders (you'd be surprised).If you take it to a shop for service, please make certain they know Lionel, and are reputable.
If you got it in 1958, your set probably looks a lot like this one:
To wake it up after a long storage, you should give the locomotive a good inspection. Take the body shell off and inspect the wiring to make sure the insulation has not deteriorated, the bearings and gears are not caked with gunk, and everything is still there. Clean and repair as necessary.
The wheels on these locomotives need to be clean also. This will help with traction and electrical conductivity. Use a degreaser that is safe for use around plastics for this job. Everybody seems to have their own favorite - track cleaning fluid, goo gone, denatured alcahol, wire brush on a Dremel tool, etc.
Applying a small drop of oil on the axle and motor bearings and a small amount of grease on the gears will be a good idea before running the locomotive.
You should also clean the track. A scotch brite pad, goo gone, and elbow grease is a common method.
Good luck. If this does not get you going, post again with a description of what is happening. There are a bunch of knowlegeable and helpful people here that will probably know the answer.
Besides going over the engine and track, the cars need maintenace too. Clean all dirt that may be between the axel ends and the trucks. Lubricate each axel end / truck riding surface with a "drop" of oil on a toothpick. That is plenty. Lubricate where the truck pivots on the car chassis, same way with a tooth pick. Lubricate the couplers with a tooth pick. If the cars are equiped with rollers for electric pickups, lubricate them with a toothpick at each end of the roller axel and each point where it pivots.Wipe all excess oil off with a paper towel. Do not overlubricate. Too much oil is just as bad as no oil. It attracts dirt and gets on the track and causes traction problems. Most of all, enjoy them.
John
The Alco PA locos have a worm gear inside the truck that needs to be lubed and can only be lubed by disassembling the motor. There are 2 screws that hold the brush plate onto the field core. You can remove these two screws and carefully remove the brush plate. While you have it apart, clean the commutator with something like isopropyl alcohol. Clean the brushes, also. Then remove the armature and lube the spur gear and worm. Failure to keep this lubed will often result in failure of the spur gear, particularly if it is plastic. The earlier locos had a brass gear which is more tolerant of poor lubrication. The spur gear is not easy to replace. I bought a loco with a bad gear recently, and ended up replacing the entire truck assembly. I bought the replacement truck at a swap meet for $2, so I didn't feel bad about the price.
Bruce Baker
bluewater think the problem I had was with the pins. I used lite sanpaper oo something on the rails, but I don't believe that the electricty was getting through the pins. I didn't want to take each one out shine them up and put them back in again
Unless you have a large quantity, you may wish to consider purchasing some new track. Doing so may make getting your trains going much easier. I would clean-up and re-use switch tracks, and uncouplers.
Yup. "Ship it on the FRISCO" is what the boxcar says.
This set was a Christmas present when I was 2 years old, so I grew up with it. I think my dad and uncle had fun with it for a few years until I could really appreciate it.
I enjoy this forum greatly. I collect and operate primariy 50's and 60's HO but also enjoy my Father's 1930 254E set at Christmas. I hang out here for the friendship.
Banks, Proud member of the OTTS TCA 12-67310
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