vintage 2026 not running at all but picks up current fine

[mogul233]

its a later model i got at a train show she dosent run but im trying to restore it to run i think the motors gone dead  any help

[Firelock76]

One of mine's doing the same thing. I believe the E-unit's shot, as I can trace the electric power through the locomotive to the E-unit, where the juice comes in but it doesn't come out.  The E-unit looks like a mess anyway, I didn't need a meter to tell me that, the eyeballs were enough!

I suspect the same thing's probably going on with yours.  If you don't have an electric meter get one, I'd suggest a digital.  They don't cost all that much and they can be worth their weight in gold.

[lionelsoni]

Do you get any sound or vibration from the e-unit?

[Hudson#685]

Whenever I acquire an engine like you described, the first thing I do is remove the cab/boiler assy. and clean all of the old grease and crud off the motor and gear assy. with CRC QD Electronic Cleaner. Then I remove the brush plate, clean that real well, check the brushes replace if necessary or clean them real well. Then clean and polish the armature real good. I first spray the QD cleaner followed by a Q Tip and alcohol. Dig all of the crud out carefully with a toothpick then polish the armature with a track eraser or a pencil/pen eraser. Pull the armature pinion plate off the gear side and clean that also. Reassemble and properly lube and test it before putting the cab assy. back on. Spray the E unit real good when you are cleaning the motor assembly. I find that this works most of the time and it has to be done anyway. All of the old lubricants, combined with it sitting works havouc on it. Good Luck John

[8ntruck]

The 2026 has a 3 position e-unit. It could be as simple as the e-unit being turned off while it is in the neutral position. The lever that is sticking out of the top of the boiler needs to be all the way to the left or all the way to the right - one way the e-unit is supposed to cycle, and the other way, the e-unit will be off. I don't remember which way is which right now. Good luck.

[TrainLarry]

If after cleaning the motor and e-unit, and lubricating the motor, axles and gears, the motor still does not run, isolate the e-unit from the motor by unsoldering all wires to the motor, and wire the motor directly to your transformer. This will insure you have a good motor, and remove the possibility of you having 2 separate problems. The wiring diagram of locomotives with no reversing mechanism can be found here. Ignore the lamp wire for now. If the motor runs, reverse the wires to the brushes, and the motor will run in the opposite direction. The motor must run in both directions this way before proceeding further.

Using alcohol to clean the motor is not recommended, as it is reported to melt the clear insulation on the armature and field wires. Use naphtha instead, available at your local hardware store. Naphtha is a superior cleaner/degreaser, and will not harm the motor wiring, nor will it attack paint and plastics like alcohol does.

Larry

[mogul233]

hello larry also she makes half a rotation by hand then the wheels stick

[alank]

After reading the latest post where it says, she makes a half a rotation by hand then the wheels stick, part of your problem is the side rods are not installed properly.

[TrainLarry]

Disconnect the rods on one side of the engine and try running the loco again. If it runs now, one of the wheels is probably not quartered properly. If it does not run, disconnect the rods on the other side of the engine and try again. You could also possibly have slightly bent rods or screws to inspect.

Larry

[charliebrown]

John, Could it be a bent axle like mine had?

[cwburfle]

I think that the first thing I would do is try turning the drive wheels by hand. The wheels should turn fairly easily and smoothly. There should not be any binding in the mechanism.

If there is binding, look for a cause.
As has already been mentioned, an axle could be bent, or a wheel could be out of quarter.
The smoke puffer mechanism could be creating a bind.
If the engine was put together out of parts, the drive rods could be too long.
The list goes on.