My Newest Project: A 2055

[ben10ben]

Upon walking into my local shop today, I was greeted with the sight of a large box of engines labelled "parts".

I mentioned that I was interested in an engine that I could fix up, as I needed something to do the times when I was home from school, and asked if he would be interested in selling anything out of the box.

The answer was a "maybe", but I still proceeded to look through the box. They were mostly incomplete, and those that weren't were just Scout type engines and I even spotted a few Marx pieces. Toward the bottom of the box, I found two I was interested in, a 2055 and 675. Both appeared reasonably complete although they weren't in the best shape. The 2055 especially intrigued me because I have a 675 already, as well as a 2056 and I've always thought that the 2056 would do much better with magnetraction. The only problem was that the wheels seemed to be stuck solid on the 2055. I decided on it anyway, and walked away with it at the price of $30.

Here are a few before pictures









I managed to get the drivetrain freed up, and a quick wash in soapy water showed that the shell and paint were actually in fairly nice shape. After new brushes and pickup rollers, which I have on hand, I hope to give it a test run later on tonight.

Stay tuned for further details.

[ben10ben]

Sorry, I don't know how to post pictures with the new forum software.

If anyone coud provide any suggestions as to how to do so, I would appreciate it.

[Dr. John]

Join the club, Ben. It took me a while to figure it out. I discovered that I was having problems using Firefox, but could post pictures okay with Internet Explorer.

When you want to post a pic, type [ img ]  [/img ] into your text box (Note, there are no spaces between the brackets and "img". I had to type it that way for you to be able to read it without a "broken picture" icon. Go to your picture hosting site, right-click on the picture, click on properties, then copy the URL of the photo. Paste the URL between [ img ] and [/img ] with no spaces between. This SHOULD work. However, it does not always. I've had good luck with it today. Hope your luck is good!

[ben10ben]

Thanks, Dr. John.

Here's another try.

This is what's left of the front truck after I tried to free one of the wheels. Looks like I'll be needing a new one.

[ben10ben]

Thanks, Dr. John, it works!

[Dr. John]

You're welcome! Actually, I was asking for the same help this morning.

Looks like an interesting project. The shell looks to be in pretty good shape. Replacement pilot and trailing trucks shouldn't be hard to come by. Let us know how it runs and keep us posted on your progress.

[ben10ben]

Well, after an hour of digging carpet fibers out, I added some oil, grease, and put power to it. It actually ran very, very well, which I guess just goes to show you how well they built things back then.

In the past, I've always used Goo Gone as my primary solvent when doing this type of work in the past. Although it works very well, it tends to leave a lot of greasy residue behind.

This time, I tried Ronsonol lighter fluid, which is a favorite of a lot of camera repairmen and other people who work on small mechanical items. It's pretty much pure naptha. It's an excellent solvent that tends to wick into a lot of hard-to-reach places, plus evaporates completely, leaving nothing behind, in a few minutes. It worked great, plus didn't leave the greasy mess behind on my workbench that goo gone usually does. It goes without saying, though, to not put power to anything or even try to solder until it's had plenty of time to dry.

The shop I bought it from told me that he would try to find me some trucks, and to check back with him before I bought any.

I did manage to break the head of the screw off that holds the front truck on. Looks like I'll have to drill it out and order a new one.

[Anonymous]

Ben,

         Looks like a fun restoration!  I wouldn't have been able to walk out of the store with just the 2055, I would had to have bought the 675 also.  This explains why I have five 3656 stockyard sets.  At one show, a guy had two corrals and one car on the table.  They had seen better days.  I couldn't bring myself  to buy just one or two, I bought all three.  I paid $30 for the lot, and they cleaned up quite nicely.  If the shop where you bought the 2055 can't find the trucks for you,  try Olsens or Brasseur's.  If you want to remove rust, try PB Blaster.  It is an excellent penetrating oil.  It can be found at most automotive stores.  It is in a white spray can.   Keep us updated. 

[ben10ben]

Jim,
I was tempted to grab the 675 also, but only had $15 in my pocket and figured that I should stretch my good standing credit at the store too much.

I have a weakness for O22 switches. I can often find them for $5 each at shows, and can't not buy them. I have a box full of O22 switches around here somewhere that I'll get around to cleaning up one of these days. I have a few nice ones that I've basically gotten for free and then cleaned up.

[Jumijo]

I paid $30 for a "basket case" 2056 a few weeks back. The hobby shop owner told me it was in his back room. I went looking for it and only saw a huge white dust bunny. Turns out, that was the train. I took the loco and tender home and vacuumed 40 years of dust off the engine, and believe it or not, the paint was in excellent condition. A week later, the Chief and I got it running for the first time in decades. Gotta love those cheap finds! Ben, I bought a bottle of Ronsonol lighter fluid expressly for cleaning this locomotive after reading about it in David Doyle's book. Does it work better than mineral spirits or tuner cleaner? Is it harmfull to anything inside the motor? Jim

[ben10ben]

Jim,
I personally have never used mineral spirits to clean, so can't comment on that.

