Help with 2018 steam locomotive

I sounds like your problem is in the reversing unit.  You will hear it click because you are getting power to it.  I suspect the problem is the Eunit drum has a broken nub and has turned out of place causing your short...

Marty

Could be damaged or missing thin copper "fingers" at the side and bottom of the drum

Thanks for the replies guys.  Would replacing the e-unit solve this problem?

bypass the e unit,  run volts right to motor

Would replacing the e-unit solve this problem?

You don't have to replace the entire E unit. Just get  new components for it. Mainly the two sets of contacts and a new drum.

I would do a little more research into the E unit before ordering new parts. Maybe just a good cleaning.

Also on you 2018, clean out the brush holding tubes and the outside surface of the brushes.  Q-Tips with WD-40 should do the job.

Probably the e-unit is faulty, or one of the wires between it and the motor is. You can replace the e-unit if you want, but e-units are serviceable and parts are available. They are kind of a pain to work on, but it's not rocket science or brain surgery. I am going to post some pages from the Lionel Service Manual, courtesy of Olsen's. The first link has a wiring diagram for postwar steamers. The second has information on e-units.

http://www.olsenstoy.com/searchcd31.htm?itm=627

http://www.olsenstoy.com/searchcd31.htm?itm=615

Hello Condore21,

Welcome to the forum. The folks who have posted about the problem likely being caused by the e-unit (reversing relay) are correct. Still, I would recommend a little diagnostic work.
Are you comfortable soldering and do you have knowledge of basic electricity? Do you consider yourself to be "handy"?

By the way, it is possible that nothing is physically wrong with e-unit, and that it just needs to be cleaned. This is very common in locomotives that have been put away for a long time. The contact fingers are on the fragile side, so if you decide to try anything, be careful.

I won't write anything further until you reply.

I consider myself handy, plus my father is an electrician.  Although he is wary of messing around with the old wiring.  I was thinking of buying one of those e-unit rebuild kits off of ebay.  Any thoughts?

One of the wires might be stripped too much, and it is making contact with the bar holding the bottom half together.

Here is the service info specific to the 2018 - http://pictures.olsenstoy.com/2018.htm

As to rebuilding the e-unit . . . have fun.  I tried rebuilding one, and when I couldn't make it any worse I ordered a replacement.  I'm sure it can be done but you need at least three hands and a lot of practice.

Pete

I consider myself handy, plus my father is an electrician.  Although he is wary of messing around with the old wiring.  I was thinking of buying one of those e-unit rebuild kits off of ebay.  Any thoughts?

Here are a few thoughts:

1) this site makes it very easy to post pictures. If you can take some pictures, perhaps with a cell phone, then folks would be able to help you better. You might not need any parts at all.

2) the wiring in a 2018 isn't too delicate. Just be careful of the wire coming from the pickup shoe, and the enameled wires coming from the field coil of the motor & the e-unit coil. The voltage is low, so even if you make a mistake, you aren't going to get electrocuted or burn your house down.

3)EBay is not a great place to purchase parts. Pick a primary Lionel Parts dealer. To completely renew an e-unit you will need three parts: a drum, a two finger contact assembly, a four finger contact assembly. While you are making an order, I'd get a pair of replacement brushes (order 2, they are sold individually), and maybe an extra set of e-unit renewal parts to have on hand.

4) if you plan to rebuild your e-unit, do yourself a favor, and get an E-unit spreader bar. This handy tool simplifies the disassembly, and should cost less than $5.00 for a reproduction one (which will work fine). I have tried a number of different e-unit repair tools, the spreader is the only one I use.

Condore21 posted:

I consider myself handy, plus my father is an electrician.  Although he is wary of messing around with the old wiring.  I was thinking of buying one of those e-unit rebuild kits off of ebay.  Any thoughts?

Lionel makes a replacement e unit to the same original specs, but they are pricey. Be careful on the bay. As others mentioned, parts are available for them as well. I made a new set of fingers from brass strips that are a heavier gauge then the copper ones. It was also mentioned about wire insulation possibly being broken. If this is the case, it's an easy fix to replace the damaged wire. One thing, don't try to test the e unit cycling with the engine upside down, as the cogs on the drum only work in the upright position. 

Don

There is a parts guy in Bethlehem, his name is Rich Sappelli, he will be at the Allentown train show, and is a source of good advice. Contact me off the forum, and I can give you his email and phone number. He does mail orders, and ships promptly. Tell him Luke sent you. Good luck. 

There is a parts guy in Bethlehem, his name is Rich Sappelli.

Rich Sappelli is a great guy. I've made purchases from him. At one time he lived in New Jersy.

rail posted:

 

 One thing, don't try to test the e unit cycling with the engine upside down, as the cogs on the drum only work in the upright position.

 The cogs will work in any direction, it's the pawl that requires gravity to return to position(unless it's a 1946 671, 726, or 2020 which use a spring).

Thanks, I couldn't think of the proper terminology, it's been so long since I did that repair work.

Don

There is a video on YouTube that shows how to service the e-unit. Do a search for Lionel e-unit.

Condore21 posted:

I then proceeded to clean up the face of the armature and lubricated the bars and greased the gears (with the proper lubricants).  I tried to run the 2018 again (body off) and it still just sits there and hums.  When I tried engaging the selector switch on the e-unit, I could hear the relay click, but still no movement.  I then tried giving the engine a little push down the track and when I did that there were visible sparks coming from the wheels where they contact the rails. 

Unless, I missed it, I didn't see anything where you said you did a thorough cleaning of the wheels and rollers. I see you said there was sparking, I would recommend cleaning the wheels/rollers if you did not already.

Tom