Friends,
Perhaps a dumb question. Just picked up a Lionel Army Switcher #41. It runs sluggishly - 5 seconds then hesitates then back up to speed. The drum in the E-Unit is not as clean as it could be. Is the drum only relevant to determine direction at the initial start of the engine? Or, does the drum plan a continuous role in the movement of the engine? The engine changes directions perfectly. But should I replace the drum to improve continuous run operation?
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The e-unit selects which direction the locomotive runs. You’re better off disassembling the gears and drive shaft, cleaning out old grease, and re-greasing with new grease.
Artie, Thanks for your reply. Yes, I cleaned and greased the unit. I was asking about the E-Unit drum because the stuttering / hesitation seems electrical to me. So . . . a dirty drum would not have anything to do with the problem?
The e-unit probably could use some cleaning, and I believe there are electrical cleaning sprays for that. What the e-unit does is more electrical in nature, making and breaking contacts to have the loco move into forward-neutral-reverse. You could search for topics involving cleaning and tuning the e-units. Good luck.
Yes, the fingers and the drum of the E-unit are in the motor circuit all the time. They do not just come into play when doing the reversing task.
Also cleaning the track and wheels will help.
Chris
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