Lionel 2055 engine question help

might be your brush plate. could be worn. try a drop of oil on armature shaft.  

I have a 2025 that does the same thing only mine only does it every so often,Mine was an ebay purchase also,Guess we know why they put it on there.Im thinking its a bushing. I have takin it apart and done the same as you have but it still does it .Maybe we will both solve our problem when the post war guys read this,There is a lot of good ones here for sure.

I've got a 2056 that does that only worse.  I agree with Hama, if you put a drop of oil on the armature shaft on the brush side it will go away for a while.  Yours does not sound too bad at all.   

That noise is coming from armature bearing on the side opposite the brushes. It may take several light applications of oil to make the noise go away. If the noise will not go away, get a replacement bearing plate.

That plate blends with the frame. It's easy to overlook. Remove the two screws holding it and clean the hole for the armature shaft. Clean that end of the armature shaft, too. Then asemble it and put a SMALL drop of oil on it.  That should do it.

quote:

Then asemble it and put a SMALL drop of oil on it.

As I previously wrote, a single application often will not resolve the problem. When the bearing is very dry, sometimes several applications are required. It is better to make several applications of small drops, rather than over-lubricating.

If the squeal keeps going away right after you oil the bearing, but comes back soon, then the bearing probably needs to be replaced. If the bearing plate is cast, then it is a 2036-110. They run about $2.00

For 2 bucks its worth it to buy a new plate. I make my own bronze bearings to install  in the brush holder and bearing plate. Sometimes the engine has been so neglected that not only is the bearing oversize but the shaft is worn undersize. Any clearance beyond about .002" will not be solved by lubrication, at least not for very long.

Pete

Oil on the armature seems to have done the trick. If the noise comes back then I'll look at replacing the plate.

oil on either end of the armature shaft will fix this.

I run post war locos at train shows and when they start

wineing like that, it means they need oil.

a little oil and they run like the perverbial

"well oiled machine"

I just battled this problem for several days doing a repair for someone else. The problem was solved by deciding to modify something no matter what the outcome. What you may need to do with these sidewinder engines is the following. On the gear side under that metal cover, the gear on the shaft is actually too rough and it may have gouged the cover. and no amount of oil or grease will stop it for more than a couple to 15 minutes. Look carefully at the top side of that gear where it rubs against the cover. You likely will see it is too rough. If you will take a file and carefully dress it all the way around, then sandpaper it to finish, make sure to polish the cover too, then grease the cover and the gear and re-install that cover, it should stop that noise for good. People generally think it is the fiber armature plate but not always so. 

Rob

In my case, even a brand new OEM plate would not stop the noise. Had to dress that gear top.

Rob

Thanks for the tip on the rough gear.

I don't think I've seen the problem, but I am certainly going to watch for it.

If I have any left, I am going to look at some of my spare sidewinder engines to see if any of them show any signs of the problem.

I'll suggest using Marvel Mystery Oil on the bearing/armature shaft - it's a penetrating oil that really works great on postwar engines.  Apply some after a good cleaning, and then reapply  again after running a bit.  Good stuff for bearings where the axles pass through, too.

I am no expert on oil, I think any penetrating oil is inadequate for bearing lubrication. Too thin.

Rob

Not to worry with the Mystery Oil - it does an excellent job on postwar trains.  I've used it for over 20 years with no problems (and a quart of it will last for a lifetime of lubricating your trains).