# Rewire a 2046w whistle tender



## jpaul155 (Nov 28, 2011)

I am working on cleaning up some postwar Lionel items and I need to re-wire a 2046w tender to replace the cracked/brittle wire. What size wire should be used for this ? Any other advice for someone doing this for the first time, seems pretty straightforward, but thought I would ask.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

You can use #22 wire, it's plenty for this job. I'd use the "super-flex" wire for the wiring to the trucks so they won't break off so soon.


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## jpaul155 (Nov 28, 2011)

Sounds good, thanks for the quick response also.


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Here's a thread on my rebuild of a Lionel tinplate whistle tender ... not exactly yours, but perhaps there's something in the thread that may help ...

http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?t=7595

TJ


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## jpaul155 (Nov 28, 2011)

Running much better with the new wire. I have one more beginner question though. When I activate the whistle I am getting some spark where the brushes contact the face of the armature, is this normal ? Or did I not clean the face well enough ?


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

If you've cleaned the face, it's fine. You'll see a little sparking, and you can put a 1uf 50V bi-polar cap from each brush to frame ground to minimize the sparking if it bothers you.


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