Hello all,
I just repaired a little Peacock 253. It got new wheels, a complete cleaning and lubrication, as well as all new wiring. I was very careful to make sure all the wires went back on the way they were when I got it, and it works great, pulling it's passenger cars happily around the track.
My question is: is it normal for the manual reverse lever to be pointing in the opposite direction of travel?
Matt
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It doesn't cause any harm to the engine, but if you prefer to have the lever pointing in the direction of travel all you have to do is switch the 2 wires going to the brushes on the manual reverse switch.
That’s good to know I’m not hurting anything. I am more wondering how the reverse lever was set up from the factory. If it originally pointed in the direction of travel and at some pointing the past got wired up backwards I’ll get in there and correct it. If it left Lionel the way it currently is I’m happy with it.
I’m mostly thrilled that this little train is zooming around, bringing joy just as it did almost one hundred years ago.
I've seen original engines wired both ways, so you do whatever you prefer. I don't believe Lionel had a standard for that, or if they did they didn't follow it very closely.
My personal preference is for direction of travel. 
Have fun with the 253! They're nice, sturdy little engines. 
Mitch
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