The piece that connects the left eccentric rod to the driver on my 1950 773 broke. Anyone know where I can get the broken piece? No luck on eBay so far.
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Several forum sponsors have them, search for Lionel 700E-46 Eccentric Crank.
@Vernon Barry posted:Several forum sponsors have them, search for Lionel 700E-46 Eccentric Crank.
Okay, thanks. So the piece on my 773 is the same as the one on the 700E? I’m fairly new to this forum. How do I search?
Hi, the 700e-46 eccentric crank does not include the sleeve. The sleeve presses on the eccentric crank and acts as the journal for the side rod and side rod. Part 700e-241 is the eccentric crank with the sleeve already installed. If you get just the 700e-46 crank, you will have to pull the sleeve off the broken eccentric crank and reinstall it on the new crank. You will also need rivet 700e-53. This connect the eccentric crank to the eccentric rod. To free the rod from the broken part the rivet will probably have to be drilled out. Even though the part is called a rivet, it is fairly easy to install. There is a dimple in the small end. Place a sharp center punch in the dimple and strike it with a hammer just enough to mushroom the end of the rivet, enough to hold it in place.
To work on these parts, the loco will have to come apart. The boiler shell needs to come off and the valve gear support removed. This will give you the freedom to work on the parts without the constraint of dragging the locomotive around. To get the valve gear support off, the eccentric crank on the other side of the loco also needs to come off. Another way to approach this is to get the eccentric rod assembly. This would not require any riveting, but the groove pin in the eccentric rod assembly would have to be removed. The eccentric rod assembly part number is 763e-216 for right hand side and 763e-217 for the left hand side.
This repair requires a fair amount of disassembly, but is not difficult. It will also expose other parts of the loco, like the gear box, which probably are in need of servicing. Take lots of pictures as the loco is dissembled and keep track of where the various parts come from. One thing that needs to be watched durning reassembly is that the eccentric crank is installed correctly. It can go back together two ways. When the crank pin on the wheel is toward the rear, the eccentric crank should be facing generally forward. If it is install the other way, the eccentric crank mechanism is not long enough and the engine will jam, or break something. Watch this on both sides. Turn the motor over by hand prior to putting power to it to check for the correct insulation of the eccentric cranks.
For parts start with Jeff Kane, The Train Tender, Trainz, Bill at S and W Train Parts, or David at Dr. Tinker. All except Trainz can advise you on best parts to use and how to do the repairs. Get the service manual prior to starting repairs so you can see how the parts are layer out.
I would make a call to Mr. Bill Harrison of SW Parts Supply in Niskayuna,( suburb of Schenectady NY) New York. Bill is an authorized dealer for Lionel and has an expansive supply of parts and he will also be able to advise you on exactly what you need and how to do it. His contact information should be available when you click on the SW Parts ad above here. If he doesn't answer, you can leave a message or email him. Bill
It appears the eccentric rod will hang down well below the wheels. The rivet will be easy to to remove and replace if you simply lay the engine down on its side with the broken side down. See if you have room to use the tools to remove and replace before taking the engine apart. Should be an easy repair.
As for locating the eccentric crank it should point close to the axle. It appears to have two locating pins so the options are point to the axle or point to the rim. You want point towards the axle or it will break again. Having it in the wrong location is typically why they break in the first place. This applies to pretty much all steam engines even new ones.
Pete
Not to knock David’s approach, but I’ve fixed a blue million steam engines in the manner Pete describes….way way less invasive, and a whole lot faster……you can work on the eccentric on engine, …in the roundhouse, this would be considered a running repair……😁😁😁
Pat
Thanks for all of the advice. I’ll get it done. For now, I’ve just taped it up out of the way with black electrical tape so I can still run it.
