Need help with valve gear wheel position and for Prewar Lionel 260E

They go 90 degrees off each other.   That's because the rods can push as well as pull.

That's why it is called quartering.

If you put them on 180 degrees off, they will bind at two spots every revolution.

@DanssuperO posted:

Just got a basket case for a prewar Lionel 260E the guy sold it with the wheels off ready to install the new ones that someone never put on (the seller wasn't sure how they go back on..

Do rods that screws on the wheels go opposite of each other? so if the right-side hole is at 3 o'clock would the other side be at 9 o'clock?

also, if looking at the boiler chest straight on would the green lens be on the right and the red on the left?

thanks ..daniel

Doing a cleaning on mine and red lens on left (looking from front) green on right.

@RoyBoy posted:

They go 90 degrees off each other.   That's because the rods can push as well as pull.

That's why it is called quartering.

If you put them on 180 degrees off, they will bind at two spots every revolution.

Ok so if your looking head on the engine the left side would be at 12 o'clock and the right side would be facing the boiler at 3 o'clock right? 

some reason looking prewar 260 259 etc it looked like 180 degrees .. not much info for prewar,,,,

thanks again for letting me know...

thanks for the pic! can you show the position of the linkage both side  thanks !  pictures for me are worth a thousand words..

@DanssuperO posted:

thanks for the pic! can you show the position of the linkage both side  thanks !  pictures for me are worth a thousand words..

I’ll try and send you it tomorrow as running out of time for now.

DanssuperO  took my 260e down from shelf looked at the wheels one side at 12 other side at 6.Put on track and it runs fine.

Mrs never did care for the chugger sound but i just say i'm testing it to make sure it works.  ; )

@Dieseler posted:

DanssuperO  took my 260e down from shelf looked at the wheels one side at 12 other side at 6.Put on track and it runs fine.

Mrs never did care for the chugger sound but i just say i'm testing it to make sure it works.  ; )

Thank-YOU so much

it was hard to see on youtube  and  on the bay in pictures of a motor   I would of had it wrong with out your pics!

Thank-You so much. Daniel

PS my chugger works !  the switch in the cab makes either it go in one direction or  locks in one direction and it also will shut off the chuggar buzz  coil..

Here are some photos. 12 on one side.. turned around. 3 on other. Runs perfect.

Perfect! thank-you

Turns out the extra wheels  i got are not for  the 260E I got but forum member Jeff from the train tender has everything.  and all the parts I need lens also.

Thank-you so much that was very apricated.  Ill post  it running when done.. .daniel

Our electric trains will run smoother at 180 degrees but there will be more lateral motion resulting on a side to side bobbing appearance. There is no reason that they have to be exactly 90 or 180 degrees, however, they all have to be the same on each side of the loco!  Real trains are a different story. IIRC, steam locos are quartered for the purposes of being able to move when one of the cylinders is at stroke limit. There is also long discussion about dynamic forces on the rail (so called pounding) and balancing forces.

Most Prewar Lionel steam loco wheels are clocked at 180 degrees apart.  On a geared loco, it doesn’t matter where they go, as long they are matched on each side.  Postwar locos like the 671 and 736 are not geared locos, so the wheels must be quartered at 90 degrees to prevent jamming.

@Rob English posted:

Our electric trains will run smoother at 180 degrees but there will be more lateral motion resulting on a side to side bobbing appearance. There is no reason that they have to be exactly 90 or 180 degrees, however, they all have to be the same on each side of the loco!  Real trains are a different story. IIRC, steam locos are quartered for the purposes of being able to move when one of the cylinders is at stroke limit. There is also long discussion about dynamic forces on the rail (so called pounding) and balancing forces.

OH boy this is exactly what was happening!! when I first got this it .. ran on the track and wobbled!!!

So I tried looking at any and every video on these prewar  steam wheel configurations  and it LOOKED like it was 180 from side to side. But as seen above his is 90 degree (12 on one and 3 on the other) and running fine.

Jeffs been swamped with parts  orders I have coming  all new drive parts   so I still have time to read what is needed.      thanks!...daniel

Parts from the Train Tender just came in and it's on the track.. fixed!

Smooth and no wobble thanks guys.. only problem I had or thought I had with the engine is on one section of curve it would jump track! even by hand it would jump even with the trailing wheels off (just the motor and linkage on.

I was concerned it was the way I install the wheels not going  in enough  but I rechecked  and it was fine..

Since it was only one side I use  LIonels 031 curves ,what I did was spread the track and made it  wider  a little  just with my hands and it was FIXED! my prewar Lionel 256 had NO problems

makes me want to get a gauge or  calipers and check the whole layout!  To see if any other track are out of alignment..

Or if you guys know the Prewar Lionel  260E  was recommended to run  on different radius than 031   I have a dog bone top layout with NO switches  and the ends are all curves . it runs fine now  . thanks daniel

Ended up using MTH wheels I think little to  thick  but maybe running it will wear it in ..   I guess I could remove the wheels  and file if I had too, its as far as I an go with out binding the wheels  , when i pressed them on   but here's the video of it running it sounds ,and runs as good as it looks.  daniel

thanks for all the info and pics!!

RoyBoy   Jsulli21  Dieseler   Rob English  JGJon G