Lionel Maintenance Car
- Thread starter Phylowgreen
- Start date
santafewillie
Same Ol' Buzzard
Our Lionel expert Bruette, should be along in a little while. Hopefully he can assist.
Iron Horseman
Well-Known Member
A picture of the bottom of the car would be helpful. There should be some sort of contact for the center rail. Either a slider or a roller. The wire will have to be contacted to that.
Mixed Freight
Well-Known Member
Like the box says, it's HO by Lionel. Which is simply plain old HO scale 2-rail DC, and not 3-rail AC.
I know nothing about Lionel's 2-rail stuff, but best guess is that the wire goes to an electrical pickup on one of the flatcar trucks. The other truck should also have an electrical pickup as well, and between the two electrical pickups, that is how the light bulb gets its electricity to light up. I dunno, there could even be some sort of on/off switch in the system too. But without having more pictures or a physical sample in my hands to look at, hard to say on that point.
I know nothing about Lionel's 2-rail stuff, but best guess is that the wire goes to an electrical pickup on one of the flatcar trucks. The other truck should also have an electrical pickup as well, and between the two electrical pickups, that is how the light bulb gets its electricity to light up. I dunno, there could even be some sort of on/off switch in the system too. But without having more pictures or a physical sample in my hands to look at, hard to say on that point.
Iron Horseman
Well-Known Member
Missed that point. Yes, then what you said. One truck will pick up from one rail and the other from rail 2. I usually assume one truck is grounded to the frame which is used for one wire.
Bruette
Well-Known Member
Thank you for the vote of confidence, Willie, but I'll defer to Paul, Aka Mixed Freight. He has much more hands on experience than I do.
I belive Paul is correct, but I can't be sure.
I know little about Lionel HO and even less about Lionel HO from the 1960s.
The Lionel HO 0880 maintenance car was produced in the early 1960s. I believe this particular car was included when Lionel purchased tooling from John English’s HObbyline and used those models as the basis for its HO products during the 1960s I couldn't find a wiring diagram from either.
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Bruette
Well-Known Member
Now you have a consensus from two reliable experts!
Mixed Freight
Well-Known Member
Lionel? HO scale? Easy to miss - I almost missed it myself.
Expert? Me? Just enough to be dangerous, if the truth is known.
But thanks anyway!
Bruette
Well-Known Member
You sir are humble, I've seen your work and I know more than enough to know when I have seen expert work!Expert? Me? Just enough to be dangerous, if the truth is known.
But thanks anyway!
The "cat is out of the bag now!"
Dub
Lionel 3 Rail
I researched a little further and discovered the trucks are metal with a pair of wheels isolated over a track. The interesting part is that the truck has a pin sticking up through the frame. It is just barely visible on the right side of the picture through the railing.
Here is another picture of the frame.
My guess is the long wire fits on the far pin. Something closer to the spot light must be in contact with the other.
Here is another picture of the frame.
My guess is the long wire fits on the far pin. Something closer to the spot light must be in contact with the other.
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