Your best Overhaul (Loco)

SDIV Tim posted:

 I wish I discovered the superchuffer when I did the overhaul.

 

You can still add it.

my best (and currently my only) was my Hogwarts set.  I added Err cruise, railsounds, shortened the tender connection, added an electro coupler, and a coal load.  I also modified teh passenger cars and added TMCC control sounds to those as well.

here is a link to my you tube vid of all its features

Electronic wise, I do more cosmetic rebuilds,  I have done a bunch of mundane DCRU installs in dead locos.  One loco I got as a basket case was a Lionel SD-18, it was super cheap and I knew going in it's state.  It was pretty simple but came out well.

Everything was fried and some small parts missing. Installed a WbB board I had on hand and found what I needed in my parts bin. Runs OK for what it is.....and for under $25 total I was happy.

AMCDave posted:

Electronic wise, I do more cosmetic rebuilds,  I have done a bunch of mundane DCRU installs in dead locos.  One loco I got as a basket case was a Lionel SD-18, it was super cheap and I knew going in it's state.  It was pretty simple but came out well.

Everything was fried and some small parts missing. Installed a WbB board I had on hand and found what I needed in my parts bin. Runs OK for what it is.....and for under $25 total I was happy.

 

AMCDave, what is the item # of that sd18? I saw a can motor and was intrigued.

I have NO info on this engine. It came as pictured in the first shot. No box or anything. I like the looks of it and why  I bought it. thx

That C&O diesel is an SD28 made by Lionel Trains Inc. in 1994. It's item number was 18834, and headed the 11743 traditional line freight set.

As for me, I'm really happy with the upgrades I did to my prized Lionel Southern 4501 Mikado from 1992:

• Installed ERR Cruise for TMCC/Legacy operation
• Replaced RailSounds 1.0 with RailSounds 5.0
• Installed John's Super Chuffer and Chuff Generator
• Installed tender electrocoupler
• Replaced the piston smoke unit with an MTH fan smoke unit
• Replaced the red classification lights with amber ones
• Installed all new LED's for headlight, backup light, and firebox
• Painted the locomotive's wheel walls and pilot edges white

My Weaver Brass FEF-3 #8444.  Cruise Commander, Railsounds 5, and Super Chuffer (with a new MTH Smoke Unit).  Painted the wheels black, added cab details (by way of a pic of the prototype), deck plate etc.

Before:

After:

Video:

Probably this 3rd Rail Niagara repair. Virtually all the castings had to be resoldered or replaced because they were missing. Not one of 3rd Rail's better offerings. Another one of their Niagara's had similar though not as severe issues right out of the box. The original TAS SAW board has been replaced with EOB. Reason I have a few and they have the same footprint. Pics are just a sampling of broken pieces.

Result:

Pete

My first big upgrade was my original Lionel Chessie Steam Special 4-8-4 (6-18011).  I did many updates to this including upgrading to a DC Motor (Thanks Frank Timko!), finishing the drive rods, upgrading the smoke (as I did in my UP 4-8-4 above), Cruise Commander with Railsounds, Marker Lights, Number Boards, Engineer and Fireman with homemade seats, added an eagle, Revs 1 and 2 of my Aux Tender, upgraded decals on my Williams 72' heavyweights, etc.

I wrote a document on my upgrade (attached below) and have lots of pictures.

Aux Tender Rev 1:

Aux Tender Rev 2:

Hey this is a timely thread... I am working on a Lionel S1 Duplex 6-4-4-6 that was left in an parts pile... The engine was 99 percent there and works but the tender is a shell of itself, literally.

Well I was able to purchase all the parts minus the wire harnesses, and I am having a rough time trying to figure out how to wire it up.

Any Ideas?

J Daddy posted:

Hey this is a timely thread... I am working on a Lionel S1 Duplex 6-4-4-6 that was left in an parts pile... The engine was 99 percent there and works but the tender is a shell of itself, literally.

Well I was able to purchase all the parts minus the wire harnesses, and I am having a rough time trying to figure out how to wire it up.

Insert actual model number here.   There are wiring diagrams for a lot of TMCC stuff in the Lionel Supplements, but being specific as to exactly what you have would be useful.

I've attached a representative wiring diagram for a tender of the vintage and size of the TMCC S1.

A set of Weaver Pennsy E8's to EOB, with some lighting and cosmetic detail.

Edit/Add.

John-

This is a HUGE help... thanks...

Lionel Model number SKU 6-38024:

Yes, analyzing the diagram the biggest difference I can see is  the attached wire diagram has an integrated  potentiometer in the board and the S1 has this combined with the rail sounds switch in a separate board located on top of the tender... this has a combined connector but cannot tell were this combined connector goes?

Also, the following wire harness connectors I could not find on the parts exploded diagram. how do i order these wire harnesses?

1)  5 prong connector labeled 1 for the rear tender lamp and railsounds switch

2) 4 prong connector labeled 2 for the speakers and battery back up

3) 3 prong connector for IR tether and marker lamps

4) 2 prong connector for electro coupler

5) 2 prong for rear tender back up lamp

6) Eye connectors for truck main power pick-ups...

Can I omit hooking up the rail sound switch to the mysterious location to the back of the mother board, or will the sounds not work?

Thanks for the help

Also to add to the confusion the mother board had a connector attached to it...

Not sure where this connector goes...

Here's the whole document I got that from , it has more examples of that era steam diagrams.  Most seem to have the on-board volume pot.  The one you have they simply soldered wires to the pot location.  Lionel TMCC Representative Locomotive Schematics

Here's a diagram of the motherboard with all the connections annotated.  You can thank Rod Stewart for this one, he did a document with a few of these annotated, very useful.  As for ordering the harnesses, I make my own, so I don't typically face that issue.

You don't need the RS/SS switch, just leave it out and you'll always have full RailSounds.

Beautiful... thanks... with the download I can manage.... I even see where the corresponding IR tether plugs into the locomotive... this was missing too.

I may have this beast running tonight.

So where do you find your spare connectors? and eyelets?

I buy all my connectors for Lionel on Digikey.  The connectors in that are the JST EH Series, and I use the Engineer PA09 Crimp Tool to do the contacts.  The contacts are on the bottom of the page for the connectors, and I bought the crimp tool on Amazon.

GRJ, thank you for your tireless, consistent, efforts, and precise replies,

You regularly go above and beyond.

Timothy, With lots of help from some nice folks, we were able to get one of my prewar steam switchers up and running.  She now runs as well as the day she came out of the Lionel factory. 

https://ogrforum.com/t...rewar-steam-switcher

  Tom 

My MTH Railking PS1 Big Boy.

I bought it new for 375.00 at York about 3 years ago and ran the heck out of it then had it weathered and ran it some more. Then last year my friend converted to PS2 (3 volt).