Lionel Postwar Classic F-3

[T-Man]

Here is an engine 2333, I bought as part of a set from the 80's. Over the years I tried to run it with little success. Overall the engine wasn't in great condition. What impressed me was that I now owned a piece from the 40's. Yeah the nosed was cracked. The frame was corroded from battery leakage. I noticed the rivets holding the motors together were loose. I wasn't about to part it out I wanted it to run, no not restored but my way.
Th e unit is original. The horn is rusted but I have kept the relay. I rebuilt the trucks. Both motors are running but my expectations fell short. In the end I only went with one engine. Two motors were just too loud from working against each other. I am not into large hauls so one was enough. The single ran so much quieter. I guess this is what my collection is all about. How I find it. How I improve it. Lastly, How I enjoy it!:D


http://www.modeltrainforum.com/gallery/files/3/5/2/2333engup.jpg

The trucks and motors were a challenge so look for more on those later.
Bob

[Boston&Maine]

I have always liked the looks the F-3 has, then with the Santa-Fe livery on it, just the absolute best there is... I always wondered how old dual engine Lionel engines ran and how much the motors clashed... Good work getting her back up and running :)

[T-Man]

Both motors were loose. So I removed the long rivets and replaced them with inch and a half screws. I also found aluminum spaces at the hardware store to fit up the brush plate. This stiffened the motors just fine. The second motor had a problem when runnng. The armature would swing for and aft. I later found out the forward thrust bearing was missing. I did manage to remove the rear gear to get at the armature and placed a spacer to correct the problem.This was only after I bought another motor from Ebay . The new motor came from a 2343 and had a different brush plate. It worked fine. So with three motors I did some testing and determined that they were not close to working with each other. Each had a different starting voltage. The noise during trial runs just seemed to verify my results. So I used one. Now I have two spares. After all of this I would have to say that the only way to use two motors is to start brand new. I would not try finding a second motor for a match up.


http://www.modeltrainforum.com/gallery/files/3/5/2/2333mot.jpg

[T-Man]

What your looking at is the bearing and axle used on the F-3. The shaft is for a non powered version because it is not swaged in the center for the brass worm gear.The stock bushing is shown on the bottom.
What normally happenes over time the bushing wears placing more stress on the gear until it strips out. I had this problem in the front and decided to rebuild both trucks.
I did a little studying and found I needed a 3/16 in and 5/16 out bearing. Yes they make them that small. A commercial outfit won't sell them but hobby centers do. They are mostly used in RC cars.Duratrax is the company name.I found online that Tower Hobbies sells them out of Chicago. They specialize in RC Planes.
Last trick was to remove the wheels. A normal wheel puller will break the rim. My solution was to place the truck in a vise and punch the axle out. I used a piece of one inch banding stock three inches long. This material is more brittle than sheet metal. I cut a slot a quarter of an inch form one side and one and a half inches long to fit the axle.The thickness was just enough to get it under the wheel. I used the three inches to span the vise and support the wheel. Punching it out was quick and safe for the wheel. Also the tool can be used for a spacer when pressing both wheels on, and one side goes in faster than the other. The brass gear had to go on first. For some reason the holes were to small to fit the axle. I had to work them with a dremel to fit. Then the bearings went on and the wheels were last. There is a small play in the bearings.They had to be fitted squarely in the truck. I constantly turned the axle to make sure I didn't have any binding. This was just enough to prevent any sticking. Lastly when working on my better truck the bearing was loose inside. I had to use a spot of loctite. It worked fine. The noise level went down a lot just because of the bearings. So I had bought a set of ten bearings, two brass gears, and a wheel replacement for the one I broke,with that, I rebuilt both trucks.






http://www.modeltrainforum.com/gallery/files/3/5/2/2333bearup.jpg

I need to clean my table.:ohwell:

[T-Man]

I guess I am into movie making. Notice how quiet the engine is. I need to work the eunit.:ohwell:

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[igmuska]

Great train, we also have the F-3 2333(A) in near mint condition. The dual motors are extremely loud, and I strongly emphasize loud. Tomorrow I'll post the photos of it, and its brother, the dummy locomotive and their sister.