Lionel 2353 santa fe F-3 gear problem


ticketicket

New Member
Hello,
I am new here and pretty new to the whole model train thing. I have recently inherited a lionel 2353 Santa Fe F-3 train set from my grandfather. It is in great condition except for the fact that when I put the engine in forward it moves maybe an inch then stops. I took the engine apart to figure out where the problem was and from what I found, the front gears in the front drive truck are binding up and making the wheels impossible to turn. Does anyone out there know how to fix this problem, or know anyone that could fix the problem. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
Hard to say without seeing it.

In general, one of the most common problems I've seen is the old lube. The old lubes harden over time and can cause the gears to lock up.

A cheap and easy place to start is to remove all the old lube and try to run it again. If it works. you have most likely solved the problem.

After cleaning, when I test it, I use a lightweight synthetic oil instead of grease for lubrication. That is optional for the short test.

Be sure to relubricate the gears with appropriate grease before running it for any extended period.

I use synthetic grease; it does not harden.
 
Sounds to me as if the gears are not meshing the way they should. In other words - not lining up properly. Can you swap the trucks, front to back, and see if the problem stays?
 
I have disconnected the trucks from the engine and tried the spin the wheels and it still binds so I would assume if I switched the trucks it would do the same. It seems like the front of the truck and the gear shaft is where the problem is.
 
If you don't see anything obvious, I suggest you take it to an authorized Lionel Service center.

Let us know if you need help finding one.
 
If I could get help finding a place that would be great. Also I was wondering where I could get new gears and bushing for the truck maybe they just need replaced
 
I had a similar problem with a HO Loco, found that one of the wheels wasn't sitting flush with the bearing, and was at an odd angle, so the wheel was getting stuck between the inner bearing and the outer side frame.
 



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