# Project 1 1688E



## Jean Martin (Feb 27, 2015)

My user name is “Jean Martin” but don’t let the name “Jean” fool you…. I’m actually a male.. I hope that this admission does not cause me to get less responses and help. 

My parents have just given me the Lionel trains they had as kids. I intend to get them running by Christmas 2015, and I would like to do the work myself. 

I’m new to the hobby but have some experience in making old broke stuff work. 

I’m not actually sure where to post all this information so I’ll put it here and let the moderator yell/correct me.

Project 001 Prewar Lionel 1688E Torpedo style steam locomotive-
Looks like TJCruisers

-Engine shell gun metal paint in great condition!...
-Missing head light lens
-And what ever the sand dome (part # 250E-35N and safety valve part # 250E-36N I’m not sure they are on the unit but looks great anyway

-The wheels turn freely.

-Field magnet/ armature/ brushes and brush plate assembly all look to be intact and in decent condition. 

-I found that the E Unit drum assembly was missing/ broke. I did find the end caps of the drum floating around inside but the “finger like gear part (that is rotated by the plunger) was lost to the ages. From the history in this forum I was able to locate an Olson toy parts diagram and have found the part number of that assembly to be 259E-1.

-I’m going to look at Train parts suppliers that I also found in this forum to try to get the part….. Any advice on doing that would be helpful… 

-My observation of the insulation on the wiring of the motor assembly leads me to consider either replacing the wiring or at least the insulation… Can anybody suggest methods of doing that? Physically I know to accomplish that task, but from and antique restoration perspective I’m sure that someone has some good advice.


----------



## rkenney (Aug 10, 2013)

Very common French given name, no explanation necessary. You could be named Sue! Welcome aboard.

The first thing we need to teach you is how to post pictures.

If you click on the paperclip above, a window will appear that will allow you to upload pictures. When your done just close the window. As you type your post, click on the paperclip again and select one of your uploads and it will be placed in your post.

That's all there is to it. Now go take some pictures!:smokin:


----------



## Jean Martin (Feb 27, 2015)

SockRayblu! (as oui say in France) I can see no paper cleep


----------



## sjm9911 (Dec 20, 2012)

For parts Jeff at the train tender . Make sure you order for both engine s to save on shipping. The wires eaither need replacing or recovering. You need soldering skills for each. Some people use heat wrap to 're insulate the wires. Me i just replace them. The e unit is a bit harder to repair. They sell parts but they also sell whole units. Its a nice rig.


----------



## rkenney (Aug 10, 2013)

sjm9911 said:


> For parts Jeff at the train tender . Make sure you order for both engine s to save on shipping. The wires eaither need replacing or recovering. You need soldering skills for each. Some people use heat wrap to 're insulate the wires. Me i just replace them. The e unit is a bit harder to repair. They sell parts but they also sell whole units. Its a nice rig.


Jeff Kane at the Train Tender (www.ttender.com)


----------



## rkenney (Aug 10, 2013)

Jean Martin said:


> SockRayblu! (as oui say in France) I can see no paper cleep


The paperclip only appears above the post typing window. (the one you see when you reply or start a thread)


----------



## Jean Martin (Feb 27, 2015)

okay found out how.. I'll post more after work Wednesday..... Yes I can solder... I was just wondering if there was anything that people might consider to ruin the vintage-ness of this old timer when replacing wires... I just want it to run again...but I do want to give it the respect it deserves.


----------



## Jean Martin (Feb 27, 2015)

Thanks Bob, Thanks smj991....I'll check out ttender.... From this forum I found a youtube link that showed how to repair an E unit..... Seems do-able to me.... So I'm going to give it a try....


----------



## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

Welcome to the site Jean.
They should have made the first initial D for your name. 

Hey Jean, go back to the post that you put the pictures in.
Click edit,
Then click advanced edit,
Go back to the paper clip and click on it,
Then click on the insert all, (or if you only have one picture click on the link.)

Your picture will then show up as a picture instead of links in the thread.
It makes it easier for all to take a look.

