Lionel 1946 726 wheels rock side to side.....But

I suspect the bushing have rotated in the frame instead of the rotation being between the axle and the bushings. This happends when the axle is siezed  on the axle.  Seen this several times.  only thing I can see is to super glue the New bushings in to the frame making sure the axle is 90 degrees to the frame. Would suggest installing the bushings , install the axle with out wheels make sure the  axle is 90 degree  to the frame then carefully place a drop of superglue on the bushing at the frame. let dry and then take off the axle and carefully finish  super glue the bushings in to the frame.

When I took apart the bushings are sort of like a old tumb stone grave marker (lol)  They only go in one way and I see no wear marks also the bushings on the axle look perfect no score marks and they have no play nor issues that i can see.. I do like the idea of super gluing them in  that should help....... but won't shims do the same thing.? thanks for the info..! daniel

Personally I would leave it alone.  I definitely wouldn't super-glue anything, or make any other permanent modifications.  I'm aware of one example that was extensively rebuilt, and supposedly performance was improved.  The gentleman who did the modifications was a master machinist.  If you lack those qualifications, chances are anything you do won't help, and it could very well make things worse.

These locos are known to be noisy.  Compared to the redesigned model, the '46 has more gears in the drivetrain, including spur gears which are inherently noisier than worm gears.  The '46 model is also known to run slower at a given track voltage because it's geared lower.  This is a GOOD thing!

The late C.W. Burfle owned a handful of these '46 Berks.  He stated on the Forum that his best runner had just as much play in the bearings as the others, so shimming is not necessary, and isn't the answer to smoother/quieter operation.  These were originally mass-produced toys.  There are a lot of variables related to manufacturing, assembly, and the care and treatment they received in the 70+ years since which account for differences in operation.

Someday, perhaps when I'm retired, I want to have a "clinic" on the 1946 model 726 at York (as Dr. Bruce Greenberg has done with some standard gauge pieces.)  Maybe together we can lead a scientific investigation, and find out what makes the quieter, smoother "Stradivarius" examples run better than their peers.  This could be a foundation to improving the breed.  Until then my advice is leave it alone and enjoy it for what it is.

Finally a bit off-topic, but if you really want a quiet, smooth, traditionally-sized road engine, consider a LionChief Plus 726, or a RailKing Mohawk made after 2008.  My $.02.

its not permanent , acetone will remove SG. it does not take much wear on the bushing to cause trouble, less than a 1/4of a MM to cause the axle to rock back under load.

Maybe true.  But while the glue is setting up, how are you going to align the bushings to within 0.009", to make sure they are both square in the frame, and longitudinally parallel to each other?  If there's a little slop they might "hunt," but they will self-adjust.  If they're glued permanently in place but out of alignment, the loco will run poorly, and the axle will eventually wear an oval shape into the bearing.

You also advised the original poster to install the axles without wheels.  Removing the wheels, pressing them back on, and keeping them in quarter isn't trivial.  I have some of the tools to do a job like this, and I wouldn't think of it.  Without the right tools, machine skills and knowledge my guess is the loco would run worse rather than better.

I think you would have little success gluing the Oilite bearing material since it is impregnated with oil.  One thing to watch on the '46 726 is that the front and rear wheel sets get clocked properly when they are reinstated.   Otherwise the side rods may bind.  I can see no advantage to shimming the bearings since the weight of the loco should hold them up agains the top of the slot where they are installed.  Lionel did always seem to have trouble getting the axles pressed into the exact center the die cast wheels, causing them to run out a little bit.  One thing that might reduce noise a little is to be sure that the spur gears are running with a little clearance at the end of the tooth.  The motor can be shimmed a tiny amount to get the proper gear clearance if required.  Also Red n Tacky grease will help quiet the spur gears.  The worm and worm wheel should not be making any noise.  They have sliding contact and really need a quality lube.  Dennis Waldron does have a few new wheel sets in stock for the '46 726 in you need one.  As far as I know, the '46 726 was a one of a kind design for Lionel.  I am sure it was way to expensive to make as a toy and was never repeated.  

Ted, I would never try to remove the wheels from the end axles of a '46 726.  Not only do the crank pins have to be properly quartered, the worm wheel teeth have to lined up so the front and rear axles fit into the double worm shaft properly with out binding the side rod.  Doug, Oilite warns agains using solvents on their bearings.  They do not want the oil removed from the sintered material and they do not want the oil replaced with a solvent.  They do provide instructions on replacing oil on old bearings using a VPI method, but I have never tried it.  I just soak the bearings with synthetic oil when they are out of the loco.

Someday, perhaps when I'm retired, I want to have a "clinic" on the 1946 model 726 at York (as Dr. Bruce Greenberg has done with some standard gauge pieces.)  Maybe together we can lead a scientific investigation, and find out what makes the quieter, smoother "Stradivarius" examples run better than their peers.  This could be a foundation to improving the breed.  Until then my advice is leave it alone and enjoy it for what it is.

Now that's the best advise I'm taking and waiting,... (lol)  I learned a lot from you guys so far thanks especially  knowing that when its on the track the weight helps center or corrects the looseness I see and feel when its upside down and its does run  pretty quiet now .. Thanks .daniel

David Johnston posted:

...the worm wheel teeth have to [be] lined up so the front and rear axles fit into the double worm shaft properly with out binding the side rod

David I have a feeling that this ^^^ has a lot to do with why some examples run better than others.  And any differences wouldn't be evident without precise measurement.

One worm wheel is good.  Two are not better!  At least not when the two are linked by side rod(s).  If the worm wheel teeth on the front and rear axles are not "timed" or clocked the same relative to the crank pins, the double worm shaft might be continuously pushed and pulled by the alternating action of both worm wheels and the rods.  This risk is mitigated somewhat because IIRC, the worms are multi-threaded and not self-locking.  And the worm shaft can't move very far, because a bronze insert with a ball bearing controls thrust play.  Replacement bearings are available as new old stock, but I've personally never seen one worn so badly that it needed replacement.

Regarding the rods binding... When Lionel switched to a single worm gear the very next year, they made the holes in the side rods smaller.  Because in the '47+ design, the rods alone have to efficiently convey power to the first three axles.  Since the '46-spec rods were no longer being sold as a replacement part, the service manual recommends opening up the holes a little to prevent the crank pins from binding.  IF there's evidence that the rods have been replaced, and IF they seem to be binding, this might be a fix.  Bottom line, compared to later models, you can get away with more slop in the side rods.

I personally love the '46 Berkshire.  It's unique, and a 726 "fits in" with Plasticville and traditional-sized rolling stock better than the lanky Hudson.  BUT- I've tested a few.  Despite careful investigation and my best efforts at tuning, lubrication, etc., none of them ran as smoothly or quietly as my uncle's 773.