Lionel Trainmaster issue

I buy older pullman engines and take the motor apart to check out and  lube & oil if needed check and clean the armature  and run it a bit with the shell off.  If that isn't enough I'll let an expert check it out.

Most likely is the lower bearing in the motor that the armature goes through. Don't forget the top bearing on the brushplate too.

A needle point oiler would work good, or a toothpick.

Thk you, my Labelle needle point oiler was able to sneak in there & although I couldn't exactly see what I was doing, it must have helped as the engine runs very smoothly now.

As long as you get a drop or two of oil on the lowere shaft , the oil will travel down into the lower bearing and you should be good to go as you have experienced. Goodd idea to put a drop or two on the upper bearing as well. I have that Jersey Central and it had been unrun almost since new. It had a similar problem and the oil on the upper and lower bearings solved the problem.