It is possible. I have put electromagnetic e-units into several locomotives that have permanent-magnet DC motors.
Most Lionel e-units do need to be upright; but fortunately there are two versions, the 671-50 and the 726-51, that use a spring instead of gravity and can be mounted horizontally. I have also been able to modify a gravity e-unit by adding my own spring.
The on-off switch is absent from some e-units and in any case can be replaced by an ordinary SPST switch, mounted wherever is convenient. Just remove the switch arm or immobilize it in the "off" position.
Here is how I would wire it:
From both pickups to one of the rectifier's ~ terminals.
From the locomotive frame to the rectifier's other ~ terminal.
From the rectifier + terminal to the e-unit terminal that is wired both to the e-unit brushes and to the e-unit coil. (That e-unit terminal may already have a red wire on it.)
From the yellow e-unit wire to one of the motor terminals.
From the blue e-unit wire to the other motor terminal.
From the green e-unit wire to the rectifier's - terminal
From the e-unit terminal that the original on-off switch would touch to one terminal of the SPST switch.
From the other terminal of the SPST switch to the rectifier's - terminal.
Bob Nelson
Yes. That is the bridge rectifier, which converts the AC track voltage to DC. It has two ~ terminals for the AC voltage in and a + and a - terminal for the DC out.
What kind of e-unit do you have? Does it have a switch on it? What does the terminal board look like? Is there a spring inside that pushes the plunger out, or does it depend on gravity?
In that last picture, isn't there an eyelet hidden under the on-off lever's short arm and wired on the back side to one of the coil wires?
That's the terminal that connects to the new on-off switch. The short arm of the old switch must not be allowed to touch that eyelet. The surest way to do that is to remove it; but you can immobilize it or put some insulation (cardboard) between the arm and the eyelet.
Can you tell whether there is a spring pushing the plunger out?
This style is often found on modern locomotives:
http://www.radioshack.com/radioshack-30vdc-0-5a-spst-sub-mini-slide-switch-2-pack/2750032.html
The part is easy to find; and it's unobtrusive once installed. You don't have to limit yourself to the 2-terminal single-pole-single-throw (SPST) type, since you can get the same function from almost any more complicated contact arrangement, like SPDT or DPDT; but your chances are better of finding a very small SPST.
The lack of a spring means that you will have to find a way to mount your e-unit vertically, or find another one with a spring, or add a spring to the one you've got. This last option requires taking the bottom of the e-unit apart. They are notoriously hard to get back together, because you have to simultaneously line up about 5 items in holes in the two side plates as you squeeze them back together. But it can be done with a lot of patience.
Another possibility is to use an American Flyer reversing unit. (Don't call it an e-unit--that's Lionel jargon.) They're much smaller and mount horizontally. There are also modern electronic e-unit replacements. The only important way that they differ from the electromechanical ones is that they don't remember what direction they were going if you leave them unpowered for a little while. They are usually arranged to default to the forward direction after that amnesia; but you might not want to force the GG1 to have a "forward" direction.
Yes, you should be able to re-use the old bridge. I assume that's the tan thing sticking up in the middle of the locomotive.
What's your plan for the e-unit? Do you have enough headroom to stand it up? They did fit into the Lionel models. Note that, if it does fit and you want to use the original on-off switch, you will have to make some wiring changes, likely involving the nuisance of insulating the e-unit's frame and the switch handle from the locomotive's frame. It's a lot easier and cleaner to replace the switch, as I described.
That's right. In Lionel's AC locomotive wiring, one terminal of the on-off switch was connected to the locomotive frame; so they made that the lever of their switch, which connected to the locomotive frame through the e-unit frame. This made it unnecessary to insulate that lever where it passed through a slot in the metal locomotive-shell casting.
In the DC version you'll be wiring, the roles of the center-rail pickups and the locomotive frame are only to feed the input terminals (~ and ~) of the bridge rectifier; and the rectifier's output terminals (+ and -) replace them downstream of the rectifier. But you can't allow the output terminals of a bridge to connect to the input terminals without burning up stuff. That's why the second terminal of the new on-off switch has to connect to the rectifier's - terminal instead of the frame.
I'm having trouble figuring out how to mount/secure this unit. I looked up a Dalee 400 and to me that seems the way to go? Would that board replace the bridge rectifier that is currently in this paticular engine if he is interested in going that route?
Lionel e-units are usually mounted to a metal tab with one or two sheet-metal screws through clearance holes in the tab and into the small holes in one side plate of the e-unit just below the coil, like this: http://pictures.olsenstoy.com/cd/locos/loc2328b.pdf
It is easy to make a simple L-shaped tab like this and screw its base to the GG1's floor.
I don't know anything about the Dallee parts, except that the web site confirms what I wrote about resetting, in about 6 seconds.
i have done 2 of these in the last year. inside the top of the shell you will see the slot that is partially filled in. When Jerry had the shell made in Korea, they copied the Lionel shell perfectly except for the slot. just drill 2 small holes at each end of the slot and then file it open Then follow Mr Nelson's advice for wiring. And just for fun here is a tidbit, when Williams when belly up the 1st time, Lionel bought the GG1 dies from Jerry rather then rework the original Lionel Corp dies. they were simply wore out!
Awesome, thanks for the info!
But, if you do keep the e-unit's on-off switch, remember that you have to insulate the handle from the shell casting and insulate the e-unit frame from the locomotive frame.
There is a way to wire it so that the e-unit coil is powered by AC voltage upstream of the rectifier. That way, the switch and e-unit frame do not need to be insulated; but then the e-unit is likely to buzz like any postwar locomotive.
A further possibility is to go ahead and wire it that way, with the coil upstream of the rectifier, but to add a small separate bridge rectifier just for the e-unit coil, to take care of the buzzing.
It's a lot less trouble just to add the separate on-off switch.
I know you are really far into this project but I was wondering why you just don't purchase a Williams electronic reverse board?
http://www.trainworld.com/manufacturers/williams/williams-accessories/williams-00249-o-scale-reverse-board-w-lockout/
When Jerry had the shell made in Korea, they copied the Lionel shell perfectly except for the slot. just drill 2 small holes at each end of the slot and then file it open
The Postwar Lionel shell had a battery holder cast inside. I haven't looked at the insides of a Williams shell. I have read that they did not include the battery holder.
BigAl 956I know you are really far into this project but I was wondering why you just don't purchase a Williams electronic reverse board?
My buddy purchased it from someone that provided him with the Lionel e-unit. He doesn't want to put anymore money into it.
I was looking through the Greenberg book on Williams earlier. According to the book, the TCA anniversary GG-1 came with instructions for installing a Lionel e-unit. The instructions show a standard Lionel e-unit being installed on a bracket that is already there. If the e-unit lever points up, the instructions call for the lever to be bent over. If the e-unit lever points down, the instructions call for the lever to be cut off. Following these directions would result in the e-unit always beng on, with no way to turn it off.
For the wiring, the instructions show that the e-unit coil is connected to the A.C. power in the usual way. The D.C. output of the bridge rectiifer goes to the e-unit's contacts.
That wiring is the second alternative that I described above, which has the drawback that the e-unit would be as noisy as any postwar e-unit. The only reason I can see to do that would be to allow the e-unit's switch lever to be used in the original way; so it's pointless if the lever has been bent over or cut off anyway.
The SPST switch I recommended was to replace the e-unit's switch, which would then be disabled in the open-circuit condition.
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