Has anyone tried to add or renew Magnetraction to a locomotive?

@Pennsylover posted:

With today's super-strong Neodymium magnets, has anyone tried to add or renew magnetraction to a locomotive?  It seems with these powerful magnets there would be some possibilities to improve operation on grades and pulling power without traction tires. I'm asking after reading a post about adding traction tires to improve pulling power. It seems like there might be more than one way to get that done.

Dale

This may be useful to you. Try a forum search using the word magnetraction.
https://ogrforum.com/...ts-for-magnetraction

Well, first I felt bad because I was asking about something we've already covered previously, and then I saw the thread was eight years old, so that's better.

Dale

@Pennsylover posted:

Well, first I felt bad because I was asking about something we've already covered previously, and then I saw the thread was eight years old, so that's better.

Magnetraction is older than eight years, so the information is still germane.

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

Magnetraction is older than eight years, so the information is still germane.

what do the Germans have to do with it....

@Training Wheels posted:

This may be useful to you. Try a forum search using the word magnetraction.
https://ogrforum.com/...ts-for-magnetraction

I was having trouble opening the links any suggestions?

http://www.trainfacts.com/trainfacts/?p=248

http://www.trainfacts.com/trainfacts/?cat=3

I'd seen a dealer at York who made Lionels that could run upside down for those people that do that upside down Christmas tree thing. There was also another guy that used to convert MPC locos to magnetraction. Haven't seen either for a while now.

No suggestions for the links, after Dale's untimely death, the website eventually went dark, so that information was lost.  I personally captured the whole website for my personal use, but I don't know about the legalities of sharing it.  Dale had a lot of very useful information on the site, it was unfortunate to see it all lost, and even much sadder to lose Dale way before his time!

Guys,

I believe Dale has a good point regarding the Neodymium magnets that are available today.  The link to the eight year old discussion isn't helpful as there isn't much there.   More general comments than substantive discussion.

The links to Dale Manquen's website is essentially nonfunctional - since it hasn't been kept up since his passing.   A real shame actually, as there was so much useful information on it.

I do not know much about magnates specifically, thus I can't add anything substantive to the discussion.

@artyoung posted:

I'd seen a dealer at York who made Lionels that could run upside down for those people that do that upside down Christmas tree thing. There was also another guy that used to convert MPC locos to magnetraction. Haven't seen either for a while now.

You mean like this?

@Pennsylover posted:

With today's super-strong Neodymium magnets, has anyone tried to add or renew magnetraction to a locomotive?  It seems with these powerful magnets there would be some possibilities to improve operation on grades and pulling power without traction tires. I'm asking after reading a post about adding traction tires to improve pulling power. It seems like there might be more than one way to get that done.

Dale

Before Dennis Waldron passed a couple of years ago, he offered the service of re-magnetizing Lionel trucks/axles at a reasonable cost, using Lionel's original equipment to do the job. I wish I knew where that device ended up, I have plenty I would like to re-energize.

I did try to add some very small Neodymium magnets to the hollowed out (tube) axles on Lionel's Percy engine, but they were just a smidge too big to fit in the axle. Lionel had just one magnet in there, which did almost absolutely nothing as far as adding to tractive effort - never understood why they had only one?

George

@GeoPeg posted:

I did try to add some very small Neodymium magnets to the hollowed out (tube) axles on Lionel's Percy engine, but they were just a smidge too big to fit in the axle. Lionel had just one magnet in there, which did almost absolutely nothing as far as adding to tractive effort - never understood why they had only one?

George

Most likely the Chinese manufacturing engineers did not fully understand the concept.

@GeoPeg posted:

I did try to add some very small Neodymium magnets to the hollowed out (tube) axles on Lionel's Percy engine, but they were just a smidge too big to fit in the axle. Lionel had just one magnet in there, which did almost absolutely nothing as far as adding to tractive effort - never understood why they had only one?

Here are magnets as small as 1/16" in diameter, just use a stack of these in that hollow axle.

https://www.kjmagnetics.com/pr...;scri=13&scri=16

@joe krasko posted:

what do the Germans have to do with it....

Haha. I caught that Joe. My favorite movie.

@Donnie Kennedy posted:

Haha. I caught that Joe. My favorite movie.

Germaine had nothing to do with it.  Neither did Tito, Marlon, Michael, or that other guy.

I was told you can't have magnetraction in an engine when a can or pittman motor is used, it'll effect the magnetic field in the motor.

Is this true ? 

LOL

@Trussman posted:

I was told you can't have magnetraction in an engine when a can or pittman motor is used, it'll effect the magnetic field in the motor.

Is this true ?

See Dave's response.   That's a load of ...

@Dave Koehler posted:

LOL

You don't have to be a "Richard Knoggin", just say that it's not true.

@Trussman posted:

You don't have to be a "Richard Knoggin", just say that it's not true.

You don't have to use poorly disguised profanity to make your point either.

@Trussman posted:

I was told you can't have magnetraction in an engine when a can or pittman motor is used, it'll effect the magnetic field in the motor.

Is this true ?

No that’s hogwash,….I’ve converted herds of Vanderbilts with magnetraction to Pittman can motors…..whomever is selling you on that bunch bologna hasn’t a clue ……

Pat

@harmonyards posted:

No that’s hogwash,….I’ve converted herds of Vanderbilts with magnetraction to Pittman can motors…..whomever is selling you on that bunch bologna hasn’t a clue ……

Pat

Thank you for your response.

I heard that over 30 yrs ago, might've been someone I spoke with during small talk and all's I wanted was an answer and not criticism. Isn't that what this sight is about, to help someone who has a question and not be criticized for what may sound like a stupid question ?

The Wayback Machine is our friend:

https://web.archive.org/web/20...om/trainfacts/?p=248

https://web.archive.org/web/20.../www.trainfacts.com/

08/28/2022  Perhaps this post needs some additional wording - the links are to how the upside down locomotives were developed, and the other shows pictures of the gizmo that was made to reenergize the Alnico magnets used for Magnetraction... 

@Trussman posted:

You don't have to be a "Richard Knoggin", just say that it's not true.

@Dave Koehler posted:

LOL

No was just laughing , at the fact someone wants to go back to what was generally a bad idea, when Lionel did it !  Waiting for a post , wanting to put Rubber traction tires on all the drive wheels

@Dave Koehler posted:

No was just laughing , at the fact someone wants to go back to what was generally a bad idea, when Lionel did it !  Waiting for a post , wanting to put Rubber traction tires on all the drive wheels

My apologies, I took your post the wrong way.

@Trussman posted:

I was told you can't have magnetraction in an engine when a can or pittman motor is used, it'll effect the magnetic field in the motor.

Is this true ?

The magne traction was installed on Lionel motors that had universal ac/dc open field motors [pulmor].

@prrhorseshoecurve posted:

The magne traction was installed on Lionel motors that had universal ac/dc open field motors [pulmor].

Magne-Traction has also been offered on a number of locomotives with can motors, it has no effect on either open frame motors or can motors.  It's strictly a non-issue.