Just revived a Lionel 313 Bascule Bridge and it works pretty well. Cleaned and lubed motor and gear box. I noticed that one of the brushes sparks constantly when motor is operating. Should I be concerned? Replace brush?
Thanks,
Michael
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Michael, since the 313 dates from the late 40's, I would check the brushes, who knows how old they are. You will always see some sparking between the brush and the commutator, excessive sparking comes from poor contact between the commutator and brushes caused by dirt or damage to either part. A big contributor would be weak brush springs. The brushes and springs are an easy fix. The parts you need are: Brush: 1661-29E; Spring: 224E-101.
Dan,
Thanks for your reply and suggestions. I will probably replace the brush and spring, although both looked OK after I removed and cleaned them as well as the entire motor. I just thought it was odd that only one of them showed sparks. Fairly easy to access, so I'll probably just replace them. And thanks for the part numbers. That makes it a lot easier.
Best,
Michael
