Postwar Lionel Repair Series “Updated 4/7/24”

To begin with, here’s one on Lionel’s Postwar 624 Diesel Switcher. 

Here’s one I just finished up yesterday:

Lionel’s Postwar Black 2332 GG1 Electric from 1947. It came out wonderfully!

These three matching FA Union Pacific AA sets just rolled into the Service Yard @ FRV.

Flint Rock Valley posted:

To begin with, here’s one on Lionel’s Postwar 624 Diesel Switcher. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fxJZTncAw0

Eli, great videos. Very thorough job, it’s probably running better than new! Amazing to see the old gears and commutator shine up like a new penny.

FYI - You can embed the YouTube url and it will show in the post. You have to click the insert media button shown below. Then copy and paste the YouTube url into the blank text field. 

JD2035RR posted:

Flint Rock Valley posted:

To begin with, here’s one on Lionel’s Postwar 624 Diesel Switcher. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fxJZTncAw0

Eli, great videos. Very thorough job, it’s probably running better than new! Amazing to see the old gears and commutator shine up like a new penny.

FYI - You can embed the YouTube url and it will show in the post. You have to click the insert media button shown below. Then copy and paste the YouTube url into the blank text field. 

Thank You so much for the compliments JD2035RR! 
Also thanks for the hint about embedded the links. Looks as if I’ll have to do that from the pc though, as I can’t find an option available via mobile phone. 
Glad you enjoyed the vids, Sir! 

if you flip your phone sideways, you should get the additional options. At least that’s how it works on my iPhone. 

keep up the good work!9

This is  a terrific series.

Mark

Thanks very much for sharing. These are very helpful.

Paul

JD2035RR posted:

if you flip your phone sideways, you should get the additional options. At least that’s how it works on my iPhone. 

keep up the good work!9

Ahh... I did learn something new today. 
Thanks again for the tip JD2035RR!! 
(‘Tis now updated...)

barrister.2u posted:

This is  a terrific series.

Mark

Thank You Mark! Glad you like them. They’ll be plenty more over time. 

Railrunnin posted:

Thanks very much for sharing. These are very helpful.

Paul

Paul, I’m so glad you like them! I’ve got tons of locos/ diesels/ & rolling stock to go through, so there will be lots more in the future. 

Wow....... a very kind gift to us for sharing your talents and know how. It gives us the courage to try and clean, repair and tune our own equipment. A very sincere “thank you” is all I can offer you.

David

Howdy Train Folk! 
Here’s a helpful little tip to make your layout a bit more interactive. 
Y’all enjoy... 

Happy Railroading! 

Suggestion:  When you add new video, edit the thread's title with the date of the update/new video.

https://ogrforum.com/...3#138963676826204573

Carl, the “date” is already on the topic reply... 

Doing as you suggest would make it appear as I’d shared all on this thread that same day/ date. 
Thanks for your input though, Sir! 

Another one ready for The Rails... 

(check video description for more details)

Though I am not an active PW guy... I was at one time until eventually my roots in HO won out.

Having said that, I note that there's just something relaxing and appealing about PW to me. Not for sure why, but I think it's because I like the heft, their simplistic and solidly-built nature, their smells (both sitting and running), their sounds they produce... and likely all of this is enhanced by their history and legacy.

I will say that it was great using actual screw drivers and tools to work on them! (You ought to see the tiny tools, drills, files, and such, I used to work in HO!)

So, I think a personal appreciation of PW is likely going to be with me the rest of my life, for its been with me for a long time. Perhaps "one of these days" I'll have another PW set... but I honestly don't know where I would put it! In a perfect world, I would have several buildings, each filled with a layout that caters to a specific interest!

Andre

Flint Rock Valley posted:

https://ogrforum.com/...3#138963676826204573

Carl, the “date” is already on the topic reply... 

Doing as you suggest would make it appear as I’d shared all on this thread that same day/ date. 
Thanks for your input though, Sir! 

You missed the point, FRV.  By editing the thread's title to include the date of the newly added material, you alert readers, like me, that you have added new material.  Without the edited title, your thread may have appeared because someone replied to it and not because YOU added something new.

Do as you like, but no one is going to think that by adding a date for the update that your thread is only one day old, especially is you add something like:  "(Updated 3/21/2020)".

