736 vs 726 hand rail stanchion

Just pulled the boiler off my 1946 726 last night to replace the rusty hand rails. Here you go.

Hi stew1957,

I acquired a 1946 Berkshire for restoration in early January for $150.  Mine was missing all the drive linkage & had a big piece broken out of the cab roof that I molded out of 'J&B Weld epoxy.  

The short answer to your question about 'nubs' is "There aren't any".  I believe the bosses were cast on when Lionel changed to cotter pin stantions.  I imagine that you will need to grind off the bosses to mount the turned stantions.  As far as I can tell, the holes are 3/32" and Lionel must have drilled straight through the casting to make 2 holes at once rather than drill the holes on a radius to the casting.

I have a question for you, also.  There is a lot of play in the bearing blocks on my berk.  The axles are not loose in the bearing.  The play is between the block & the chassis pocket.  Do you find the same thing?  I can't find anything about it in Greenberg's.

Thank you for the shots! Are al the stanchions flush with the boiler shell?

Hi Gandy, The bearins in my frame are extremly ridgid. No play in any of the drivers. The only thing that was OK on this unit.     Stew

Yes.

 I've seen this mod done before on a later version 726 with beautiful results. Grinding the casting flush should be your biggest challenge.

Dennis at Just Trains in Sussex, NJ should have these original Lionel stanchions in stock.

sounds like new bearings are in order.  Aargh.  ReQuartering the drivers is not something I want to do.  I will need to come up with some sort of a tool or jig.  I'll need more than my C-clamps.

I have had several of these through the years, 1946 through 1949, (that's right, I'm a sucker for Berkshires), and I've never seen one with blackened handrails. I've never seen the left rail curved (like the 773)either.

Anything is possible though. I recently picked up a 1946 726 with a larger than usual Atomic motor. The field has about 6 or 7 more plates than the standard '46 Atomic motor. I'm being told that it may have been a demonstrator model. It seems that Lionel installed larger motors in these to better transfer heat. Learn something new every day.

Hey Gandy, I am in Delaware, ohio. I have the cups and press to make that axle, wheel job easy.

Gandy, I have a 1946 #726.  It is absolutely, by far, the worst running loco I have ever seen---& noisy!  The gear train is noisy.  Mine also has play in the bushing blocks.

Hi RJR,  

My Berk runs pretty smoothly. but it's noisy.  It growls like my 2333 AA set.  When I tightened the bearing blocks in the frame with brass shims, the thing couldn't negotiate the least irregularity in the track. The drivers just ran up on the rails & off the track.  Now I'm running it as I received it.  It's funny what I run into repairing the engines I buy.  The 726 had one hole in the valve gear carrier tapped oversize.  I had to work around that.

I just bought a 2426W tender online to go with it.  Can't wait to get it. 

And stew1957, you are definitely a friend in need.  When I get the bearings, I will try to get in touch.  I'm in Englewood, a short trip  I go to the Springfield show religiously.  Or not so religiously, since I miss church on those sundays.  :>  If Ed Vanderlinden has 8 bearings, I will get them.

ASQTec,  I see the "tall stack" motors on eBay every now & then.  some think they have more power or torque.  

I have owned five 1946 Berkshires, and had a few extra NOS parts, including wheel sets with bushing blocks and an unused frame. There is no slop between the axles and bearing blocks. There is a lot of slop between the bearing blocks and chassis on all of them, including the spare parts.

Years ago, one of the best repairmen in my area suggested shimming the blocks to take out the slop. I never tried because I don't run any of those engines.

I believe that that reference guides state that there are two motors for the 1946 Berkshire, differing in the size of the lamination stack. I thought that I had one of each, but I never counted the laminations.

Thanks, Gandy.  I actually took the heavy tender that came with it & installed an MTH PS2 upgrade, hooking it to my 1950 736 Berk, whose original tender isn't as good.