Anyone buy these brushes from ebay?

[Fordiesel69]

http://cgi.ebay.com/Lionel-622-121-Brushes-12-NOS_W0QQitemZ190357263092QQcmdZViewItemQQptZModel_RR_Trains?hash=item2c522d52f4

These appear to be pure graphite instead of copper graphite like the factory ones, will these work ok?  I imagine these will wear faster, but protect to commutator better.

[Fordiesel69]

anyone?  Mine are oil soaked and I would like to order some replacements. 

[bfskinner]

I haven't purchased any from that particular vendor, but I do have some very similar-looking ones that appear to be all carbon -- no trace of copper apparent. They are softer than the originals and appear to be gentler on the face of the commutator. You do have to clean the commutator a bit more often, especially to get the crud out of the slots. It is my opinion that you lose between one and two volts of "oomph" from whatever transformer you are using, but I have no "scientific" data to prove it.

The relative gentleness may be worth the trade-off. And, I could be wrong.

Lionel recently offered some "shunted brushes" which have a little "pig-tail" wire sticking out of them. They look interesting, but I don't know whether they can be retro-fitted to older locomotives. They are listed as "610-8607-150 Brush, AC motor with shunt." and there may be others. If anyone can eleaborate on them I'd like to hear it.

,

[cwburfle]

If you purchase brushes from that seller, you'll be paying about eleven dollars for twelve brushes.
I just checked the Train Tender. He gets sixty cents per brush. By the time you add shipping, the price will probably be the same.
I purchased my last lot of brushes from Town and Country hobbies. He currently gets fifteen dollars for fifty brushes, plus shipping.
They are probably all selling the same product.

http://www.towncountryhobbies.com/wholesale_parts_list.htm

[Fordiesel69]

Is there a place to get copper graphite brushes just like the original?

[cwburfle]

Fordiesel69

Is there a place to get copper graphite brushes just like the original?

Not to my knowledge.
Some parts dealers or service stations may still have some old stock.
It's been years since I've found any.

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