Christmas Docksider Smoke

Before I try to pull the shell, what operates the puffer. This one doesn’t seem to be smoking at all. However if you put it in neutral and crank up the juice you will get smoke wafting from the stack, so it appears that the smoker is working and maybe the puffer is not. [:(]
I went to the Lionel site hoping that they would have an illustrated breakdown for any of the 0-6-0’s but alas they don’t. [V]

Doug,

I’ve had to fix a few of these smoke systems. The piston is actuated by a plastic gear with a molded in pin that has a tendency to shear off. The piston rod hooks on the pin.

The piston will sometimes **** in the chamber, when this happens the piston will stop and the gear is driven by the motor. The fix is to grease the bore of the chamber and either replace the gear or fix the damaged one.

I fix the damaged gear by drilling out the broken off pin and pressing in a metal pin. I drill the hole with a small drill and use a slightly larger drill bit for the pin and then grind the pin to the proper height.

*** Teal

Thanks ***.
Next question: Which screws do you have to remove to seperate the shell and the chassis? This is entirely different than the other steamers in the stable.

Doug,

I don’t have an engine in front of me so I’m not exactly sure but it’s not the ones on the truck. If I remember correctly it is two on the back of the cab and two on the bottom up front.

*** Teal

YUZ GIZ are right two on the back side of the cab.
2 in the front.
Had the same problem and I had to take the little plastic gear out and drill a hole in it then use a no 18 brad that I trimmed down and super glued in place. I had no problems since.
laz57

Turns out it wasn’t a sheared pin, the reed valve on the head of the piston was pretty badly curled. I flipped it over and it seems to have flattened out enough to work for now. It puts out smoke now but after the holidays I’ll see about getting a new one. [^]