Confounding Whistle Repair - SOLVED!

Is it possible that the field coil, or one or more of the armature coils, are damaged.  By damaged it mean that the insulation has melted allowing the coil wires to touch.  At best this would give you a very weak magnetic field.  I don't know what the resistance of the coil or armature windings should be but someone must know.  Good luck.

I recall sometime ago a similar instance when I found that the armature that came with the "used" tender I purchased was electrically OK, although mechanically wired out of phase with the field winding.  (It was for a different tender) . If you have another 2224W tender on hand, try exchanging the armatures.  If it works you can then compare them both and see the mechanical differences. 

Ed

It sounds like the motor is electrically cogging. In addition to Dans ideas, the commutator may have moved on the shaft, or a solder joint let go off the comm.

With shell off -

I know you checked the wires  make sure motor is running counter clockwise.

Check that the motor brushes are not stuck in their brush wells when  whistle button activated.

Also check the air chamber is not leaking air.

You mention  -When I apply power, occasionally it will turn a little, then stops and buzzes, most of the time, it just buzzes.

Using tooth pick apply power and gently close the relay contacts with it see if it whistles properly and motor turns counter clockwise if so the relay contacts need slight adjustment.

Also important that armature shaft is true otherwise it will bind not properly spinning and or getting stuck where its off center.

From your description, most likely a worn out brushplate. The armature hole at the top where the shaft comes through has enlarged from years of operation. The armature will spin fine with no power applied, when power is applies from the relay, the field coil draws it to the field because the armature hole is too large. That is where the buzzing noise is coming from. I have new ones if needed. It should be the five sided one for early whistles.

Here's one of those, "well I'll be jiggered" things.  I'm not sure if the tender whistle motor rides

vertically or horizontally but in an engine I have I had a problem like this and it ended up being

that the tiny ball bearing under the brush plate was missing.  This ball is located under the hole

where you oil the commutator shaft.  The post for the commutator rides up against this ball and

if the ball isn't there the shaft will wobble and may get stuck.  It's just something to check.  Happy

training!

I finally figured it out. Sourdough you were the closest, but Chuck gave me the idea to check for any play in the armature. The brush plate was fine, but I noted that when power was applied the armature went toward the brush plate and that caused minor binding. There is no bearing in that end, but a thrust washer did the trick. Thanks all!

Tin

Which Lionel whistle motors have a ball bearing on the brush plate side?

C.W.,  I believe where I ran into it was actually on the gang car, but I think the trolley and the other

single piece units like the tie ejector, ballast tamper, etc  all make use of the same motor unit so

it may not have been an engine that I was running when I discovered the ball bearing.  The concept

is the same though.  Since the unit on which I discovered the ball on was a small motored unit I thought maybe the tender motor would or might use a small motor too.  Sorry for any confusion.