There is a man that lives in my Grandfather’s trailer park that I have become good friends with. He is a two railer, but has no track. A while back he started getting three rail too and now he wants to give it to me when he starts to build his 2 rail layout. One peice in hi lage colloection is a Lionel Torpedo with Lionel Lines on the tender. When we had our first train running day, we tried to run the locomotive and it wouldn’t run. I don’t know for sure whats wrong with it, but he really wants it fixed. That is one of his favourite 3 rail peices and wants it to run when he gives his three rail stuff to me. Tell me everything repairing a torpeado.
Before you attempt an elaborate repair, try one simple thing. On the top of the of the engine, there should be a silver lever in a slot. This lever should be moved to one side or the other, and not in the middle. With power on the track, move the lever around, and see if you find a position where you hear a click followed by a buzz, or the engine moving. If you get the click and buzz, turn the power off completely, wait a few seconds, and power it back up. It should now move forward. The engine will cycle to a new setting every time the power is interupted and the re-applied in the sequence of forward-neutral-reverse-neutral-forward.
If you can’t get a buzz at all, refer to the diagrams that Bob posted above for further assistance on tracking down the problem.
I currently have a Torpedo in my collection that I purchased for $20.00 at a show.After replacing the third rail pickups,side rods,reverse unit drum,&marker lights I now have a very well running locomotive.Now to do something about the paint.Any good source for gunmetal gray paint?
I isn’t the prewar 2-4-2 locomotive we are talking about. It is the modern remake with a 4-6-2 wheel arangement that has Lionel Lines on the tender. I don’t remember the paint scheme, but I plan to find another one and paint the other one a rich sky blue as it is not a collectable. I called him the other day and turns out, it runs, but, it is the sound that dosen’t work. Can ya’ll Still help me.
This engine probably has Lionel’s “Sound of Steam” sound system, which didn’t work too well even when it was new.
Your best bet for replacement is probably the TrueBlastII Whistle from Train America Studios( www.tastudios.com ) for $30 or $35(I forget how much). It’s a very high quality digital whistle and bell that hooks up in the tender with two wires. You should just have to pull out the original board and speaker, and mount the new board and speaker, and wire nut the remaining two wires to the already existing wires going to the track.