As for tuner cleaner, I've pretty much stopped using it when working on trains. It leaves behind a coating of mineral oil that, in the end, causes more trouble than it's worth. I'll occasionally put a squirt of tuner cleaner into a problematic e-unit, but when I do that, I know that it's still headed for a teardown and rebuilding.

I haven't tested it, but I'd be leary of using Ronsonol too close to the motor. I wouldn't be at all surprised to learn that it disolves the laquer on the motor coils. I didn't get it anywhere near the motor, and only used it to clean the mechanical parts. It's flammable enough, too, that I'd be afraid of setting the motor on fire if it was run before the ronsonol had a chance to completely evaporate.

[Jumijo]

Thanks, Ben. David Doyle suggested using it to clean the commutator of post war motors. I'll stick with alchohol and use the naptha for cleaning gears. I've been using a tuner cleaner named Blowoff which doesn't seem to leave any residue. It disolves grease and oil on contact though.

Jim

[ben10ben]

Jim,
I'll have to check into that tuner cleaner. I've been using the little white cans from Radio Shack that sell for $10. As I recall, it contains 1,1,1,2-Tetrafluorethane, which is a close relative of carbon tetrachloride, and mineral oil. Tuner cleaner used to be straight carbon tetrachloride, but I believe that health and enviromental *** have made it difficult to sell this, even though it's a relatively harmless chemical if used properly and with some sense.

Before I left to come back to school, I did manage to get the e-unit reinstalled in the 2055. It gave me some trouble with sticking and certain positions not working. I gave it some squirts of tuner cleaner, and, after cycling it about 100 times on a straight stretch of track, I got it to work fairly normally. The drum was filthy, which probably accounts for why, at first, I could only get one position out of 6 to work. Next weekend's project will probably be a complete e-unit teardown. I was hoping I could avoid this, as I hate working on e-units, but it looks like it's inevitable. I'll probably go ahead and rewire, too, while it's apart, so that I don't have to pull the E-unit apart again in five years because of a frayed wire.

Did I mention that I hate working on e-units?

One of these days, I'll invest in the proper tool set(spreader bar and vice), but I can't imagine that it would make repairs all that much easier. It seems like I always put them back together, and then realize that I installed the drum backwards or some other stupid mistake that I should have caught but still requires that I pop it open again.

[Jumijo]

Ben,

How do you really feel about working on e-units? 

Your input regarding repairs has always been a tremendous help and motivation to me. I hope you continue to keep us updated on this project with text as well as photos. I'd love to see where you're going with this. Do you intend to strip and repaint the shell? Is it just a mechanical overhaul?

I was driving to work this morning, thinking about the different solutions people use to clean these old motors. I've heard of everything from soap and water to mineral spirits, to naptha. The one product I've never heard used is Castrol Super Clean. It's a degreaser used on cars, but many hobbyists use it ase well. It doesn't harm plastic, but does strip paint. I know that from my years of submerging model car parts in the stuff for days at a time.

So, has anyone tried this stuff on an old train motor?


Jim

[lionelsoni]

There are a few things you can fix on an e-unit without disassembling it:

You can clean the drum with an ink-eraser pencil.

You can level the notches at the bases of the drum teeth with a small sharp wood chisel.

You can tighten up the fingers by holding each finger against its board with a paper clip bent into an L-shaped hook, then pushing it in with a screwdriver tip just past the paper clip.

It is possible to rejuvenate a worn finger by flattening the sharp angle somewhat between the straight section and the semicircle at the tip, so that the full semicircle is replaced by an unworn 45-degree circular section.  You may have to disassemble it for this one.

[Anonymous]

I have found a great contact cleaner.  It is made by CRC.  It is called QD Contact Cleaner.  It doesn't leave any oil or residue behind, this is why I prefer it over the Radio Shack product.  CRC's QD Contact Cleaner is about the same price as Radio Shack's tuner cleaner, but the CRC can is much bigger.  It is available at stores like Lowes and Home Depot.

[1688torpedo]

Ben- If you want to. Just send the e-unit to me & I'll rebuild it for you. Contact my e-mail if you're interested. Take Care.

[Nick12DMC]

Electrical Contact Cleaner is great stuff its a classic car owners best friend! Its the best stuff to use on electrical and electronic components. I use Mykal brand which also has a corrosion protector built in.

Regards

Nick

 

 

[ben10ben]

Keith,
Thanks for the very generous offer, but I'm going to pass on it. One of these weekends when I'm home from school, I'll get bored and need something to do, even if it's something that's likely to invoke bouts of swearing and throwing objects.

I do really appreciate it, though.

Nick,
Can I assume that your mention of classic cars is somehow tied in with your screen name?

[Nick12DMC]

Nick,
Can I assume that your mention of classic cars is somehow tied in with your screen name?

Ben, Yes that's my other hobby or money pit dependent on your point of view. The contact cleaner is great for getting the central locking working correctly on my 81' DeLorean. The tip was passed on to me by another owner here in the UK. I found it also worked well on trains.

