dc motor

[TimPa]

this is my first post. my 1981 lionel 4-4-0 (james gang 70-1052-250) lomotive dc motor and worm gear have gone bad. i've searched the internet and talkd with lionel several times to no avail to get parts, part numbers, or illustrated parts breakdowns. the 4-4-0 drawings available show the dc motor horizontal, mine is vertical with a worm gear engaging a helical gear on the rear axle. so the questions i am requesting help with is - can i get parts/info for this version, or can i adapt the chassis to a horizontal motor style? short of buying a new locomotive - any suggestions are gratefully accepted.

 

[UP2CSX]

I very much doubt you're going to be able to repair this engine with original parts. The James Gang set was a very limited run and the engine itself wasn't made by Lionel but was outsourced to China, so the motor and gearing is different than most other Lionel engines. You could probably adapt a motor that would fit but I really don't think it's worth the time or money. These engines were not well made so it's common to see them show up at auction with the motor or gears not working. I think I'd just use it for a display piece and put my money into something that is a little better quality.

 

[TimPa]

thanks for the reply jim. that was the news i was afraid to get. for a replacement loco, would any dc 3 rail o gauge work? reason i am asking is i see so many electronic units now. do they work off the same dc transformer?
thanks again.

 

[UP2CSX]

Tim, any three rail AC (Lionel and most other three rail systems use AC, not DC current) should work fine. Again, the transformer should be putting out AC voltage to the tracks. The electronic units you're seeing use DCC, or Digital Command System. Especially in three rail O gauge, very few locomotives come with DCC already installed. Even those that do normally have a sensing circuit that knows when a locomotive is running on analog AC or DCC and will run fine even if you don't have a DCC system.