Lionel Classics Whistle Brushes

I got my supply of replacement springs and brushes.

Unfortunately, that didn't solve the problem. The motor still won't turn, and it even made a little bit of smoke trying to get the armature to spin. Has anyone experienced with the older stuff dealt with this kind of problem?

I would make sure the commutator segments are flat and clean, the brushes do not hang up in the tubes and the springs have good tension.  You can disconnect the electronic relay and test the motor with AC (power in one brush, other brush to one lead on field, other field ground, power out). If the electronic relay is limiting power to the whistle, you can install a postwar style mechanical relay.

Although it seems unlikely with a clean and relatively new motor, is it possible that one or more of the armature wires is broken, or might there be a loose piece of debris stuck inside the motor?  (If you follow @Jon G's test and the motor doesn't work properly, these might be things to check.)

@Jon G posted:

I would make sure the commutator segments are flat and clean, the brushes do not hang up in the tubes and the springs have good tension.  You can disconnect the electronic relay and test the motor with AC (power in one brush, other brush to one lead on field, other field ground, power out). If the electronic relay is limiting power to the whistle, you can install a postwar style mechanical relay.

If a postwar relay is unavailable or too expensive, is there a cheap generic electronic relay that can be substituted, or does Lionel's use of a DC surge to trigger the relay (along with the presence of AC current) make this impractical?

@Jon G posted:

You can disconnect the electronic relay and test the motor with AC...

Yes, isolate the motor and get it running right first.