Lionel Crane Motor

I worthless on the electrical side.

But I've used notebook paper to set gears in my RC cars. I also roll them by hand afterwards just to be sure but that will usually get me where I need to be. I would think that or perhaps a slightly heavier paper (like printer paper) will do the job. Then grease it up and go! I don't know if it's correct but setting other gears when I didn't have paper has always just been a matter of whether or not it feels like it's meshing right. Nobody ever taught me though. So I could be wrong.

Hi Bill, thanks for your information, but I don't understand. What do you use the paper for?

Did you mean setting the clearance when you said set the gears? I assumed you did. So you use the paper as the clearance between the gears. You just feed it into the gears and use that to set the clearance between the gears. It works on our steel and plastic gears on RC cars (7000RPM at the motor) so I thought it might work here.

Hi Bill, thats what I am talking about. when I put power to them they make one heck of  a noise.

They might be too tightly meshed. I don't see much in the picture making me think that there's adjustment available so that's odd. Have you taken it apart?

Yes, just to try and fix the noise. now I am stuck rewiring it also! LOL

I think this photo is a little better!

Yeah I'm still on the learning curve when it comes to electricity. I gotta have it spelled out for me, black and white haha luckily, this postwar stuff is usually simple. I'll see what I can find on the internet.

Has the crane bound up or anything lately that might bend a shaft? There's a guy named Dave that might be able to help you. I've bought off of him for years and he's helped me on occasion as I've cleaned up my grandpa's set. I had a book on older Lionel accessories but I'm not sure where it got to. I'll see if I can find it real quick. Maybe the crane is in there.

Thanks Bill any help would be great! I am the same way when it comes to electrical!

Well none such luck so far. It might be at my parent's house still. It had a white cover and was pretty handy. I'll keep looking.

That motor kind of looks like the AC motors I see in other postwar locomotives. Maybe just not as long. Does it have any numbers on it?

The gears should be set center to center mesh. What is the problem you are having with it. Have a video?

The motor is wired 2 twisted field leads together to one brush, the other brush lead to motor ground. The upper field wire is would be considered outside and the other field lead inside.

Morning Chuck,  I see your photos but its hard for me to tell which is the upper/inside lead. I am sorry but I am slow when it comes to things like this, Once I get it once then I have it for life. It just getting it in my thick head.

Here is a video of whats going on. It seams as the solenoids are working to pull the gears where they need to be.

All the noise you are hearing is due to lack of lubrication. Be sure not to forget to oil both ends of the armature shaft on the motor. That's where most of the noise seems to be coming from.

Thanks Chuck, is there any way to adjust the brushes so the gear won't move back and forth in the motor housing? Also is there any way you could take a piece of tape and put it on the wire you call inside lead for me?

In my first picture, the right hand side field wire the lower wire is what you want. You really can't go wrong, if the motor runs in reverse to the button pressed, reverse the 2 field wire connections. Add a spacer washer to the top motor shaft to eliminate some of the armature 'bounce'.

Ok Thanks Chuck! You Rock!

Hi Chuck, I went out and took everything apart on the crane, I tapped in the bushing that the motor shaft rides threw so that took out the slop between that and the brushes. Lubed it all up did a test run with just the motor and its nice and quite now. Then I did a test with all the gears in place and still nice and quite. Now I have to add the solenoids hooked back up and give it another test run.

Then last but not least hook up the control panel!

Thanks for all your help!

The crane is so cool! I'm glad somebody was able to help. Now I learned too!