I just got a 2026W tender out of the box that I probably haven't run for 20 years. When I checked the whistle, I could hear the relay click, but the whistle didn't work. I took the cover off and lubed the motor and cleaned the brushes and commutator. Still no whistle, and the motor seemed to have a lot of friction. The problem turned out to be the bearing in the brush plate. It was tight on the shaft. I have no idea why. Anyway, I ran a #30 drill through it, and now it works just fine. The shaft mikes 0125, and the drill is nominally 0.128, but it miked 0.126. If you do this, be careful not to make the hole too large.
Bruce Baker
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