proactive,
Glad you found it and thanks for reporting your results.
Would you believe the problem was two very small tarnish areas on two different switch tracks just making the roller lose connection for a split second. I used a scotch pad very well on the two power rails over the switch tracks and it now works.
I set mine up and indeed it was sensitive in the fact that it would not dump the coal unless the car was just right. Very annoying but a challenge. The problem was the distance between the O guage track blade and the other clip. I made another track blade just a bit bigger and it works a little better in that it does not have to be in the exact spot to dump.
M
That's good to hear. Since you say it runs well otherwise, but has trouble will all switches, I would look first to the roller assembly and next to the switches themselves, although I can't think what the problem might be unless someone has put fibre (plastic) pins where they don't belong
Try what has been suggested above. Perhaps someone else has some ideas In the same sense that some folks "don't do windows," I don't do "modern."
Please post back when you find the problem/solution. I am very interested in how this turns out, and others surely will be also. Be patient. A lot of the members with real smarts are off at York.
Good luck!
It's the Lionel 0-8-0 Steam Locomotive with Command and Odyssey. It runs well on straight and curved. When I look to the side of the rollers, the rear one looks uneven so that was my first guess. Then when I watch is creep over the switch, it looks as if it might miss the track by just a hair.
I will check those places out for parts. I have a great Lionel Dealer near me, however I took a newer engine there almost two years ago and did not get it back for about 10 months.
Thanks
There should be constant power through every switch. That's really why there are two rollers. When properly designed, they "bridge" discontinuities in the rails, especially at switches, so the if both are not making contact, at least the other one will. (Certain locos have been manufactured with too little space between the rollers, and these have mucho trouble with certain switches. There's a lot of info on the forums about this problem and its remedies.)
On straight-and-level smooth track (not switches) does the locomotive cycle through forward-neutral-reverse-neutral consistently and reliably? What is the make and model of the locomotive? Have you turned it upside-down in a soft cradle, attached power and return leads, run it at modest speeds, and then wiggled the roller assembly to see whether you can reproduce the fault? (You might want to lock the "e-unit in "forward" or "reverse" before trying this in order to avoid putting undue stress on the gears and rods by rapid-fire starts and reverses.)
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As for parts: for parts for modern trains I generally check with the manufacturer. For "post-war era" parts, there are still quite a few dealers: Train Doctor, Mizell's, Doctor Tinker, Olsen's, Warren's, Charles Schmitt, Stanley Orr, and many others. I have used all of the above over the years. Most advertise in CTT magazine (and/or the other one) and many have web-sites. There is a current thread on this subject on one of the two principal forums.
I agree, I think its one of the rollers. The command control engines are out of my scope. I have some post war engines that I can repair but when it comes to the new stuff, I usually just bring it to the Lionel Station. There is no bounce, it just turns off for a second and turns back on. I realize for a instant there is no power over a switch track but this has never happend until now. The rollers look a little worn. Would you know where I can purchase rollers?
Congratulations on fixing your 497. If you cannot find info on the 497, you might want to check out the drawings and other info regarding the postwar 397 rubber-belt coal-loader. Although I have no experience with the 497, the mechanism (motor and gearbox) of the 397 appears somewhat similar to it, at least as far as lubrication is concerned. If there is any danger of getting lubricant on plastic parts, be sure to use only plastic-compatible lubes.
As a general rule, you can llightly oil or lube anything where two metal parts slide or rotate against each other, but never get oil or grease at any moving electrical junction, such as any part of the motor-brush assembly.
As for your 0-8-0, the problem may well be with the pickup rollers. Sometimes one spring will break, weaken or even burn-out, meaning that it is running on only one roller. Sometimes the whole assembly gets loose allowing a momentary short.* If there is a problem with the "electronics," as opposed to the "electrics," I can't help you.
Is the reversing unit ("e-unit") in the "off" position? I'm a little puzzled that, after stalling, the locomotive continues on in the same direction, rather than switching to neutral or even reverse. Does the loco pass over the switches smoothly, or does it appear to hit something and bounce?
*Unlikely problem in your case, but on SOME locomotives the pickup-roller assemblies are are attached to the frame by a metal piece that must be kept insulated. Often this is accomplished by a plastic or fiber insulator which is "kinda H-shaped." It is easy to spot and difficult to lose. What is not easy to spot, and is therefore VERY easy to lose, are two tiny insulating collars or sleeves that serve to insulate the shanks of the screws. One sees these frequently in "postwar" locos (the 2332 comes to mind.) but I doubt you would find them in a modern loco. Where they are used, however, they present a shorting problem, often intermittent, that is the very devil to locate. Who knows? -- this might help somebody.
Thanks everyone for responding. I rewired it as the wires were junk and cleaned it, a drop of oil just on the end of the armature that spins. I purchased it from someone who never used it, just collected it. I works well now.
My latest problem seems to be a 080 Locomotive Command Control with Odyssey. For some reason it is now stopping over the switch tracks for a second then resuming. I tried it without the tender and the same thing happens and over all the switches. I cleaned it well. I have GarGraves with Lionel O31 switches. It is about 2 or 3 years old now, I wonder if the rollers are worn?
cnw1995 wrote: A good source of information may be found here: http://www.postwarlionel.com/ I think a drop of oil on any gears would be fine, but I'm not sure oiling the armature is a good idea.
A good source of information may be found here: http://www.postwarlionel.com/
I think a drop of oil on any gears would be fine, but I'm not sure oiling the armature is a good idea.
Doug...I went thru that website and they don't list the 497 Coal Loader. I have one and it works well, but is sensitive.
That is a 497, isn't it ?????
Chuck
Doug Murphy 'We few, we happy few, we band of brothers...' Henry V.
Hello, I just purchased a post war 497 Coal Station. It looks like it was not used in at least 30 years. I rewired it, however I know little about "oiling" the motor. Do I put a small amount of oil on the motor? If so, where? On the armature?
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