Lionel Alco dummy units - Why so heavy?

Some manufacturers, such as Atlas, construct their dummy units just like their powered units, except they don't ins tally the motor/motors. 

I would check to see if both motors and trucks are working on the powered A unit.  It takes very little power to pull MPC cars.  And what do you mean by Alco:  FA/PB?  FA/FB????

Yes, it only has one motor. I know that's part of the problem.

If the dummy units weren't made of solid rock, though, there wouldn't be a problem.

I may need to convert the dummy A unit to powered.

Having the weight in the dummy A is generally considered beneficial. You will notice that the B unit really doesn't match the two As in construction with the sheet metal frame bent and visible at the sides. This was not well received either when these came out.

An easier solution for your pulling problem may be to obtain a Williams dual motored (they made single motored units too) Alco FA and mating the Lionel cab to it. 

Matt:   First, you should tell us what track system you are using:  Lionel Tubular, Fastrack;  MTH Real track or Scale track (Nickel silver); Atlas or Williams track.

I ask as the  Lionel FA die-cast Alco should have  Magnatraction on the motor truck. You need to check that the motor truck was magnatized at the factory before leaving in shipment and that you are running it on iron track (like tubular).  The magnatraction will not be effective on  Non-ferrious track ( nickel silver or brass). Lionel has seem fit, in rescent time, to add traction tires to its magnatraction loco's so to aid those who use  non-ferrious track systems.

          You might try running the dummy units forward of the power unit with the power unit running backwards. This puts the motor next to the consist and was suggested by Lionel as a way to increase the ability of the diesels to push/pull all the units (even the venerable F-3"s when done in an  A-B-A arrangement).   Hope this might help you.  Dennis M.

I'm running a combination of O-27 tubular, and Fastrack.

The problem is not traction. It's power.

Pulling 5 MPC-era cars, the A unit will rocket around the track at 20-30% indicated on my CW-80. With the dummy units, it needs 70-80%.

It was originally stalling completely on the far end of the layout where there is a slight grade. I had to add power feeds.

I tried pushing the dummy units, but the A unit derails on switches when I do that.

Matt:  I think you solved your own problem,  Namely, " the problem is not traction, but POWER".  Your CW-80 may be too small a power source for the additional weight that the other units bring to the train.  Those numbers on the orange dial are not a true representation of the amount of power you are sending to the tracks.  If you can get hold of a larger transformer to test, and see if a greater wattage transformer will make the difference.

          Also, all the trucks on the 3-unit consist are die-caste. The axles run in  oil-lite bearing and need to be well lubricated; they may even need to be burnished in with a run-in period of just the 3 engine unit on a lap track loop for a period of time.  Also check that the side frames are not rubbing against the wheels as they do have a bit of wiggle and can rub and cause friction and drag. Hope this helps,  Dennis M

I have the LCCA New Haven Merchant's Limited set.   The engine pulls the dummy A unit and the regular set cars fine.   If you add the B unit, the combo and the baggage, it struggles, even with a Z4000 as the power source........However, I must admit, it rides on Atlas Track, not traditional Lionel. That may be my problem.

Peter

Single motor Lionel Alcos just don't have much power. What I do is put a postwar chassis under the dummy A body. With the lead A  in forward only and the trailing A in reverse only then you have dual motor of a sort AA units.

quote:

Single motor Lionel Alcos just don't have much power

I think one has to separate the die cast framed Alcos from the ones with sheet metal frames. IMHO, the die cast framed Alcos are among the best running / pulling engines Lionel produced, at least in the Postwar era.

If you think the CW-80 isn't enough, you won't like what I'm running it with on the outer loop...

I'm using the transformer from an early 90's New York Central starter set. Rated for 3A at 18V, which is around 50 Watts.

With the extra power feeds, and more run time, it's running better all the time. It is just too much fun to run. The motor resonates inside the shell, giving it an almost diesel howl.