I bought another postwar 224 the other day. When it arrived it was covered with a almost dry oily film. This is the second Lionel engine I’ve bought sense December that has had this almost dry oily sticky film on it. It’s a mess to get off. After a mineral spirits bath it was better but still had to do it again. As I removed the casting and E-Unit there was all this sticky stuff again. The Lionel 259e was just like this and I had lots of trouble getting the 259 to run. I used my last drum and fingers to repair the E-Unit. Replaced the brushes fighting all this sticky stuff as I went. After The motor was clean and had all new parts I tried it on the test track. It only ran forward???
I ran out of time to play trains so I gave up. But thought about it all day working out what could be wrong plus thinking of all the trouble I had with the 259 running problems. The new day (today) I gave it some tests. Still I could only get it to go forward. Ran out of time again and gave up.
Then after lunch I thought maybe all that sticky stuff had cause the brush holder to be failing on one side. I thought to be sure the current was getting from the arm where you solder the lead from the e-unit to the tube that holds the brush springs I soldered the arm to the tube. As I did that the heat from the solder gun cause allot of black oily sticky stuff two bubble out. Another bath in mineral spirits. Soldered again. Put it back together and it runs good. I still get a few cycles where the e-unit is hanging up but I’ll work that. At least I’m now where I know what to do.
I wish there where still America made E-Unit parts available. All I can find now are made in China and they are crap! I think that’s the problem I’m having now. I’ll bet I can clean and straighten the old fingers and just use a new drum as the old drum is totally shot.
I’m sure the Lionel 259 & 224 where in a flood and someone was putting something on them to keep the rust away, Maybe?