You seem to be a fairly good job on your repairs. I do dis-agree with one thing you did with the switcher. Instead of using that goop that you used to repair the wire with the bad insulation it would make a much more professional job if you had just replaced the wire with a new piece of super flex wire. If the wire insulation cracked it was probably getting brittle and will only get worse. I don't know anything about the product you used but have done work on engines that used some form of liquid tape that never really hardened and left quite a mess to be cleaned for proper repair. Not trying to be critical of your work. Just giving you my point of view on that particular part of it. Have fun with what you are doing. Thank you for your post. There are many here that will benefit from them.

Forest

Pingman posted:

Flint Rock Valley posted:

https://ogrforum.com/...3#138963676826204573

Carl, the “date” is already on the topic reply... 

Doing as you suggest would make it appear as I’d shared all on this thread that same day/ date. 
Thanks for your input though, Sir! 

You missed the point, FRV.  By editing the thread's title to include the date of the newly added material, you alert readers, like me, that you have added new material.  Without the edited title, your thread may have appeared because someone replied to it and not because YOU added something new.

Do as you like, but no one is going to think that by adding a date for the update that your thread is only one day old, especially is you add something like:  "(Updated 3/21/2020)".

Hi Carl! 
Yeah, I truly didn’t understand the meaning behind it. If by doing so helps alert readers, such as yourself, & others that might be interested in said topic/s... then I shall give it a try, Sir. 

Forest posted:

You seem to be a fairly good job on your repairs. I do dis-agree with one thing you did with the switcher. Instead of using that goop that you used to repair the wire with the bad insulation it would make a much more professional job if you had just replaced the wire with a new piece of super flex wire. If the wire insulation cracked it was probably getting brittle and will only get worse. I don't know anything about the product you used but have done work on engines that used some form of liquid tape that never really hardened and left quite a mess to be cleaned for proper repair. Not trying to be critical of your work. Just giving you my point of view on that particular part of it. Have fun with what you are doing. Thank you for your post. There are many here that will benefit from them.

Forest

Forest, if that’s all that concerns you w/ the rebuild, then I’m confident I did a great job! Btw, the wire you’re referring to was in no way crusty or damaged, other than that one tiny little spot. 
I do thank you for your input. 

Hello, FRV...

Seriously... PLEASE start editing the thread title with " UPDATE ( insert relevant date here), whenever you add content to the thread. You have the ability to edit the title easily and it will alert us to new additional  content to those of us that run postwar Lionel. Otherwise it just becomes another " quirky poster" irritation, and I know you don't intend that. Hope you'll consider this. Your posts have alot of merit and information.

Thanks for considering this,

John

Finally replaced the halfway worn through roller on this little guy. Had some new brushes & springs to install too. It’s running as good as new. 
Had to drag these guys out from the pub when their rig was done being worked on. Now it’s time for them to get their lil butts back on the job... Gonna be a long night for these three!

Flint Rock Valley posted:

Forest posted:

You seem to be a fairly good job on your repairs. I do dis-agree with one thing you did with the switcher. Instead of using that goop that you used to repair the wire with the bad insulation it would make a much more professional job if you had just replaced the wire with a new piece of super flex wire. If the wire insulation cracked it was probably getting brittle and will only get worse. I don't know anything about the product you used but have done work on engines that used some form of liquid tape that never really hardened and left quite a mess to be cleaned for proper repair. Not trying to be critical of your work. Just giving you my point of view on that particular part of it. Have fun with what you are doing. Thank you for your post. There are many here that will benefit from them.

Forest

Forest, if that’s all that concerns you w/ the rebuild, then I’m confident I did a great job! Btw, the wire you’re referring to was in no way crusty or damaged, other than that one tiny little spot. 
I do thank you for your input. 

Your doing a great Job. Keep up the good work.

Forest

Flint Rock Valley posted:

Finally replaced the halfway worn through roller on this little guy. Had some new brushes & springs to install too. It’s running as good as new. 
Had to drag these guys out from the pub when their rig was done being worked on. Now it’s time for them to get their lil butts back on the job... Gonna be a long night for these three!

They must have been in the pub too long. They seem confused.

FRV, you da man!

John

John Meyncke posted:

Hello, FRV...

Seriously... PLEASE start editing the thread title with " UPDATE ( insert relevant date here), whenever you add content to the thread. You have the ability to edit the title easily and it will alert us to new additional  content to those of us that run postwar Lionel. Otherwise it just becomes another " quirky poster" irritation, and I know you don't intend that. Hope you'll consider this. Your posts have alot of merit and information.

Thanks for considering this,

John

 

Thank You for your interest John! Appreciate both You & Carl taking the time & effort to help w/ my post/s. Please let me know if I did it correctly. 
Thanks Guys! 

Eli, Thank You for editing the thread's title with the date of the update.

