Lionel SD60M O Guage Locomotive - Railsounds

[chuck]

You could try doing a "transition" curve by swapping out the center sections of the curve with the next diameter up track.  Lionel doesn't offer O-31/O-32 in their O-27 track line but there are other vendors with compatible profiled track that do, e.g. Gargraves sectional.

[lionel2986]

A little update. I'm rebuilding my layout with 027 track. My Conrail SD60 cannot take a 90 degree 27" turn. It will derail. If I take 1 27" curve it is fine, but two or more in the same direction it derails. I will try 1 27" curve, a half straight, and another 27" curve and see if that works. I guess I have to decide on selling the engine if I could find a nice 027 with rail sounds, or somehow get a hold of marx 34" 027 track. I have 6 K line 027 42 inch curves but they will be difficult to use in my tightly spaced layout, and I need 6 more to make a complete circle. I'm trying to limit my budget.

[Anonymous]

The only time I had trouble with a pickup roller and tried to "oil it" I made matters much worse. The oil accumulated more glop, raised the resistance/lowered conductivity and made the engine run worse than before.

Only "cure" for a misbehaving roller is to replace it. There are several designs of rollers and I really prefer the hardened/plated steel units with the axle an intrgral part of the roller. Worse kind are the scintered ones with the seperate axles. Too many parts and the roller itself is easily pitted/blasted by arcing.

[Anonymous]

chuckn,

While I seldom disagree with you, in this case I have done a little research and find that while none of the Lionel locos for which I have (or could find instructions for) say to oil the pickup-roller axles, all my MTH instructions advise doing so. (This is not to say that Lionel has never recommended it, or that MTH always does -- merely that those were the results in my limited sample.) I found several examples of Lionel specifically advising not to oil them.

What I was trying to do was to see how many members oil their rollers and with what brands of loco; and then to inquire whether anyone has any experience, good, bad or indifferent, with any of the special "conductive oils or greases."

As a general rule, I would agree with you that smooth rolling new or clean rollers are better than oiled ones.

Perhaps this needs a new thread....

wolverine49

[Anonymous]

I believe that the first case is the lube point on the later generation verticle Pullmor's and I haven't seen any vendor recommend lubing any part of a pickup roller. The latter seems more likely to cause problems than prevent/solve them.

[Anonymous]

chuckn,

Did you happen to notice the oil-and-lube instructions for this locomotive at the link you posted?

Two things stood out: 1. the recommendation to oil the top of the armature shaft under the upward-travel limiting set screw ; and 2. no recommendation to oil the shafts of the contact rollers.

Any further comments from you or anyone on either point?

wolverine49

[Anonymous]

Trucks have blind center drivers so it should handle O-27 profile track in wider radius curves like O-42. Be wary of swicth stands as Chief pointed out.

[ChiefEagles]

Might make it through K-Line 027 low profile. Not through Lionel as will it switch stands.

[lionel2986]

Yep, I have the conrail sd60m 6-18216. Volume control is one of the fans. Do you think I could run this on 027 track? I was thinking of going back to 027 to have more space on the layout. Maybe I could run the engine on a 027 mainline that has a minimum radius of 42 inch curves for this engine?

[Anonymous]

GP-9 can go as high as $400. If you poll E-Bay the prices you paid seem reasonable. Unless you are a serious collector, buy what you like and pay what you feel comfortable paying. The "value" of these toys has as much to do with what you think/feel as they do to the people who buy/sell them as comodities.

[Anonymous]

I may have paid a bit much for some of my units. Tell me what you guys think:

2380 GP 9 New York Central Lionel # 6-18563 (1 Pullmor Motor,TMCC,Railsounds, Made in 1996) NIB when I bought it a few weeks ago. Sat in a shop unsold for years. I paid 175.00 .

5500 SD60M Conrail Lionel #6-18216 (2 Pullmor Motors,Railsounds, 12 wheel drive,Liontech electronic E unit). Made in 1994. NIB - Sat in hobby shop for years - unsold. I paid 185.00 a week ago .

[ChiefEagles]

Nope, mine has can motors and adjustable volume [I can adjust with TMCC too] on the bottom of the fuel tank. Think mine is like lionel2986's. Got it used but LN for about $250. Great runner and puller. The new Lionel GP30 with Railsounds 5.0 has adjustment ont eh side of the fule tank so you do not have to remove it from the track. Smart.

[Anonymous]

A lot of the diesels have the volume pot hidden under one of the fans. I've found that setting this to 90% volume will usually give you the maximum volume without getting distortion. If you have access to a TMCC command set you can remotely adjust the volume, but not above the settings of this potentiometer. Enjoy.

[Anonymous]

Chuckn,
Thank you - I can not see how I missed that. I have had this unit a week or so. I noticed the sound was a bit weak. You caused me to like this unit much better now.

Thank you

[Anonymous]

http://www.lionel.com/products/productnavigator/InstructionManuals/71-8216-250.pdf

Volume control is one of the fan units, the one nearest the nine volts battery hatch.

[Anonymous]

By the way, I paid 185.00 NIB for it. is that good for this unit? I need to lube it. Would you try this yourself or have the dealer do it. Those two twin Pullmors are monsters.

[Anonymous]

ChiefEagles,
Mine is also a Conrail Cab # 5500 Railsounds, Twin Pullmors, SD60 M. I think it is from 1994 - a date I found on the paperwok. Mine,however, has no adjustable volume that I can find. Mine is the 6-18216. Is this the same as yours?

[lionel2986]

I have one of the first railsound engines by lionel, the conrail sd60m from around 1995 or 1996. I bought this recently as it has been an engine i've always liked but could never afford. I think it was $650 new. I picked it up for $225 after shipping and taxes and it looks unused to me. Sounds great and it has adjustable volume. excellent price i think, too.

[ChiefEagles]

I've got an older version in SD60 in NS. It will blast you out of the room. The new Railsounds 5.0 on my GP30 is even better.

[Anonymous]

I just wanted to see how many folks have the Lionel SD60 M Locomotive with railsounds and how well you like it?