Lionel 0-8-0 Switcher Lionchief

Up to this point all Lionchief 0-8-0s came with a tiny motor and a single traction tire. A larger motor will fit and a second traction tire could be added ( I have done that on my starter set 0-8-0 ) but unless the new one comes that way figure 5-6 free rolling cars are its limit.

Pete

Ive pulled 12 or more modern cars with a lionchief PA flyer 0-8-0.  

Ive got 3 of them with another on pre order.   Never had a string of cars that they couldn't pull.  10 menards box cars and a caboose..  not even a sign of a problem. 

Jim 

I believe production was upgraded to a larger motor (Mabuchi RS-385) at some point.  With the larger motor mounted vertically, the flywheel is thin and tiny, not a lot of room left in the crown sheet area.  All of the ones I've seen personally had two tires, one on each side of the rear axle.

I think the chassis, cab, or some other parts of the train set locos are plastic, not die-cast.  So they're not as heavy as the better separate-sale steam locos.

Honestly I would save your money and look at auction sites for one of the Legacy versions, like 6-11247.  Avoid the batch that used Back-EMF for speed control; those weren't good runners at all!

carsntrains posted:

Ive got 3 of them with another on pre order.   Never had a string of cars that they couldn't pull.  10 menards box cars and a caboose..  not even a sign of a problem.

The 2017 PRR Flyer LC locomotive shows this motor.

That's the small starter set motor.  If you're pulling ten Menard's cars with that one, you won't be pulling them long!  I've replaced a ton of these that have been burned up.

I have several of these and they seem to pull a half dozen cars which is all I run on my small layout with no problem. I like them and they give good bang for the buck, IMO. They are part metal and part plastic  

Each to his own, of course. 

Starter set motor on the left, Mabuchi 385 on the right. I was not able to find a Lionchief 0-8-0 that used the 385. The 385 pictured is in a starter set/Lionchief engine that I modified as pictured. Lionel could so the same if they wished. I wouldn't hold my breath though. The 385 is used in the scale 0-8-0s. Don't confuse the two.

Pete

gunrunnerjohn posted:

carsntrains posted:

Ive got 3 of them with another on pre order.   Never had a string of cars that they couldn't pull.  10 menards box cars and a caboose..  not even a sign of a problem.

The 2017 PRR Flyer LC locomotive shows this motor.

That's the small starter set motor.  If you're pulling ten Menard's cars with that one, you won't be pulling them long!  I've replaced a ton of these that have been burned up.

Ahhh don't tell them.   This is their 3rd year pulling them 🚂    jim

Norton posted:

Starter set motor on the left, Mabuchi 385 on the right. I was not able to find a Lionchief 0-8-0 that used the 385. The 385 pictured is in a starter set/Lionchief engine that I modified as pictured. Lionel could so the same if they wished. I wouldn't hold my breath though. The 385 is used in the scale 0-8-0s. Don't confuse the two.

Pete

Is the 385 a direct fit and have the same Worm gear as the small Lion Chief motor or was there some modification done.

Thank you, Forest

The gear from the small motor had to removed and drilled out to fit the larger motor. I could not find a 385 Mabuchi that came with that gear. This was done about ten years ago so maybe that has changed. The flywheel was machined to fit in this engine. What first appeared to be a 20 minute job turned into about 6 hours. I proved to myself it could be done but have no desire to do another one.

Pete

Wow Pete.  If that's the case @John Ptak then I strongly suggest that you save your money.  Watch the auction sites for a 6-11247 or another Legacy 0-8-0 from the first batch.  It looks the same, but will be better than the train set loco in every way.  I think you'll be a lot happier in the long run!

Note: as I said in my previous post, avoid the second batch of Legacy 0-8-0s that rely on back-EMF for speed control.  Not sure of the product numbers, but they were roundly criticized as inferior runners when they were released.  Lionel took this criticism to heart and returned to using tach sensors after that.

That's pretty much what Frank Timko did for me on the Hogwart's locomotive.

Wow. I might have the tools around to pull that off but think I will pass. Good Job.

Besides the gear swap on the motors the motor mount area on the the frame had to be enlarged. It appears to have been designed for the larger motor and the 385 fits in the opening but the worm gear is off center. The good news is once the opening is hogged out the mounting screw holes are the same on both motors.

Starter set engine with its new motor.

Pete