In the process of getting planning permision for a garage for the car. I have increased the size so my Son and I can build a nice O gauge layout in there as well.

Hope you post some pics of the 2055 when your finished.

Regards

Nick

 

 

 

[Jumijo]

Ben,

Do you intend to strip and repaint the shell? Is it just a mechanical overhaul? Judging from your photos, a strip and repaint would look great and wouldn't harm it's resale value.

I just received a very nice 2055 motor, complete with e-unit and smoker yesterday. It looks and runs like new. See photos below.



Jim

[1688torpedo]

Ben- Some WD-40 will help clean off most of the rust & corrosion on the Drive Wheels & Side Frames. Looks like a good project though. Jeff at the Train Tender should have the Front Truck's & various other parts for your 2055. I've had very good luck with him & he's reasonable also. Jim A- Your 2055 Motor looks like it came from Madison Hardware at one time or another & whoever sold it to you might have gotten it from Madison's Auction a few years ago?  It sure is a squeaky clean motor. That's for sure. Give Jeff a try also. He may have a 2055 Cab in his stock. Take Care.

[tranz4mr]

I second the Jeff at Train Tender recommendation. He has excellent fast email response, has very good prices and ships as promised - quickly. I've ordered from him many times.
www.ttender.com

[Jumijo]

I bought the 2055 motor on a spur of the moment, and decided to keep it as a backup. I never even thought to build another 2055! Maybe I'll start looking for a shell and wheel gear! Thanks for the idea, Keith.

I have a 2056 I'm working on. The collector arms have some fairly minor surface rust on them. Will WD-40 remove that rust or should I buy new ones?

Jim

[1688torpedo]

Jim- WD-40 will get rid of surface rust on the Collector Arms. You will not need any new ones. Take Care.

[ben10ben]

Jim,
I'm still undecided about stripping and repainting. One of the first things I did was scrub the shell in soapy water with an old toothbrush, and it actually cleaned up really nicely. There are some nicks and rubs, particularly on the raised parts, but the remaining paint is really smooth and has a nice matte finish. I rubbed in some smoke fluid, which shined it up very nicely. It would look great, though, with a repaint, so I may end up doing that anyway.

That's a really nice looking motor; it looks like it just rolled off the assembly line.

Keith,
Thanks for the tip on the WD-40. In the past, I've generally buffed rusty parts with an emory polishing wheel on my Dremel tool, and then used gun blue to blacken the parts that were originally oxidized black. I've already shined up the side rods with Brasso, which removed some rust, but it would look a whole lot better if I could get all the rust off. I'll certainly be giving that a try.

The shop where I bought it is supposed to be finding me trucks. If he doesn't come through, and my regular parts dealer(Grandpa's Toy Train parts in Union, Kentucky) doesn't have them, I'll give the Train Tender a try. Grandpa's has yet to not come through for me, and gives great service, so I'm inclinded to give him a try first.

I just wish that these motors were made in such a way that you didn't have to pull the wheels to get the armature out or any of the gears. I'm not about to pull the wheels and risk losing what little magnetraction is left, so I can't get things as clean as I'd really like to.

By the way, does anyone have any quick tips on rejuvinating magnetraction?

Thanks,
Ben

[1688torpedo]

Ben-  Years ago there used to be a fellow who ran a Ad in CTT to rejuvinate Magne-Traction & I have not seen his ad around in the last few years. Do not know what happened to him though. However, Send a e-mail to Dr.Tinker & see if he can help you out. I do believe he knows someone who does that type of work & maybe you can get your 2055 re-magnitized again.I think a new paint job on your 2055 would fit the bill as it's collector value is pretty much gone anyway & it would not be like if you took a Mint Condition Engine & stripped it down to repaint it in some other way. Let us know what happens. Take Care.

[Jumijo]

Ben,

Try using a soft wire wheel in a Dremel tool to remove the rust from those side rods. Removing them from the wheels first would be a very prudent idea. Awhole new set only costs ~ $24.00 from Olsens.

The 685s/2055s and 665s/2065s are such a great looking locomotives, yet they don't seem to get a lot of attention. You never see one in CTT articles.

I agree with Keith regarding the paint.

Jim

[1688torpedo]

Ben- Another plus to repainting your 2055 is that last year Lionel made a Trainsounds Tender which looks like a exact duplicate of the old 2055 Tender's with the "Lionel Lines" lettering on the sides. You would have a nice looking engine/tender combination. The Trading Post Train shop in Cleveland had some of these Tenders about Three Months ago & Jim also sells below MSRP. To find out more call them at: 1-216-661-7300. Take Care.

[daan]

Ben, you're really a positive guy. It takes trust to start on a project like this.. For cleaning the wheels I've had very good results with scotch brite pads. In no time the surface rust is cleaned away and a bit wd 40 will keep rust away. I'm curious how your engine will end up, looks like a really nice project to spend the evenings on..