Newbee Question

The E-unit on a diesel (and steamer) is the Lionel Postwar way of making the engine run forward, stand still with lights on and reverse.

Loose and as installed in the motor unit on a postwar Lionel steamer. The vertical arm/switch typically sticks up through the body shell.

To add to that. It mechanically adjusts the path of electricity through a solenoid and rotating drum to alter the current flow  to the brushes resulting in a forward and reverse action.  Each time power is interrupted and reapplied, the drum rotates to a new position.  3 position e unit has forward, neutral and reverse

The Lionel mechanical e-unit normally worked thousands of times without failure.  When the drum did on occasion rarely fail, it was a cheap part and an easy fix which I learned by trial and error as a ten year old.

Newer electronic reversing units; we will have to wait another twenty years or so to see.

Bill DeBrooke posted:

.....When the drum did on occasion rarely fail, it was a cheap part and an easy fix which I learned by trial and error as a ten year old.

 

Like this one I replaced on Saturday. Amazingly the fingers were like brand-new! Still scratching my head on that one...

To make things interesting, this is also an E-Unit - a type of obsolete 6-axle EMD(GM) diesel passenger locomotive.

--------------------

I've been told that the Lionel reversing unit - the E-unit  - was nicknamed that because the brass drum contact fingers are stamped in the shape of an "E". Can't prove it by me.