And you only have 24 or maybe 48 hours to edit. I forget what they made it.

After you upload pictures just go back to the paper clip a second time and click insert all.

Now I will read your thread.


----------



## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

The wires look old, original, but don't really look bad from what I see in the picture.:dunno:
I have seen much worse.

Are they all cracked somewhere?
Just solder the one back on?

Jeff at http://www.ttender.com/ is a good man to deal with for parts.
Use his telephone number if you don't see something, he just might know of a replacement part that will take it's place.
You won't be bothering him, he likes to talk trains.
If you want.


----------



## 3windowc (Dec 31, 2012)

Rebuilding the E Unit or replacing it will solve most of the wiring problems because the wires come on the finger plates. That just leaves the headlight wire to replace and the wire from the pickup. Try to save the pickup wire because it is a real pain to replace. Elsewhere in this section you can find a link to a video on rebuilding the E Unit. If you go that way, order the drum and both finger plates, it is not worth trying to reuse them. Also be sure to get the spreading tool. It is shaped like a T with an offset crossarm. Train Tender has all of it.


----------



## Jean Martin (Feb 27, 2015)

Thanks Big Ed...As far as changing the letter to D goes.... I'll just keep it "J" as long as this site stays a "train" forum and not "Trans" forum..... 

Yeah I spoke with Mr. Jeff Kane today.. He sent me an email with some parts pics... Very helpful.. So the next move is mine to get the part ordered...

As far as the wire goes it just looks ratty to my modern standards.... But then again why fix something that works???... That's another thing... I have to work on getting a transformer to actually run my fleet ... Heck! Just to see if it even works..... 

This is a very responsive forum...Thanks


----------



## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Hi Jean,

Welcome. I've restored a few 1688's. You have a beauty on your hands ... shell and motor both appear in great condition for their age.

I agree with Ed ... the wiring doesn't look too bad, from the photos.

Jeff at the Train Tender is top notch.

We have a two-part E-Unit service video here on the forum. Look on the O section, under one of the Sticky information threads ... it's a great look at how to service all of the finger/drum parts of an e-unit.

Great to have you onboard!

TJ


----------



## Jean Martin (Feb 27, 2015)

Hey TJ,

Yes I've been all over this forum and did find the E Unit thread.... It is what convinced me that I could do it myself..... I have seen a lot of your posts..... very helpful..... I just took the 1688E apart tonight again for the fifth time, I took some pics of the E unit so that I can email them to Mr. Jeff Kane a t TTender...so I can be sure to get the right parts. He said that the 1688E may have been manufactured one of two E unit models.... 

Speaking of my train.......and bearing in mind that I have never seen any of my Lionel prewars actually run...... I have heard that these old time trains had some kind of deal in them that you would shut the power off, then on again and they would be in neutral then another cycle of power they would switch direction...... Or some such thing.... What is all that about?

Thanks for the post.


----------



## sjm9911 (Dec 20, 2012)

Thats your e unit working! The plunger cycles the drum in the e unit applying power to the fingers, it goes forward , neutral, reverse, f, n, r! Just curious do you plan to build a layout or just run the trains now and then? We need to find you a transformer!


----------



## teledoc (Oct 22, 2014)

TJ mentioned he restored a few 1688's....hmmmmmmm Mr. 1688 himself...ROFL. By the way TJ, how big is your fleet of 1688's.


----------



## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Yup, the eunit goes through 8 cycles with a full rotation of its drum: FNRNFNRN.

Doc, I've fiddled with three 1688s, and have another two in pieces on my bench.


----------



## teledoc (Oct 22, 2014)

TJ...I am surprised the count is only 5. It sounded like you had more, but I kind of think you may be on the hunt for the one with forward windows...LOL. With me I became fixated on two engines. The 1615 switcher (I have 5), and the 2020 (5 of those). Of course one of the 2020's is still in need of wheels that need to be pressed back on.


