Magnatraction

There isn't much difference in pulling power between the two. Both will pick up a section of 027 track.

The truck mounted magnets can shift and cause wheel binding. The axle mounted magnets don't have that problem.

Interesting, thought the truck mounted magnets performed better but way to many variables for comparison. They all work rather well but the one truck mounted just out performs the others. Was looking for a motor truck and noticed the differences. Thanks for the feed back.

Huh?  I never knew there were two variations.  Any idea of why Lionel made this change?  Perhaps cost savings as the Toy Train market declined after 1954??  The 2033 might have been the last loco of this type; in the late 1950s they switched to the 200-series Alcos with the sheet metal truck.

Example of Axle Magnets:

"Bar" Magnets:

Frame Magnet:

I would suspect labor costs of assembling the earlier bar magnet truck. The magnets were cemented to the truck frame and then baked to harden the cement. A costly process i'm sure. No JBWeld back in those days. The cost of the process was reduced when they could use a hallow stainless steel axle with a magnet inserted. I would say the change happened around 51'-52.

The first engine to have magnatraction was the 622/ 6220 switcher in 1949.  They were equipped with the magnetized ferrous axle.  The frame/truck mounted magnets were first used in 1950 and have stainless steel axles.  Supposedly, reason for the change was due to ease and less expense to mount magnets than to introduce magnetism into the axles.  Also, stainless axles perform better due to less metal corrosion, bending, etc.  The magnetized axles loss their properties more easily and are more difficult to maintain/service.   

Jesse  TCA  12-68275

Information concerning the different forms of magnatraction is from Greenberg book of Repair and Operating Manual for Lionel Trains.

Jesse

BTW, it is spelled "Magne-Traction" or even "Magnetraction", not "magnatraction" (please see tech-sheet a few posts above). 

Without field stripping them, the two in the middle are truck mounted, two outside are axle mounted. That said, the one on the left I always owned, but it was once serviced like 30 years ago. All others bought on e-bay. So really inconclusive as to when and y. The 1950 runs best but all very good. So I thought one better than the other. But could n anything. Thanks for the replies. 

I have a 2343 F3.  The truck wheels will not pull on a small steel screwdriver. Any other way to test for existence of magnatraction? It slips at slow speeds.

My 2353 has good magnatraction.

What is the possibility of using a powerful neodymium magnet, 3/4" x 3/4" rated at 43 lbs to magnetize each of the wheels or through the wheels to the axels rather than taking the trucks apart? the diagram above shows the N and S poles of the magnets and so do the neodymium magnets.

I will need instructions to take the trucks apart if that is the way to go.

Santa Bill K

I think the possibilities of doing this without taking it apart is pretty small from all I've read.  However, I have heard there used to be a way for Lionel to restore magnetraction, but I don't know what the process was.  I also saw someone posted about taking the truck apart and replacing the existing internal magnet with a neodymium bar.

BTW, it’s Magne-Traction. Please correct the title.