Motor not working

[cheese3]

The motor in my lionel 221 is not working[:(]. I can get it to run in reverse but not forwords. Is it in the "E" unit or could it be the wiring or another problem? Any help is appreciated, Thanks[:D]

[philo426]

If it runs OK in reverse than the Motor is probably ok.The E-unit needs work so take it in for servicing if you can't make the repairs yourself.While he is in their,Have the pepairman check and clean the brushs and lube the gears.Then your Santa Fe Alco should run just fine.

[cheese3]

it is not a santa fe alco, but thanks for the tip, I was hoping on some advise on repairing it myself though

[philo426]

Lionel used the number 221 on 3 Alcos in the early to mid '60s:1.Rio Grande in yellow and black 2.USMC in olive drab with white stripes and #.Santa Fe in olive drab with white stripes(Part of an un=cataloged set).I had a 33 and 1/3 % chance to get it right and I guessed wrong!Oh well I hope you get your Alco running right soon!

[cheese3]

they also used it on this NYC 2-6-4 that i have [:D]

[brianel027]

Well, some do it yourself things you can do are some routine cleaning of the motor brushes and the armature surface, plus lubrication. Check all your wire connections and make sure none of the wires have gotten brittle and broken over the years. Use some spray TV cleaner to clean the E-unit: Radio Shack sells it. You find it's worthwhile to have a can of the stuff around. If the spray cleaner doesn't help the E-unit, and you haven't done work on E-units before, you might want to consult with someone who has. The Greenberg Lionel Repair Manual might be of assistance... see if you local library has one.

If you know someone that has a collection of CTT magazines, the June 1991 issue had a 5-page story with photos on fixing mechanical E-units.

[philo426]

Wow! I completely forgot about the 221 Dreyfus hudson! That black one is nice but the Grey one is also cool!Just goes to show that one should gather all of the facts before making an assumption!Get the facts or the facts will get you!So true!

[cheese3]

Thanks for the advice brianel027

[tcripe]

Interesting post in that several days ago I dissassembled my Alco 221 (D&RGW) to clean the motor and when I reassembled it, the same thing now happens. The e-unit does buzz and move the selector lever to both forward and reverse positions. I have replaced the wiring between motor and e-unit, all to no avail. When I shut the e-unit off in the reverse position, it runs in reverse as it is supposed to do; when I shut it off for the forward position, there is nothing but silence.

[cheese3]

I got mine working!!!!!!!! I just played with the unit, switching it , untill an hour later a 12:30am I got it working!!!! [:D]

[philo426]

Awesome! you are lucky that you were able to make it work just by cycling it.Sometimes the E-units can get stiff if not used in a while.By the Way,if that picture is any indication,that 221 seems to be in exceptional condition!

[railfanespee4449]

I always wanted a 221. they are good-looking, and not that pricey