@ZWPOWER13 posted:John,
Awesome work on my engine!!! Cant wait to get it!! It was from 1991-1992 :-)
Mark, I guess when I looked it up, I got the wrong thing. I rechecked and you're right, 1992. I should have couplers that I think will fit soon, then I can send it along.
Hi, Alex, glad to see you posting repairs again, always very interesting you can repair anything perfectly!
Alan
Got another recent purchase serviced and on the layout. It's a MTH Reading SW-1 w/ PS2. I replaced the green battery with one of GRJ's BCR2's, and did a full lube. Also added my label.
Any best methods for greasing the gears out there? I use white lithium grease that I apply with a toothpick. I've seen the syringes, are they worth it?
Bob
I'm not an expert, but I too use a toothpick to apply grease.
I bought a pack of cheap syringes with the curved tips. I think they work great and will apply the white lithium right where you want it - no mess. I would have the grease from the tooth pick all over. Don't know why - it just happens. I store the grease in the syringes, I have not seen any leaking in 2 years. So I am a fan of reducing the mess.
@ScoutingDad posted:I bought a pack of cheap syringes with the curved tips. I think they work great and will apply the white lithium right where you want it - no mess. I would have the grease from the tooth pick all over. Don't know why - it just happens. I store the grease in the syringes, I have not seen any leaking in 2 years. So I am a fan of reducing the mess.
Yea- my fat fingers tend to wander and I wind up with a mess to clean up. I will give the syringes a shot......🤣🤣
Thanks Jeff.
I've been using these for years for grease. The hardest part is getting my Red-N-Tacky into the tube. 
Do the syringes have a cap at the end to prevent leakage or is releasing the pressure by pulling back on the plunger enough to keep it from leaking ?
I just pull back slightly and set them in with the tip up. They've never leaked that way, no cap.
You can buy Red-N-Tacky in small cartridges that fit in a small grease gun. These are available from auto parts stores and eBay. Just snaps on your standard grease gun. Was designed to grease ball joints and tie rods that on most new vehicles no longer have fittings by sliding up under the rubber boot. Seems to work well either going directly on the gears or up through gear box on steamers.
Bob, I greased a fleet of vehicles for years. Always seemed to make a mess no matter how I tried not to. Usually the same thing happened with trains. Especially trying to get the grease in the dispenser. The above method seemed to work and I can remove the syringe and grease my snowblower.
@RSJB18 posted:Yea- my fat fingers tend to wander and I wind up with a mess to clean up. I will give the syringes a shot......🤣🤣
Thanks Jeff.
See Gunrunner's post. Those are the syringes I also use. As he says pull back on the plunger and no leaks. As It turns out I never thought I would use more than one until I misplaced one, filled another and found the original a few weeks later. OH my,,, good thing they do not leak.
Got a prewar gateman from my neighbor. Unfortunately he painted the roof and ground navy blue with what had to have been a mop. I stripped it and went with a more modern paint scheme. Also had to fix the door mechanism. Unfortunately I didn’t take a before pic.
Very nice. Works great.
Regarding syringes; I use a turkey marinade injector (from the grilling section at Walmart) and found that a basketball inflation needle threaded on perfectly; just wrapped the needle in a little tape (shrink tube would look better) to block the 2 small holes on the needle stem.
This pair of Centipedes just left the workbench for a final test run. These were PS/1 engines, they got upgraded to TMCC. I removed the oddball drawbar between the two units and installed electrocouplers. Since there are full powered units with command and sound, they can run independently or together. The smoke took some special handling, I couldn't power both smoke uints from the smoke output of the R4LC. I added a relay to switch the smoke, and then I added a HI/LO smoke volume switch because at full smoke, they're really frog chokers!
These are certainly large engines, each one is two feet long!
Thanks for the input on grease applicators. I think the small syringe is my best option.
@gunrunnerjohn WOW! 😃😃
Love to see a video with both smokers on high.
Bob
@RSJB18 posted:@gunrunnerjohn WOW! 😃😃
Love to see a video with both smokers on high.
I ran them on high for about 15 seconds and realized I had to put a smoke volume control on the suckers! 
I added the conductor announcement to my PE set.
Hello all,
Don't know if anyone has tried this before ,wanted to give it a try and it seemed to have worked out okay. Gave it a long test this afternoon and so far it's holding up well. As we know the journals have zinc rot issues (TMCC model only) and the parts are no longer available from Lionel, So i decided to see if the passenger car journals would work.
I ordered a passenger car truck took it apart and started matching it up to the power truck journal, it's not to far off . A few minor adjustments some light filing and moving a few things around , made it work pretty good. The original journals were completely busted, so this was worth trying or the engine would have been a shelf queen.
See videos and pictures , I'll be happy to answer any questions. Videos and pictures to follow shortly.