----------



## sjm9911 (Dec 20, 2012)

Teledoc, how are your 1615s going through switches? Do you have the tenders too?
Jean sorry for the slight thread drift!


----------



## Jean Martin (Feb 27, 2015)

All reply's are great thanks to all...... To answer smj9911: My first interest is getting these guys running... There isn't too much more fun than having a big hunk of heavy metal rolling under the power of an electric motor.... So first and foremost I want to get them running on a track... I have some layout ideas.... but I need to take this one step at a time.... Time being my biggest problem...or lack of it. 

.......So I understand that the cycling of power actuates the plunger which changes the current flow direction through the field magnet..... but why the switch? You could just do that by turning on and off the power.... I know I'm missing the point but that's because I need to see theses operate.. then I'll get it. 

Thanks all.


----------



## sjm9911 (Dec 20, 2012)

If you just turned the power on and off with no e unit it would just go in one direction. It also wouldn't be able to idol in neutral. It would just be off. The neutral position comes in handy when using operating cars, like the log dump or something similar. Or blowing your whistle at a stand still to chase cows or people off the tracks!


----------



## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

The switch on top of the loco / e-unit will engage or disengage the e-unit itself. When engaged, the loco will cycle fwd-neutral-reverse-etc. with each track power cycle. However, when the switch is pushed over, and the e-unit is disengaged, the e-unit will stay in the last setting that it had ... which CAN be a neutral (no go) position.

TJ


----------



## 3windowc (Dec 31, 2012)

The E Unit will cycle during any small power interuptions. Some engines do not like turnouts and there is a small power interuption when they go through them. If the E Unit is engaged, it will kick it into nutural. If it is turned off, the engine will continue on. Dirty or damaged track can have small spots also.


----------



## rkenney (Aug 10, 2013)

Not to quibble, but engage makes it sound like it is a 'clutch.'

The lever merely completes the e-unit coil circuit by grounding the coil to the locomotive frame. Remember the frame through the wheels is one side of the electrical connection.

When un-grounded the e-unit simply does not cycle (can't change from whatever position it was left in: forward, neutral, or reverse.)

There, I feel better already!:smokin:


----------



## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Maybe you and I should get ENGAGED, Bob ... then we could quibble just like a pair of long-hitched spouses!


----------



## Jean Martin (Feb 27, 2015)

So my update to this thread is that I received my parts from T Tender.... and last night I replaced the e-unit drum assembly (with the help of the video found on this forum) .... It all went very easy (I did buy the E Unit spreader from T Tender which is very handy) ..... 

The joke about all this is that I need to now buy a transformer..... I started out thinking that I wanted a Lionel CW-80........ I like the classic look to it.....and that it says "Lionel" on it.....but I started looking into to transformers and now am leaning towards a MTH Rail King Z1000.....Any opinions out there????? (ha ha) 

Eventually I would like to get a refurbished transformer from the prewar period.... but at this stage in the hobby for me.... I have enough old stuff to get working and will first prefer to rely on dependable power......


----------



## L0stS0ul (Feb 6, 2015)

I have both. I prefer the z1000 as I am not a huge fan of the slide throttle on the lionel. My 4 year old son likes the Lionel better. Only negative I can think of on the z1000 is that I have not been able to activate the crew speech on one of my lionel trains. A quick press of the whistle is too long to activate the speech.


----------



## sjm9911 (Dec 20, 2012)

What else are you running? New stuff or just pre postwar stuff? I don't have the mth but its probably better then the c.w. 80. I would look at lionel post war transformer too. For a little transformer, they can be had on yh err cheap and work well. You can also pu one with much greater power for a similar price. What are your future needs?


----------



## Jean Martin (Feb 27, 2015)

Wow that didn't take long!!!

Well I have three prewar trains.... That is what I have and that where my interest lies... I'm not interested in the "bells" and sound that newer trains have.... So a simple transformer (with the standard three buttons) is all I need. As far as my future needs go? Only time will tell. I'm trying to keep this hobby (which is new to me) with goals that I can achieve in the near future.... At this point in time The main goal is a Christmas lay lout.......but I want to build it in "MY" area of the basement.... so I can work it all this year as I go........ One train will be fine to start with ...... but after that who knows?...... I got the bug, but am trying to suppress it a bit.


