Need wiring help please

Anyone please.....

See Olsen Toy Train Library

Does one of these match your engine?   260E Cream Stripe 2-4-2 Steam Loco or  260E 2-4-2 w/New Ives E-Unit

If not these, you should be able to find yours in the Lionel Prewar library.

Hi Susan thank you for your reply.  I tried those links last night. My board where the wires connect is different than those.  Mine in a rectangle with 2 screws on top and 3 on the bottom with 1 in the middle

Thisnis the same set up as mine except i do not habe the left 2 screw lugs. I cant find a diagram like this to help me but wires back on. 

Getting desperate.........please if anyone knows please post

Corey posted:

Getting desperate.........please if anyone knows please post

Corey, What you have is the notorious Lionel 'pendulum' reversing unit.

The two terminals on the left side were used to change the on/off directional characteristics of the headlights of the 'electric-bodied' locos. Ignore them.

The top center terminal is connected to: a) pickup-plate; b) e-unit coil; c) headlight.

The top right terminal connects to the field coil.

The bottom left terminal connects to one of the brushes.

The bottom center terminal connects to the other brush.

Have fun with it.

OH! BTW This unit has only two conditions 'Forward' and 'Reverse' — NO NEUTRAL.

Ron M

I think this is what you want, but without seeing your specific setup, it is hard to tell:

Upper Left Nut - center pick up rollers.

Upper Right nut - lead from the field (the other field lead is grounded).

Lower Left nut - Brush

Lower Middle nut - Other Brush

This is how i set it up. Please see pic. Keeps blowing the transformer for some reason. It worked before i cleaned the brushes. The e unit lever should i leave it alone to set itself or should i move it left and right? Im assuming one direction forward other is reverse. When i set on track it hums for a few seconds than trips transformer. 

Corey posted:

This is how i set it up. Please see pic. Keeps blowing the transformer for some reason. It worked before i cleaned the brushes. The e unit lever should i leave it alone to set itself or should i move it left and right? Im assuming one direction forward other is reverse. When i set on track it hums for a few seconds than trips transformer. 

I think the clue is that the you 'cleaned' the brushes.

Guess-i-mate: When you cleaned them you possibly disturbed the insulation around the brushes. To check this out, first remove all the external wiring. With an ohmmeter check for continuity from the brush to ground. It should be an open circuit. If not that's your problem and you'll have to trace back to where the short is occurring.

Ron M

Ron,  thats very intetesting because my brushes have no insulation around them. Ill check it out!

Corey,

There isn't insulation immediately surrounding the brush, but there is insulation on the brush holder to isolate the individual brushes from each other and the frame ground.

Ron M