Thanks for looking , Alex
@Alex M posted:Hello all,
Don't know if anyone has tried this before ,wanted to give it a try and it seemed to have worked out okay. Gave it a long test this afternoon and so far it's holding up well. As we know the journals have zinc rot issues (TMCC model only) and the parts are no longer available from Lionel, So i decided to see if the passenger car journals would work.
I ordered a passenger car truck took it apart and started matching it up to the power truck journal, it's not to far off . A few minor adjustments some light filing and moving a few things around , made it work pretty good. The original journals were completely busted, so this was worth trying or the engine would have been a shelf queen.
See videos and pictures , I'll be happy to answer any questions. Videos and pictures to follow shortly.
Thanks for looking , Alex
Holy cow!!….that’ll breathe a lot of life into dead Acella’s ……..fantastic!!!….our sister will be so proud!!…😉
seriously though, ….fantastic work!!…
Pat
@DrSteveDC posted:Replaced the smoke unit on this Lionel 681. I think I am going to have to install an exhaust fan in my basement, lol.
No No.....................the smoke is relaxing and can be addictive..........LOL
Alex Excellent repair on Acela especially with parts not available! Great Job as usual Alex M
Alan
@Alex M posted:
Don't have the problem with zinc rot on my MTH items , but I really enjoyed your videos and photos Alex. 
Imagination , creativity and excellent craftmanship.........kudoos sir. 
Alex, that is some great ingenuity to identify other parts that can be used to get that Acela back running again!
Thank you all for the kind comments and input.
So far it's holding up and running well
Thanks, Alex
@gunrunnerjohn posted:I've been using these for years for grease. The hardest part is getting my Red-N-Tacky into the tube.
Red- N -Tacky over lithium John ?
I've seen where you use it mostly and I've read so many different articles with kudos for the white lithium..........is there better performance properties with the RNT ?
@Dallas Joseph posted:Red- N -Tacky over lithium John ?
I've seen where you use it mostly and I've read so many different articles with kudos for the white lithium..........is there better performance properties with the RNT ?
I've been using it for years and I've never had a problem, so I see no reason to change. After all, the big tube of Red-N-Tacky is a lifetime supply, so I plan on using it.
@gunrunnerjohn posted:I've been using it for years and I've never had a problem, so I see no reason to change. After all, the big tube of Red-N-Tacky is a lifetime supply, so I plan on using it.
There was an OGRF flurry, several years ago, stating that R-N-T had corrosive properties. I quit using it on the basis of that information. It seemed like great stuff. What say ye?
@SIRT posted:Subject: New set up!Moved in and set up in record time. Ready to rock n roll!Had to scrap the 2 yard sections and lead in modules. Will add the two SIRT viaduct sections in the 3rd BR with the new layout. Track alignments between the curve modules will be done soon on the main, now garage layout.What a journey!
The new set up looks great Steve.
Bob
@SIRT posted:Subject: New set up!Moved in and set up in record time. Ready to rock n roll!Had to scrap the 2 yard sections and lead in modules. Will add the two SIRT viaduct sections in the 3rd BR with the new layout. Track alignments between the curve modules will be done soon on the main, now garage layout.What a journey!
Great progress! Modules are certainly the way to go. God bless ya!
Looking forward to more great photos from New Dorp, Grasmere, De Jonges and St. George!
@Rapid Transit Holmes posted:There was an OGRF flurry, several years ago, stating that R-N-T had corrosive properties. I quit using it on the basis of that information. It seemed like great stuff. What say ye?
Never had a problem, so I haven't been scared off. 
@SIRT posted:Subject: New set up!Moved in and set up in record time.Wow Steve.What a neat organized looking area .
@Rapid Transit Holmes posted:There was an OGRF flurry, several years ago, stating that R-N-T had corrosive properties. I quit using it on the basis of that information. It seemed like great stuff. What say ye?
I have a Lucas rep that stops by here at my shop on a bi-monthly basis, although I’m not a fan of red-n-gummy, it certainly does not have any corrosive properties,……We tried the product out for a little while, but found we really didn’t have a use for it. That’s not a basis for the never ending grease & oil argument, if you like it, use it, me personally, I just think it’s too heavy a product. In the colder months, we had a **** of a time getting it to go through a gun, …..but that’s my personal preference, again, if y’all like it, have at it….
Pat
@harmonyards posted:I have a Lucas rep that stops by here at my shop on a bi-monthly basis, although I’m not a fan of red-n-gummy, it certainly does not have any corrosive properties,……We tried the product out for a little while, but found we really didn’t have a use for it. That’s not a basis for the never ending grease & oil argument, if you like it, use it, me personally, I just think it’s too heavy a product. In the colder months, we had a **** of a time getting it to go through a gun, …..but that’s my personal preference, again, if y’all like it, have at it….
Pat
Pat,
What do you use?
@coach joe posted:
Steve, similar but not the same!
Go Joe 
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