----------



## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Jean, consider a postwar transformer. Here's a great site to see the features of the various models:

http://www.tandem-associates.com/lionel/lioneltransformers.htm

The 1033 has 90 Watts (reasonably beefy), is very reliable, and can be ebay bought fairly cheaply. It controls 1 train.

Other transformers (like the KW) can control two trains (on two track blocks).

Enjoy the fun!

TJ


----------



## Jean Martin (Feb 27, 2015)

Great resource link!!!! Thank you.


----------



## sjm9911 (Dec 20, 2012)

Agreed with Tj, he beat me to it. The 1033 has the whistle and reverse function. The kW is a bit more power, nice to be able to hook up lights and switches to its constant voltage outlets. If unsure the 1033 is cheap and if you expand can be used for lighting or accessories down the line. I did that but then ended up with 2 zw. Lots of lights and fun stuff, yea it gets addicting!


----------



## Jean Martin (Feb 27, 2015)

Jean Martin "Back on track" with some great news!!!! Project 001 1688E is now up and running... Thanks to the help and links I got from this forum…. I had to replace the E unit drum and both the upper and lower finger contact of the E unit..... I finally got myself a transformer.... That is a story unto itself....... I ended up with the Lionel ZW-L!!!!!! So I have much more power than I likely ever need.... (I'm all go and no show) But I was able to purchase this ZW-L used at a very good price...... There was just no guaranty that it worked….but it did…. So I’m rolling!........ Next on my agenda is Project 002 1684 that I have a thread on this forum…. I should be able to get that one rolling with the parts from another train that I bought from a show…. I also want to start loading up on O-27 track… preferably the vintage stuff from the old days (that was made in America)…………. Have any of you ever built a helix track lay out? Has any one ever seen one done in O-27?..... I know that’s not the kind of thing most Model RRers are really into but it interests me so I thought I’d ask….


----------



## T-Man (May 16, 2008)

A tag search on Helix will yield some threads, the best have you tube videos.
I would suggest testing your engine on inclines to get a feel on how it does.


----------



## rrbill (Mar 11, 2012)

If you build a helix from scratch, watch your grade; don't get too ambitious and build it too steep. Even with a reasonable grade, you are going to be limited in how many units you are going to be able to run "up the hill."
Keep the track clean so that you get good conductivity and efficient traction. You'll need it.


----------



## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

That good news about the 1688, Jean. Nice work!


----------



## sjm9911 (Dec 20, 2012)

Good to here Jean! The more powerfull transformer just means you need to get more stuff


----------



## Jean Martin (Feb 27, 2015)

Thanks all... Yeah I'm really excited about this.... and I do want to build up my railroad empire.. The transformer did set me back some so I have to cool off for a bit now... but the Jean Martin railroad WILL rise! and soon it will roll straight through that part of the basement that has all the flower pots! My basement WILLl have a railroad that connects it from coast to coast!!!! Does anyone know where I can hire some cheap Chinese or Irish laborers? 

I'm even thinking of changing my user name to "JMCruiser..... just kidding.


----------



## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Jean Martin said:


> I'm even thinking of changing my user name to "JMCruiser..... just kidding.


  :thumbsup:


----------



## Jean Martin (Feb 27, 2015)

So I have got this project and my 1684 rolling really well now... Last week I repaired all the rolling stock.. mainly just taking the rust off the wheels and putting a spot of oil on the axles. Both my 1688E and 1684 pull these cars great now.... A few moths ago I paid 10 bucks for a bucket full of old O-27 track... So the next thing to do is to clean all that up and see what Ican make of it....

I took some movies of both of my projects running around the track.... I might post them... I just don't like uploading into youtube and becoming part of the google world.... I guess I need to get a gmail account in order to upload....I like to keep a low digital profile... but maybe I'll assimilate....


----------

