Lionel Post-War Steamer #1130

[Midwest Northern R.R]

Hi Y'all,

I have a Post-war lionel scout type engine that doesn't work. Does anyone know how to fix this? I've found that the contacts are disabled, but the armeture and magnets work.

Mine is a rare type, with a cast-iron shell from the leftover supply.

Thanks In advance!

[teledoc]

The obvious question, is whether you know how to do your own repairs.  The 1130 is the same as the 2034 loco, which is where your Die Cast body came from, (left over castings).  Have you taken the body off, to examine the internal wiring, (missing insulation, broken wires, etc.).  What condition is the E unit in?  There are a multitude of reasons that your loco won’t run, but you need to provide more info.

[Postwar Paul]

Hello !

and welcome !!

There is something somewhat noble about returning the old engines to service. I don't know the specifics of your engine, but many of the Postwar engines are very similar, here are some generic tips :

1. Remove the boiler shell

2. Clean the commutator and brushes. You will need to remove the 2 screws holding the brush plate, and clean the 3 segment circular commutator. You can use a pencil eraser to not scratch the surface, and follow this with a Q-tip and Alcohol. Clean the brushes with alcohol and a towel. Use a Q-tip and alcohol to clean the tubes, or slots where the brushes go.

3. Re assemble everything, and lube all the pivot and moving points.

4. Test, if it works, you're done.

5. If it doesn't, you will need to isolate the motor from the E-unit, to make sure the motor works. You will want the brushes and field coil in series, not connected to the E- unit.

6. If the motor works, this means the problem is in the E-unit.

7. If the E-unit is the problem, check for bent fingers, tarnished or damaged drum. Check that all wiring is properly connected.

8. This is a rough and generic outline, but these old trains are all very similar, and should get you started.

Good luck, let us know !

Paul

[rrswede]

Great summary of the basics, Paul.

swede

[Midwest Northern R.R]

teledoc

The obvious question, is whether you know how to do your own repairs.  The 1130 is the same as the 2034 loco, which is where your Die Cast body came from, (left over castings).  Have you taken the body off, to examine the internal wiring, (missing insulation, broken wires, etc.).  What condition is the E unit in?  There are a multitude of reasons that your loco won’t run, but you need to provide more info.

 

Hi teledoc,

I have taken the shell off, and the problem is in the contacts. The motor will spin when hotwired, but when placed on powered tracks, nothing happens.

I've cleaned the contacts, and checked the E-unit. Nothing seems to be wrong, but it simply does not move.

[teledoc]

You mention that you cleaned the contacts, which I presume you mean the rollers on the bottom plate.  I am not sure how you “hot wired” it to get it to run, but if it ran, by bypassing the E unit, it would indicate your problem lies in the E unit, or how it is wired.  If you have a multimeter, to check resistance, I would check for continuity from the pick up roller, to the power lead going to the E unit, to see if that is good.  It sounds to me, that your E unit needs a rebuild, or replacement.  Read steps 5, 6, & 7, from Postwar Paul, as that is the process of steps to isolate the problem.

[Midwest Northern R.R]

I attached a 9 volt controller to the brushes, and the armeture buzzed. The contacts are probably cleaner then they were when it came out of it's chest. I would think it's probably in the E-unit, and it appears not to be damaged in some way, which probably means replacement.

[TrainLarry]

Here is a link to the wiring of locomotives. To test your motor, remove the wires from the 'E'-unit and wire up your transformer to the motor according to the middle-left diagram "Wiring Diagram of Locomotives With no Reversing Mechanism". The motor should run. If it does, wire up the 'E'-unit per this diagram. The motor should run and reverse when the power is cycled. If not, the 'E'-unit may need servicing.

 

Larry

[Midwest Northern R.R]

Thank you much, TrainLarry.

I downloaded those sheets to be printed later, for future reference.

This disscussion helped alot, Thanks All! :)

[TrainLarry]

You're welcome. Please keep us posted on your progress.

 

Larry

[BigAl 956]

Posting a few photos wouldn't hurt either.

[Midwest Northern R.R]

Hi all,

To keep everyone posted on how this project worked out, SHE IS ALIVE!!

I brought her back by cleaning the E-unit plunger hole, replaced the E-unit drum fingers, replacing the E-unit drum (new parts from pre-war parts E-unit), cleaned the armature again, cleaned the brushes and lubed her, new bulb, rewired everything (the wiring was not correct or even close), powered her with 9-13 volts AC, off she goes like the grim reaper is chasing her!

She is now running as a regular local freighter. Again, I thank all of you for helping me out with this one!

-Liam

Your never too old to play with trains.

I will try to get photos out soon.

[Midwest Northern R.R]

Midwest Northern R.R

 

I will try to get photos out soon.

 

Here are some photos of the old girl-

 

Thank you for helping!