2023 and 2032 Alco Engines

My 2023s are a beast! Since multiple locomotives are in play here, I'm guessing basic cleaning of the contact surfaces of wheels and track with goo-gone will improve performance. It can hurt to go over the locomotives and rolling stock and lube the wheels&axles with LaBelle 107.

two items that will help your performance that I have used in the past.

1rst, clean oil and lube your locos, ALSO oil wheels and axles on dummy unit and passenger cars and rolling stock.

you would be surprised at how much oiling wheels helps ease the work load on your locos.

2nd. I have turned my powered unit backwards and run the dummy unit up fromso the pwered unit is running backward and pushing the dummy unit

Oh and make sure the commutator faces are all clean and brushes are serviced.

The early Lionel Alcos you are referring to, 2023 and 2032, probably have the best motors Lionel Post-war ever manufactured.  I have several of them and like an earlier poster mine are great runners and pullers.   My Alcos can pull seven or more early post-war cars and at least 10 modern era freight cars.   As has been stated you need to check your track because it may need to be cleaned, clean the wheels on the locomotives themselves as well as the wheels on the rolling stock.  The rolling stock axles may need to be lubricated as well.  Finally, you may want to service the motors on your Alcos by cleaning the commutators, replacing the brushes and springs and even replacing the old grease in the gear box with Lucas' Red and Tacky.  These are great engines and you can get years and years of service out of them.  Good luck

Sounds like a plan!  ☺

The real solution is a dual-motored locomotive, where the locomotive's entire weight contributes to tractive effort.  Unfortunately, unless you're willing to do major surgery, there's no easy way to convert a postwar Alco to dual motors.  (This is easier, or at least possible with an MPC-era Alco.)  So if you want to run an A-A consist, forget the dead-weight dummy and use two powered units!  I would devise a tether to connect the motor in the "slave" unit to the E-unit in the "master."  This will do away with the nuisance of "sync-ing" the e-units.

You might also add a LITTLE weight to the fuel tank area towards the motor side, if that's feasible.

Not only will two powered units give you more tractive effort and less dead weight, since the gears are back-driveable, the two motors can "help" each other.  Run one unit slowly and listen for the "whump-whump" sound.  When the motor armature in one unit hesitates between poles, it's a good bet that the armature in the 2nd unit is still experiencing an electromagnetic pull.  So two units "push" and "pull" each other several times a second, which results in apparent smoother operation, especially when starting a train.  Not exactly what you asked, but I hope this helps.

Thanks for the reply. Since I had three Alco units to test, 1950, 1951 and 1952-1953 I was able to determine that the 1950 2023 Dummy Unit had lots of drag. All three engines were strong pullers until I put the 1950 Dummy unit in.  Also, pushed other two dummy units down the track, rolled nice and smooth, 1950 Dummy Unit was dragging. Needs a cleaning and lube or new trucks. Thanks for the feedback.

Ted S posted:

The real solution is a dual-motored locomotive, where the locomotive's entire weight contributes to tractive effort.  Unfortunately, unless you're willing to do major surgery, there's no easy way to convert a postwar Alco to dual motors. ...........

Here's one I did, but, as Ted said, major surgery is somewhat required.

@Johnsgg1 Nice!  I guess the frame is spliced?  Can you please show a pic of the underside?  I thought the pick-up rollers (collector) was on the non-powered truck, how are you getting power from the center rail?

Ted S posted:

@Johnsgg1 Nice!  I guess the frame is spliced?  Can you please show a pic of the underside?  I thought the pick-up rollers (collector) was on the non-powered truck, how are you getting power from the center rail?

Good question.  I'd like to hear what the answer is also.

Popi posted:

... I have turned my powered unit backwards and run the dummy unit up "fromso the pwered"(sic) unit is running backward and pushing the dummy unit...

OKHIKER posted:

... replacing the old grease in the gear box with Lucas' Red and Tacky...

BINGO on both accounts.

I didn't cut the powered A frame, but some things were modified.  All functions work, ie. E unit and sliding shoe activated front coupler.  Obviously no horn parts.

The "B" was made from two battery damaged "A"s and a later shell.

Painted and decorated Pennsy from restorable UP sets.

Excellent responses. Thank you for all the feedback. 

Im using Fadtrack, might that b a problem with magnatration. Super O track maybe better?

bmoran4 posted:

My 2023s are a beast! Since multiple locomotives are in play here, I'm guessing basic cleaning of the contact surfaces of wheels and track with goo-gone will improve performance. It can hurt to go over the locomotives and rolling stock and lube the wheels&axles with LaBelle 107.

We used Goo-gone on the club layout early on. We also replaced a lot of traction tires. They didn't play well together. Now we use MTH's recommendation of Denatured Alcohol. Tires last a lot longer. 

Forest Z.