Can “Flyonel” locos run on DC voltage? If not, can they be modified to do so?
All Chicago Flyer, Gilbert Flyer, & Flyer by Lionel with series wound open frame motors can run on DC.
What specifically are you trying to do?
Rob
If you do run the AF engines on DC be sure to use a transformer with more output than an H.O. transformer as all you may get is just a snail’s pace out of the engines. LGB transformer will do if it is DC.
Lee F.
Not sure what the other’s experience is on this but I will relate mine.
All but the ealiest Lionel American Flyer engines have can DC motors. To run them on DC I disconnected the reverse unit from both the motor and the power pickups on the trucks. Then I connected the terminals on the can motor directly to the trucks. Each truck picks up the voltage from one of the rails. I left the reverse unit in place but disconnected. I run these engines from an MRC Teck II Railmaster 2400 with no problems with speed or overloading the power supply. And there are two of thses engines lashed up runing together.
For the earliest of Lionel engines with the open wound AC/DC motors similar to the Gilbert motors, you will have to separate the field windings from the rotor and insert a bridge rectifier. This is a bit more complicated and the rectifier has to be connected correctly for the whole thing to work. You may need a more powerful supply as with my experience doing this with a Gilbert engine. It didn’t run well off the Railmaster 2400.
Bill