10 year old Polar Express loco slowing down, new units have bigger motors??

The larger motor has been in production for many years, as I recall at least 6 years.  If your loco is slowing down, most likely it is the electronic E unit; not the motor. 

SantaFeFan posted:

The larger motor has been in production for many years, as I recall at least 6 years.  If your loco is slowing down, most likely it is the electronic E unit; not the motor. 

Thanks Jon!! I appreciate your input! Is the E unit something that can be replaced or should I move on to a newer unit?

Jeff, Yes,the electronic e-units can be replaced.I assume you have lubricated it,right? If not,give that a try.

To the best of my knowledge,it is now an electronic reverse board.

I think they just put a new board in now,but I am not sure.

I know how to fix pre and postwar trains,but I have not got into repairing the new ones-YET!

There are quite a few certified techs here on the forum,they can answer your specific questions and how much it's gonna cost.They are all fantastic people to deal with.You will see their certifications on their signatures on posts.

Or take it in to a Authorized Lionel Service Center if there is one near you for an estimate.

You can buy these Old Polar Express sets now for $150.00 bucks if you look around.Sell the CW-80 for $60.00,Sell the track for $40.00,Sell the 3 cars for $50.00,and you got yourself a whole #1225 Berkshire for parts for free!!!!,or it might be one of the engines with a bigger motor!!!! 

Jeff T posted:

We bought out Polar Express set, # 31960, in 2005 and I think the years are starting to take their toll. I have read that the newer sets have bigger motors. I assume Lionel never changed the # of the set so it would be impossible to know what sets have the larger motors. The only way for sure would be to buy a LC+ set?

Thanks!!

A couple of guys have reported worm gear/drive gear wear with the original version. Took a lot running though. if you could pick the drive wheels up slightly, give it throttle and then lower the drive wheels, you may be to determine if the gears slip.

Another way to check is to remove the collectors(roller assembly), collector insulator, and the bottom plate and visually check the gears. Hold it steady and don't let the wheels and axle bearings move while it is upside down.

If it's not those, listen to SantaFeFan, he would know. $25-$34 shipped from Lionel, depending on the part number. 2 day shipping for the e-unit. The train doesn't owe you anything after ten years. I would order the e-unit.

SantaFeFan posted:

The larger motor has been in production for many years, as I recall at least 6 years.  If your loco is slowing down, most likely it is the electronic E unit; not the motor. 

Jon, Question on the reverse unit boards.. At some point the part number on these boards changed. Were there different boards to address top engine speed? Also, a bad board can cause motor issues?

Smaller motor is the issue. Been a few on here that replaced their motor twice. Mine runs slow to.

The small motor with the flat sides is prone to premature failure.  If you check which motor yours has, that would be illuminating.  I know the Hogwart's set had the small motor a couple of years ago, but I recently upgraded a conventional PE set engine to TMCC and it did have the large motor.

Or one can pickup a postwar 726/736 berkshire and renumber it to 1225 and a have a bullet proof engine that can haul every add on car with no worries about overloading the small/large can motor! 

Hey Lionel people! This problem sucks. There is a mentally handicapped young man in my neighborhood that loves trains, and each Christmas he sets up a festive layout. His parents decorate the house and they invite the neighborhood over to see it all. Last Christmas the young man's Polar Express locomotive had the slow down problem and it ruined his day.

I hate it when companies sell products that should be durable, but they do not do adequate testing to assure their products are a good value. This especially sucks for Lionel, a company once known for its durable toy trains.

These may be of some assistance: 

https://ogrforum.com/t...press-1225-berkshire

https://ogrforum.com/t...id-a-cautionary-tale

Hope this helps!

Mitch

FWIW these locos come with very little lubrication from the factory. Its very simple to remove the small philips screws from the bottom plate on the chassis and add grease to the gearbox as well as the other axles.

Mine would slow down after extensive operation but lubing seems to have helped as I've yet to replace the motor. I use RedNTacky, just like I use on my scale stuff.

I know the feelings of a train set failure right at Christmas. My transformer died right before Christmas when I was a young boy.  The LHS had nothing left in stock for dad to replace it with.  My best friend's father got out his ZW from storage for his son to use and Brian carried his transformer over from his own set for me to use till dad got me another one after the holidays.  I would try relubricating the engine's gear box and all bearings to see if that helps a bit. Even the postwar engines need a periodic lubrication job when used on a regular or non regular basis.  That was part of the  expectations of the train's owner and was well described and illustrated in the manual back then.   My father's old set from the late '40's will slow down when it needs relubrication.   That being said, the postwar berkshire engines are much more robust for pulling long Polar Express trains than the engine that comes in the set.  Mike

Motors can get tired but it is usually a lack of juice. Clean and clean and clean again. Clean track and clean wheels and clean contacts (and some lube) make for a happy loco! (even post-war bullet-proof locos)