I am repairing a Lionel 1055 “Texas Special” diesel for a friend. This is a simple locomotive with no E-unit that runs forward only, so the wiring is as straightforward as it can get. I cleaned the commutator face and brush wells with TV tuner cleaner, and replaced the brushes with brand new ones. I also removed old grease from the gears and re-greased them, and lubricated the motor shaft and axles. I cleaned the pickup rollers and wheels.
The engine runs fine except that when cold it will not start without a push. It starts fine while still warm from a previous run, but if I let it sit for 15 minutes or more I can’t get it started without a shove. Any thoughts?
I do not have first hand experience with this particular loco, but I have had this problem. 2 things come to mind:
is it possible there is some of the original grease on the motor shaft ? This might call for a complete disassembly, and cleaning.
I have had 2 engines with a poor ground path.On most engines, the path goes from the pick up rollers, through the E-unit, to the motor brushes,back through the E-unit again , through the field coil, and to frame ground.The point where the field coil is grounded to frame may be a questionable mechanical connection. If you take the shell off,and try to start this engine when it is cold, you would see sparking at the ground connection. I mention this because I have had 2 locos where I had to fashion a ground wire to tie the field to the frame.
I agree with Bob, Take a close look at the armature wires. I had one that was like that that had a loose wire conection from commutator face to the armature wire. A drop of solder and all was fine. I think it got better contact when it warmed up so that is why it would run better after a bit.
Thanks, guys. I checked the wiring and it seems to be correct (in series) and solid. After I ran the engine a few times, the problem went away. I’ve now started it cold a number of times with no issues. Perhaps the new brushes just needed a short time to settle in.