postwar 1946 lionel berkshire #726

You might have dirty track or poor electrical connections.  What track are you using?  How long ago was it last cleaned?

Was the circuit breaker on the transformer popping? What model transformer did you try? 80 watts should run the engine fine. Did you have the tender on the track also, there could be a bare wire from dry rotted insulation and touching the frame. Is there pitting on the rollers. and track type matters, too.

Does your 1946 726 Berkshire still have it's smoke bulb, or has it been converted to a heater type smoke unit? The smoke box door has to match.

Those Berkshires generally run slower than later engines, and require a lot of power. What is the voltage range on the 80 watt transformer? Maybe it doesn't go high enough.  I suggest trying a postwar Lionel LW transformer.

If I get a chance later, I will try running one with a 1033.

Assuming the store owner let you try a good transformer, and that you had the right set of terminals in back connected to the track,  I would conclude the loco has problems and not try anymore: you could make the situation worse.  

I assume the store owner gave you an O-gauge (AC) power supply.  Eighty watts is more than enough to at least get a loco to move well - anything that needs more power does have some problem, for sure, and should not be run.  And any O-gauge supply go to a high enough voltage that I definitely would not try for higher voltage.  Have it looked at by someone who knows postwar locos.  

Which Berkshire do you have?
The title says it's a 1946 version.

Your post says its a 1946 - 1950 Berkshire.

1946 - 1950 encompasses three distinct locomotives.

The construction of the 1946 version is completely different than later models.

It has a combination of spur and double worm drives.

The 1947 to 1949 ones comprise the second version, having nickel rims and lacking magnetraction.

The 1950 (and later) version has sintered iron wheels and magnetraction.

Both of these versions have worm drive, turning the rear wheels only.

I tried running a 1946 version of the 726 Berkshire with a postwar Lionel 1044 (90 watt) transformer.

This particular engine does not have a smoke unit. I tried running it without a tender or any cars.

Using the B-U posts (0-11 volts) the engine ran quite slowly.

Using the A-U posts (5-16 volts) the engine ran reasonably fast.

If you are getting sparks from the wheels and/or pickups, then you have an issue with the track and/or the locomotive. Usually dirty track, wheels and pickups cause a lot of sparking, as the dirt acts as an insulator to the free flowing of electricity. Clean the track, wheels and roller pickups with naphtha, available at your local hardware store. While you are at it, if the locomotive has not been serviced, it is recommended to disassemble it and service it, including a complete cleaning, lubrication and replacing any bad wiring. This will give you a better running locomotive. Service the tender also.

Larry

Thanks everyone for your suggestions and comments. I have cleaned the tracks the engine runs on and it didn't seem to help but I will have it looked at and possibly serviced. The shop owner i purchased it from did lubricate and oil it up but it does need a thorough cleaning, which I have started but haven't finished yet. As for the year of the engine, I did some research and I think its a '46 or a '47. I will post some pictures of the engine here shortly. 

That's exactly what I'd expect from running a 726 with a 1033/1044 transformer.  The problem is...?

quote:

That's exactly what I'd expect from running a 726 with a 1033/1044 transformer.  The problem is...?

No problem.  The original poster wanted to know what size transformer he needed.