2023 Rebuild - Am I in the right place?

Classic Toy Trains Forum
1

Hello,

I don’t know if I am in the right place. This site has about different forum sites and registering just to ask a question has already been more than I bargined for. If this isn’t the right place to find this kind of information, and somebody knows where to get the right information, please direct me.

I am rebuilding a pair of Lionel Alco 2023 that I got on Ebay. This isn’t the first repair I’ve made. I am equiped with the Kline manuel as well as a greenburg manuel. Both of these units have been messed around with before I got them on Ebay.
My non powered unit is very unsteady. It just sort of wobbles from side to side on the trucks. The trucks are straight and true with no movement from a bent axle or wheel problem. Upon dissambly I find a grounding spring between the chassie and the rear truck as shown in the manuels. I also find a ground spring between the chassie and the front truck and neither manuel shows one. I cannot tell if this front spring has been ommitted from the diagrams intentionally to show additional information or what.

Installing the ground spring only on the rear truck no leaves the car more stable but it pitches down from rear to front by 1/8". I also wonder if this conical shaped spring is to be installed small side down or large side down? If these springs are to be installed between the chassie and both trucks then how does that work on the bowered unit?

2

What if you had no springs and just put a weighht or something inside the loco. It also depends, if your locomotive is pulling a long freight conist or heavy cars ( I have no idea what loco this is, im only 12, lol) it probably is not the best idea. just saying.

3

There should be a spring on each of the three unpowered trucks. The spring is only slightly conical. (There is another, less stiff spring with a distinctly conical shape meant for steam-locomotive leading and trailing trucks.) My locomotives have the smaller end of the spring fitting tight down around the boss on the top of the truck bolster.

P.S. I’m only 63.

4

Thank you both!

ANd I guess I am in the right place. Mr, Lionelsoni - what you suggest seems correct to me. The one thing I wonder about however will be the powered unit. With a spring installed in the rear, my chassie and train slope downward from the rear to the front by about 1/8". Does yours?

Thanks again for your help

miketrix

5

Mine are level. (Both of my units are powered.) I just measured the travel of the spring on the rear (unpowered) trucks. It doesn’t seem to be more than 1/16 inch.