Restoring Prewar Lionel Streamliner 1700E

[pjdog350]

I like the prewar Lionel 1700E. When I was a kids in the late 1940's I got my uncle's 1700E that was chrome & red. I enjoy them around the Christmas tree. Some how in all my moves I lost it. I guess it must have been packed in a different box than all my steamers. I enjoy restoring Lionel I find on EBay. I think this forum is not into restoring but everybody is different. I currently have three Streamline 1700e' Most needing allot of attention. I've always put my Lionel stuff in real not water with a cup of tide. Let is sit for a few hours and the original paint will be off when you get the item out of the water. what does not fall off you can brush off with no trouble. The last few steamers I did I had allot of trouble. So I bought a sand blast from harbor freight. This thing is great.

Two days ago I blasted all the paint off a 1700e. This morning I sprayed primer on all three 1700 items. Now to select the paint color. There are so many different sets that Lionel produced. Plus my paint supplier seems to be on vacation sense March of 2020.  This year (2020) has really been nothing but trouble.

Anyway I thought I'd post some video's of the process sense I can't seem to get a picture small enough for this forum.

[pjdog350]

video:

Jack

[pjdog350]

I got paint on all the cars and ordered parts to reassemble the set. E-Unit, slide shoes, rivets to mount the trucks to frames.

[Terry]

checking new video embed function.

Just the url pasted in:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EITL0iYJig&feature=youtu.be

Url inside board tags:

[pjdog350]

Hello Terry. Is there a problem with the Youtube video I posted?

I'm not sure what you mean by 'just the url passed in' ?

[Terry]

I was testing the new video feature I added to the board last night.

From now on when you paste the URL of a video, the board will make it work.

[pjdog350]

Ok. I thought I was messing up your forum.  I’m going nuts waiting on parts to finish the 1700. I have two more coming from eBay. These are sweet runners. And making them in all different colors is very entraining. The 1700 didn’t have an e-unit and was silver only. The other ones I have do have e-units. I tried to wiring an unit but it didn’t work. I have great diagrams but the e-unit I tried is backwards and that cause me trouble. I’ll give my new e-unit I got from Bill Harrison a try in the morning. Maybe I messed up when I put new fingers in my old e-unit.  It’s a. Problem but that’s the fun of doing this. I’ll get it. It’s been a long time sense I rebuilt e-units. My eyes are older and my finger are not so steady anymore. Being old really sucks.

[Terry]

I  hold the e-unit in a pair of channel lock pliers. Then I use the ST-303 tool to line everything up, and squeeze.

Back when I fixed lots of trains, I could replace a drum in about 3 minutes. Now assuming I have the tools out on the desk, maybe 10 minutes to replace a drum.

[pjdog350]

Took me an hour. But again the e-unit I replaced the fingers in is backwards to my diagram? The e-unit is cycling but it does not run. It did run once but that was it?

[pjdog350]

Does anyone out here have a wiring diagram for a 1700E. The bottom brush holder has a screw going through the tab attached to the brush holder and also holds the brush holder assembly to the  motor frame. All the wiring diagrams I find show a wire from the e-unit going to each brush holder. That causes a short. Wiring the brush holder bottom brush to a Screw going into the frame is a dead short. My friend that has a 1700E I gave him in 2011 Has a e-unit and has only one wire going to the top brush holder. I runs fine in both directions.

So I’m at a loss as I can’t find any information to wire the e-unit in my 1700e’s with one wire to the brushes?

[Terry]

Here you go:

 

I posted a bit of e-unit advice in the how to section.

[pjdog350]

Thanks terry. It’s so small even with a magnifying glass I’m have trouble. I can proably work with it. I’m think the other brush holder is saying ground on the diagram. You can email that to me. I think that’s the only one in the world. I’ve been looking for this all day.

[pjdog350]

That’s good. I’ll give it a go in the morning. It’s dumb putting e-units in a 1700E but it just should be there. I’ll lock it out so it’s only going forward.

Thanks again

Jack

[Terry]

To embiggen point your mouse at the picture I posted and click once with the right button.

Then in the upper right corner there is a box with a diagonal line. That will embiggen it even more

[pjdog350]

Great. Thanks again!!!!!!!