I acquired a 246 with a 1001M (see picture). I did some clean up on the engine and got it back together. It ran fine, but it seems the forward / reverse switch only works about once. After that it is either stuck in between positions on the drums (hums) or in a direction (forward/reverse). I can see through the inspection hole that the moveable field piece is no longer spring biased - it moves up and down freely based on gravity.
Any trick to getting this to work longer than once 
Thanks!
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Those motors are complicated. First, the motor shown is not a 1001M. The one shown is a more refined 246-200. The magna-traction magnet is a give-away. If the field segment is flopping up and down, the spring is missing, or too weak. Be sure the rotating drums are in the right position. The one with the longer teeth goes to the right, as the is what the pawl moves to rotate the drums. Another problem is reproduction brush springs. if you have replaced the original springs with repo springs, they are too stiff and cause considerable friction on the armature. use the original springs if possible, if not cut about 1/2 the length of the spring and stretch to fit. Maybe some of these tips will help.
Chuck,
Thanks for the tips. I referred to Greenberg's when I cleaned things up. I think I have the rotating drums right. It does work, just not for more than 1 or 2 cycles. The pawl spring is there for sure - I'll check it again to see if it appears to be worn/weak. Not sure about the brush springs. I didn't replace them, not sure if they are reproduction. The brushes are fairly worn - have some on order.
I struggled finding the magna-traction magnet on any of the 246 or 1001M Greenberg pages. Is there much difference other than the magnet?
Thanks again for the tips. Never worked on these before.. makes me miss the e-unit I know these are cheaper motors - just like to restore these old things to working order.
John
John, there are several versions of the 'Scout' motor. A lot of parts may look the same, but are NOT interchangeable. The armature to start with. There are like 3 or 4 variations which may fit, but are wound to operate at different voltages. If matched with a wrong field coil, they will be electrically imbalanced, causing overheating and balky running. The rotating drums is another. The 'gears' are molded differently, and the brush well are of different diameter, and require different brushes, and different brush springs. Later scout motors have a ground strap that the trailing truck rides on, the early motors do not have this.
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