Today’s view from the Service Yard of FRV.
The second of the two 2023 Diesel Powered Alco A Units is now ready for reassembly.

I’ve also included a clip of the first set up & running... Hope Y’all enjoy! 

Had one small repair to make.

 I saw this prior to disassembly, but waited to fix it till afterwards. Luckily I had a stash of brand new drums on hand.
This 2023 should be good for another 70+ years of Fun...

Howdy Folks! No repairs in this clip, but thought y’all’d enjoy seeing the fruits of my labor... 

Not having a spare e-Unit drum on hand years ago, I replaced the broken stub by drilling a pilot hole where the the stub was and installed a small wood screw with smooth shaft near the screw head.  This fix did not require removing the drum from the e-Unit and is better than the original.

Charlie

You too can have Bulletproof Lionel O22 Switches... 

Do You want your Lionel O22’s to Switch w/ Precision Accuracy each & every single time you flick the toggle? I know I do...

Start by taking them apart & thoroughly clean all the parts & body w/ your choice of cleaning agent (these were done w/ mineral spirits).
Scrub your contact points w/ a scotchbrite pad & rinse clean.
If you’re in a hurry, you can use an air compressor to air blow dry until all wetness is gone from every surface.
Very sparingly oil pivot & sliding points.
Use a toothpick to apply a very tiny dab of white lithium grease to the inner edge of gear teeth.
Apply a tiny drop of oil on the underside of the frog pivot, above & below the plate.
Following these simple steps will help your switches to work w/ the precision they’re meant to, for many years to come.

On O22 switches, adding to the repair information.

A problem that I've seen with many of these switches is a malfunction of the non-derailing feature on the curved route.  The cause is an short or open circuit on the insulated piece of curved rail.  The symptom of a short is a switch that insists on jumping back to the diverging route when you throw it to straight, with a chatter if you hold the control lever.  If the non-derailing doesn't work on the curve, it's an open circuit at the same spot.

Here's how to fix either condition.

Take the bottom plate off by removing the there screws marked with a white tab in the first photo.  On later models there will be slotted round head screws.  Removing them takes socket wrench or a very tight frip with the right kind of pliers.

The next photo shows the connections on the bottom.  Note the arrow on the left pointing to the non-derailing curved section.  The double arrows on the right shows the two pins that connect the detector rail sections to the motor.  Those touch the four contacts that FRV recommends polishing.

The problem is with that blob of solder that connects to the non-derailing track section.  Looking at the photos, you can see how close together are the clips that hold the two curved track sections to the base.  If the solder touches that other contact, the motor coil throwing the switch to the curved route will be constantly energized and it will return automatically when you use the controller to switch it to the straight route.  You can break the connection with a soldering iron.  I use insulating tape to ensure the problem won't recur.  Then you need to re-solder the connection while using insulation to make sure you don't cause the shorting condition - difficult but can be done.

The shorting condition will also occur if that solder blob contacts the base plate - the main reason for that insulating card.

Further comment on O22 switches.  I have never used oil in a switch motor.  I find that a shot of WD-40 along anything that slides of rotates always makes the switch throw easily.

Eli, you do a great job cleaning those up with mineral spirits. I went through a number of 022s not too long ago and most of them (5/8) had a broken solder joint going to the curved control rail. Have you seen the same?

mlaughlinnyc, thanks for your additions. I didn’t see them when adding my last post. Precisely the problem I was having. 

Howdy Fellow Train Folk!
FRV is still alive. Took some time off here & there from the train room, but trying to make an effort on getting back in there & continuing progress on things. I’ve been sharing a few things on my fb page but wanted to stay connected w/ All of Y’all here as well.  
Recently came across these earlier Postwar Lionel 151 Semaphores. For those that are familiar w/ my layout, you’ll know that I use zero accessory contacts/ trackside controllers to operate said items. They take up too much space, are finicky, & plainly just get in my way that I don’t have much of. In the following clip I describe how to wire these up to operate independently of track power, yet still fully functional when your train passes by. I wanted to make this clip showing how to hard wire it, but due to the fact I’ve not found proper permanent placement yet this will suffice. Please pardon the alligator clips, just pretend that it’s hard wired for the interim. I’ve also attached a hand drawn wiring diagram, to help those of you figure this out for yourselves. If anyone has any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask, as I’m always glad to help out - however I’m able.
Looking forward to sharing lots more w/ everyone here in the future. Hope Y’all are doing wonderful & enjoying your summer!
Thanks for watching,      
Eli @ FRV

Interesting lesson Eli. One that I never saw before

Thanks