Life Support Lionel 520

Gents,

Just out of curiosity, how would a real-life loco like that have been used? Passenger car service? Freight?

... or ...

Fighting aliens? T-Man ... you are always good for a laugh ...

T-Man said:

Click to expand...

I ask this very unkowningly ...

It's not that common to have overhead electric trains on freight service, is it ???

Thanks for the real-life prototype info, guys!

TJ

GooGone, q-tips, pipe cleaners, soft toothbrush. Be gentle, and let the GooGone help degunk. Be extra careful around wire soldered ends.

Lube with 5W-20 or 5W-30 motor oil aftewards ... any spinning, sliding parts.

My two cents ...

TJ

Great looking layout, T ... I especially like the wood truss elevated sections.

Someone you know, or just a YT find?

TJ

Nice info/pics on the electric freighters, SantaFe ... Thanks!

TJ

There's two different ways a Lionel loco would be wired ...

Type 1, if one end of field coil is grounded to frame --
(This is the type of wire circuit shown in the link from T-Man, above.)
Power goes from center rail (transformer hot) to one brush can, through armature, out other brush can to one end of field coil, through coil, then out other end of field coil to frame/ground, and from there to wheels, track, back to transformer.

Type 2, if one brush can is grounded to frame --
Power goes from center rail (transformer hot) to one end of field coil, through coil, out other end of coil to one one brush can, through armature, out other brush can to frame/ground, and from there to wheels, track, back to transformer.

TJ

Perhaps not ... it depends on how hot/fried things got.

Per my post above, determine whether wiring is Type 1 or Type 2 (per what's grounded to the frame). Given that, you can jump-wire motor to run (with the e-unit disconnected or bypassed.) Post a pic, and we'll coach you from there.

TJ