Lionel #60 trolley issue

It is usually the oposite issue, lol.

  I haven't had one that far apart since I was young. Even the best of them seemed to fail to bump 100% once in a while... some went for for minths no isuue then failures, then right back to no issue; blind luck.

  But if I recall right, the contacts and their pressure is all that supplies any detent to stay put. So rebending them for more "squeeze" or replacing the contacts is my only thought besides cleaning it well; maybe the throw isn't 100%.(and no excess grease or oil on slides, lube to treat metal and wipe "clean & dry" as possible, like a gun). Messing with the guides for a tighter fit might be too a dangerous venture; you want it to slide easy so you can run it slower; run too fast and it will bang and/or bounce of the rails at the bump. 

Be aware that if you bend contacts you may impede the operation of the reversing slide.
(how did they get bent out of shape in the first place)

While you may need to bend the contacts in the end, I suggest cleaning the slide and slide area first. People like to grease things that don't really need greasing. Then dirt builds up and the grease/oil gets gummy.
Disassemble the unit so you can remove the slide.
Clean it and the track with mineral spirits.
You can apply a dry lubricant. Lately I have been using Neolube (let it dry before reassembly)

Yep, no doubt too much speed makes it bounce. Correct. I've cleaned the slide area well when I got it a few yrs back but will check it out again. If definitely slides easier than the other  trollies I have. I'll monkey with it, no big deal. 

On another note: I cleaned one up last night I got picked up this summer at a rummage sale. Nice shape, original box. Been sitting since???  Anyway, did all the normal stuff. Commutator face and grooves, brush wells, little grease down in the hole on the gear. Brushes were worn badly, I have several new sets from Chuck Startor on hand. Put new in, still runs really noisy and brush well tops get really hot. More than normal it seems. Any thoughts?

MattR posted:

Commutator face and grooves, brush wells, little grease down in the hole on the gear. Brushes were worn badly, I have several new sets from Chuck Startor on hand. Put new in, still runs really noisy and brush well tops get really hot. More than normal it seems. Any thoughts?

There's resistance somewheres causing the problem.  Might be a bad winding?  Does it do the same thing in both directions?  If so, check the wiring and try resoldering all the connexions.   

Good luck!

Mitch 

Is the little ball bearing in the brushplate present? The brushtubes do get hot by their very nature.

You can also try re-cleaning the brush holders. Sometimes it helps to use a .22 cal bore brush to remove any oxidation.

MattR posted:

I cleaned one up last night I got picked up this summer at a rummage sale. Nice shape, original box. Been sitting since???  Anyway, did all the normal stuff. Commutator face and grooves, brush wells, little grease down in the hole on the gear. Brushes were worn badly, I have several new sets from Chuck Startor on hand. Put new in, still runs really noisy and brush well tops get really hot. More than normal it seems. Any thoughts?

I hope you mean "oil" down the hole, rather than grease.

But you might also try oiling the lower bearing.  Lionel made it easy to oil the topmost bearing on its motorized units, but the lower one can be a lot harder to reach, and is often overlooked.

Check the gears, too.  They may be clogged with ancient, hard grease, or even no lubricant at all.

I hope you mean "oil" down the hole, rather than grease.

Mattr wrote that he put grease on the worm gear. That is correct.