Were you told the "fatal flaw" was in the motor or in the circuitry? If the motor still works, I would not be opposed to just ripping out the boards, installing a Radio Shack full wave bridge rectifier, and running the engine straight with no e-unit...it would be better than the paper weight it is now. But before I go that route, I'd like to know what you were told the flaw was. Thanks!
i hate to be the bearer of bad news but........I went through the EXACT same thing with TWO of these locos. I took the second one, bought new, to a service station and they told me point blank thatt there is a flaw in the engine and it is unrepairable. This engine was less then 6 months old with a total of maybe 10 hrs of run time. Most of that was at a show on display. i would never by another one of thoses even if they are really cool looking!
Check with these folks, http://brasseurelectrictrains.com/ , when Lionel dumped all of the original K-Line parts inventory they picked up most of it. Plus they are a very reputable repair facility.
Remember the Veterans. Past, present and future.
www.sd3r.org
Proud New Member Of The NRA
Check to see that you are getting power to the motors. K-Line circuit boards do fail from time to time. The MP-15 made by K-Line is a classic example of a circuit board that had problems, I had to send one back for warrenty repair as the two motors were not in sync, one set of wheels spun faster than the other.
If the circuit board is bad, try a replacement from Electric RR.
Lee F.
Have you doubled-checked the motor assembly for broken wires or solder connections? Use a magnifying glass, if necessary. Sometimes, it doesn't take much to break a wire or solder connection.
I looked on the internet for your locomotive's maintenance instructions, but found none. However, below is a link to a great website for Lionel maintenance issues:http://www.justtrains.com/Service/maint-main.aspI purchased the cleaning/lubrication supplies recommended on the website at Home Depot for roughly $20. Also, check the motor armature alignment. If the armature looks out of balance or alignment when the motor is assembled, there may be other issues. I started a thread on this forum, "Lionel 8111 DT&I Switcher Starting Problems", when I recently experienced similar motor problems on a locomotive. You can do a search for the thread (currently about page 8, I believe) and read the posts.
Good luck - let us know what you find!
It is possible that your local Lionel repair shop will work on it. I know some repair shop work on all manufactures locomotives if they can get parts for it. Getting parts sometimes is a deal killer even for Lionel.
Bill T.
I have a K-line Plymouth switcher that I've had for about 6 years. It was working fine the last time I ran it, but it's been sitting on the tracks for a few months without use, and today, when I powered it up, it doesn't want to move. The motor seems to *want* to turn, but when it's on the track, it stutters, then stops. I removed the bottom housing, cleaned and lubed the gears, and tried again, but no dice. Even at full track power, it's like it just can't move. Anyone else have this problem with this engine? It's a cool little engine and I'd hate to have to hang it up, but I know K-line is out of business and Lionel won't fix their stuff, so I think I'm out of luck with regard to a "professional" repair. Any ideas? Thanks.
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.
Get the Classic Toy Trains newsletter delivered to your inbox twice a month