I found an old Lionel HO 4-6-2 at a garage sale this past weekend. It's in excellent shape but for the motor. That's an old 3-pole whose commutators are really messed up. It would be nice to fix it if I can get the motor fully apart. I haven't figured out how to get the gear off the shaft. But I think the best bet to get a running loco (since my 8 year old, train-obsessed son will be playing with it) is to repower it with a can motor. It would help me greatly if anyone had experience with this and had some pics to share if they've done this conversion.
Or, if someone knows the part number for this motor, then I can possibly work with a supplier to get a new one or a replacement.
Finding parts for an engine made 60 years ago (1959-67) could be difficult. Although it's an HO engine, you might find more info over on the Classic Toy Trains forum. They might be able to connect you up with a supplier that makes replacement motors.
I assume this is the Lionel HO scale 4-6-2 from their FIRST go-around with HO scale, 1959 or so to mid 1960s. I have some recollection that at least some portions of that locomotive were done by Rivarossi for Lionel. There were several versions, with different numbers, for this locomotive. The version with headlight, smoke and whistle was 0635LT had headlight with smoke. 0626LT had headlight only. Another version had headlight, smoke and whistle. It was advertised as having direct gear drive (versus the pulley system that used for some diesels) but it was unusual. The old catalogs for Lionel HO that are on the HO Seeker website show an unusual figuration of a large-ish motor driving a shaft with gear, which turns another shaft with gear, which in turn powers an axle.
What is odd is that every year or two Lionel would change the numbers on those locomotives, which suggets to me that there were internal changes and the most likely guess for internal changes was the motor and gearing. This could pose a challenge to your project even if you find a good source for old Lionel parts.
It also appears that Lionel used the same large motor for more than one locomotive. There are dealers who specialize in Lionel parts BUT you'd be paying collector prices. A can motor would certainly make it run better assuming you can accomplish getting the old gear on a new shaft.
At the end of the day you might have better luck finding a Mantua 4-6-2 for your son to enjoy. They are reasonably plentiful at swap meets, very durable, more realistic in certain respects such as drivers and valve gear.
Without knowing what you paid for your Lionel HO steamer -- it might pay to find a collector or dealer/collector who'd love to have it for parts he can sell to others, and use that money for a Mantua 4-6-2.
Dave Nelson
I never worked on one of these, but looking at the HO Seeker literature, it looks dooable.
Look for the biggest can motor that will fit. You might need to build a new base for your motor - plastic leftover parts from your junk parts, cut at the right height, might work.
The typical challenge is connecting the motor. The gear box looks rigid - if that's the case you can connect a U-joint connector to your motor. NWSL sell some online. You can also use a silicone tubing to connect both shafts. Radio control toys shops sell some that could work. Your motor shaft might need a sleeve for a tight fit. Hobby shops are a good source of metal tubes, but some sizes can only be found in specialty sites, such as NWSL. You can connect your motor to the base using silicone.
Good luck!
Simon
I'm guessing it's pre-1962, based on the little reading I've done.
The motor, a open 3-pole, is shot. I doubt i'll find a decent old Lionel motor. So, I'm looking to replace the motor, perhaps with a can motor if I can find one the right size. The old motor is about 18mmx 18mm but has a 22mm shaft. That shaft terminates in a round gear (not worm gear) that moves the driving gears. I have found small motors but not small motors with a long shaft. I might have to do some micro-welding or otherwise extend the shaft.
He already has several Mantua 4-6-2s and a number of other engines (he's the collector at 8 yrs old!), most of which I've picked up at garage sales and have been able to get running. This one is trickier.
Funny, the Classic Toy group sent me here.