Train99 Forum
Discussion Boards => General Discussion => Topic started by: pjdog350 on September 20, 2021, 04:40:25 AM
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I’ve got some Erie postwar 2032 ALCO’s in the mail to me. These are great little runners. Without steel tube track they have allot of trouble pulling as you get allot of wheel slip. The first ALCO’s I’ve ever had where 2033 UP’s. In order to get them to perform as I wanted I had to get another power unit so I could have two powered trucks working. It turned out great. I was thinking of maybe doing another set of ALCO’s and came across a basket case of Erie parts. I searched the internet for another power unit (I forgot, my track is MTH) so I could pull a 10 to 14 car consist. I think I have all to parts coming to make a double power unit set. This time I’ll use one e-unit to control both powered engines. That way they will always be working together? Saw a video on you tube of a guy that did that and it also worked out well.
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Today the Postman brought me Windows for the Postwar Alco 2032 engines I will be restoring. Also got a rectifier to replace the 1.5 battery. Will not have to worry about battery leakage. Also got a battery bracket to hold the rectifier. I believe I shall be receiving parts every day this week. This should be a fun build.
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It just sounds like you are having too much fun. Enjoy restoring them, and look forward to seeing the video.
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Spent the morning sorting out my pile of Alco parts. Looks like I can make two power units. Not real sure what color to paint the Alco shells. I still have a little time to work out the color. I have the paint. Yellow, Matt Black, Chrome? Before I start assembling I want to be sure all the parts are here. I’m expecting a large parts order from TrainZ. I have special bolts like the 4/40 bolt that holds the motor to the frame and the bolt that holds the battery cover in place. I will be using a rectifier to power the horn rather than a leaky battery.
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You have the ability to bring-back neglected trains to be once again useful. There used to be a lot more of that in train-collecting, rare to find today.
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Been sorting the parts I've been collecting in order to make another double powered Lionel Postwar Alco set. I think I have most the parts I need and even some extras.
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This morning I was able to sand blast the parts that I'm going to use for the Erie Alco 2032 double motored set.
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Can't wait to see these running on your layout.
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This morning I tried to tape the frame and shells for the yellow paint stripping. The frame was a night mare to tape. I gave up on that. The shells with the Matt black paint I had trouble getting the tape to stick. Thought I’d try the Stripping tape. That stayed on but after a while came lose. That tape is like plastic. As a last resort I looked at the other stripping tape I had. It feels like paper. To my surprised it stuck very well. After getting the stripes on I did a Coat of clear to be sure the tape would stay put.
In the morning if all goes well I’ll start putting the motors, e-unit, horn, trucks in place and make a working pair of Erie Alco’s.
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This morning I got the second Erie Alco engine together. Did the wiring from the lead Alco’s e-unit to the slave engine behind. It would run fine backwards engines pulling good. But when I’d try to go forward the lead engine’s motor didn’t want to run. The slave was pushing hard. I thought I had a lead motor problem. I unplugged the slave unit and the lead unit worked fine. Runs great? So there’s a problem with the wiring.
I decided al the messing around was not worth saving the price of a e-unit bracket and another e-unit. So I got online and ordered those items from TrainZ. They are a good supplier and ship fast with quality parts. So as a result of all this is that the Erie’s Alco’s and the Silver UP alco’s will be the same. E-units locked out. The little Alco are allot of fun. Took a pile of parts from a friend and made a couple power units to pull freight.
When I get these done I’m going to make a video and call it Alco Diesel day on the S&B railroad!
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I never have figured out why my wiring failed trying to run both Alco's using the E-unit of the lead Alco? Checked it over & over. Found a video of another guy that did this on youtube and his worked. So the toy train gods are messing with me again. Got on EBay and ordered
the 100-15 E-unit and the bracket. SO now the Alco’s are parked on the bench waiting for parts.
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Stay with it, you will figure it out.
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The trains are good for your health. . .
I was told by the cardiologist to get my heart rate up for at least 20 minutes 3 times a week.
"No problem. I do that most days just trying to run my trains."
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I think I’ll run a single Alco on my MTH Realtrax to see what it will pull. Then add rubber tires to the lead wheels on the power truck to see how much that’s improves it’s pulling power. When I finally get my e-unit and bracket for the second Erie power unit I’ll do rubber tires on him to. Just to see what they will do.
In the above pictures the top Alco has a big block of lead mounted where the speaker would be. That to may help. I tried pulling a ball of lead in where the battery is to be. Didn’t help at all.
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Yes, I knew the lead weight was not factory, but left it there, as I thought it might help in operation.
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I have two engine sets of AA Lionel postwar Alco’s. Silver UP’s & Black Eire’s. I’ve got a Bridge rectifier in one of them to replace the 1.5 volt flashlight battery. Works great. No worries about leaking batteries now. I had two (2) rectifiers but wired one wrong a cooked it. Now I can run only Alco Diesels on my small garage layout as I only have two mainline tracks. I want to make a Video and call it Alco Diesel day. Sense I have MTH Realtrax as my track Magnatraction does not work so I’ve made both AA units powered. I can now pull 10 to 15 postwar cars.
These little Alco’s are fun to work with and cheap to buy. EBay is flooded with them and parts are available. Just about anything you want is available. Seems like almost all of them are battery damaged. Only thing I don’t like about them is the magnets tend to pull the drive wheels in so hard sometimes they drag on the magnets. Makes running a little difficult. Tends to draw allot of amps. I removed the magnets off on power truck and it’s super smooth now. I also put rubber tires on one and it pulls well.
Wonder how many different road names are available in these. I mean only the die cast frame models. I’m not real interested in the stamped steel frame models. Shame Lionel didn’t have rectifiers in place of the 1.5 volt batteries. Would have made for allot more cleaner models would be available. Maybe electronics had not come up with rectifiers in the 1950’s?
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They had selenium disk rectifiers which probaby cost much more than the battery box. That's the big gold disk inside the transformers with whistle controllers.
Are you using the track voltage or dropping it somehow?
I think the best looking alcos are the Erie and Rock Island. Black and Yellow or Black and Red.
They also made 3 versions for UP - Yellow, Silver w/gray roof and all Silver.
The Eire's you can get the decal lettering off and run them as just black demons.
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Terry:
I am using the track voltage. When the new rectifiers get here I was going to do a video of the install process and testing. There’s a capacitor in the circuit and when you turn the power off to the track you can see the red LED keep going for a while. They Bridge rectifier only cost $ 6.99 for two of them and they work very well. As Jim pointed out the 1950’s Lionel Diesel horns really sound stupid but it was the best they could do at the time. Today’s modern diesel horns are awesome!
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Two new Bridge Rectifier's showed up in the mail yesterday. They are very cheap. Only $ 6.99 for two. You only need one per postwar Diesel that you want to install them in. They use track power. Come with two red wires and two black wires. You use the red wire showing the AC in on the board and solder it to the hot side of your E-unit. Solder the DC red wire shown on the board to the Battery bracket. Then the black wire below the red wire shown as AC in solder that to the ground on the frame somewhere. I used the rivet holding the battery bracket plate. That gives you 1.5 dc volts to the battery bracket which the old Lionel electronics will use to the horn. Works great. Shame Lionel didn't have these in the 1950's. Would have saved allot of battery damage to Postwar Diesels.
The black wire that's behind capacitor for this application I cut off.
I saw a video on you tube by dagryffyn hobby that showed this Bridge Rectifier and ordered a couple. Glad I did as they are great. dagryffyn hobby has a video showing his application!
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Working postwar Lionel Erie Alco horn with bridge rectifier video.
https://youtu.be/gcZttzVjzQo