2046 Locomotive won't go forward

Isolate the 'E' unit by removing all of its wires to the motor. Wire up the motor according to the diagram ''Wiring Diagram of Locomotives With No Reversing Mechanism''

The motor should run in one direction. Reverse the wires to the brushes and the motor should run in the opposite direction.

If the motor runs properly this way, the 'E' unit is faulty and needs servicing. It usually needs the drum and contact fingers replaced for a reliable repair.

Larry

I doubt that the problem is the e-unit, since the locomotive does go forward.  The apparent straining sound is more likely caused by something binding.  You should be able to turn the wheels by hand; check to see that everything move freely.  Pay particular attention to the siderods.  Also check for excessive play in the bushings of the motor and wheels.

TrainLarry posted:

Isolate the 'E' unit by removing all of its wires to the motor. Wire up the motor according to the diagram ''Wiring Diagram of Locomotives With No Reversing Mechanism''

The motor should run in one direction. Reverse the wires to the brushes and the motor should run in the opposite direction.

It would be a lot easier to just switch the wires at the brushes right now to eliminate the E-unit as an issue, but if it runs in both reverse direction positions now and neither forward position( the E-Unit has 6 positions) it is doubtful that the reverse unit is the issue.

First of all, make sure that none of the driving rods are bent, and none of the hex bolts, eccentric screws, etc. are loose.  Can you turn the wheels smoothly by hand for one complete revolution?  Look for chipped gear teeth, or something binding in the gears.

Next, how much slop is in the gears and axles?  If you turn the center wheel back and forth a few degrees by hand, do the intermediate gears rock noticeably on their studs?  Are any of the driving wheels loose on their axles?  These locos from the peak years of toy trains often saw a LOT of use in their first few years of life.  It might be time for heavy repairs.  Find someone with a puller and a press.  And most of all, with experience doing this kind of work!

Another area to check on what I call these "parallel plate" motors, is the armature shaft holes/bushing in the brush plate for excessive wear. Worn bushings or holes can allow good operation in one direction, and lousy operation in the opposite. My 665 Hudson always needed attention in that area as it aged.

I appreciate all the responses.  I've worked and inspected the mechanisms as suggested looking for any sign of binding, loose bolts, bent parts, play in the rotating parts, and excessive wear or chips on the gears, and none of those have given me any clues.  I'm actually impressed with how little slop there is in the drive mechanisms when I turn the center wheel.  I'm 51 years old and this set was a Christmas present to my Dad when he was a child.  I know I ran it pretty hard when I was a kid, and I expect he did too long before I was born.  It was only set up around Christmas in my lifetime though, so not abused for most of the year.

I'm not very handy with a soldering iron, so I'll go back and work through all the other suggestions a couple of times and probably stare at it for an hour hoping for an "Aha!" moment before I bite the bullet and start monkeying with the wiring. 

Just leaving you a link to the 2046 Service Documents:

http://www.olsenstoy.com/2046.htm

Is there a reason not to try to clean everything out with carb cleaner?  There is a bit of gunk down in there that might be contributing to this problem.

I would use CRC 2-26. Carb cleaner may eat the insulation on motor/armature windings..

https://www.homedepot.com/p/CR...cant-02004/100398344

Edit: Updated to proper HD link...

If I remember my 2046 correctly it will run without the top casting in place.  Leave the top off, put it on the track, and watch closely all the moving parts as you run it back and forth.

Hope this helps

Dan Rodda posted:

I appreciate all the responses.  I've worked and inspected the mechanisms as suggested looking for any sign of binding, loose bolts, bent parts, play in the rotating parts, and excessive wear or chips on the gears, and none of those have given me any clues.  I'm actually impressed with how little slop there is in the drive mechanisms when I turn the center wheel.  I'm 51 years old and this set was a Christmas present to my Dad when he was a child.  I know I ran it pretty hard when I was a kid, and I expect he did too long before I was born.  It was only set up around Christmas in my lifetime though, so not abused for most of the year.

I'm not very handy with a soldering iron, so I'll go back and work through all the other suggestions a couple of times and probably stare at it for an hour hoping for an "Aha!" moment before I bite the bullet and start monkeying with the wiring. 

If you’re not handy with a soldering iron, and you’re not sure of what to look at or where to go to look, why not take it to a train shop, or use one of the sponsors up above that does repair work. To be sure they’ll get it going in short order if they’re not jammed up with repairs........Pat

Check for brush wear.  Are they even in length?  Squared off on the armature end?

Jon  

Welp, with the run-up to Christmas, I haven't had time to do anything with it until yesterday.  I figured I'd try to run it to see if there were any other symptoms that I didn't notice before, and it fired right up and ran fine.  I may have it professionally refurbished after the holidays are over.  If anyone cares to see it running through my Wife's off the hook Christmas village, I posted a video on youtube.
https://youtu.be/jw7wOXbgIhM

Thanks again for all the advice.  I really appreciate the help.

Dan