# `79 Lionel engine smokes?



## flagstaffcharlie (Dec 25, 2010)

Hi,

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays! I'm new to this forum. I just bought my little boy his first train. I opted to buy an older Lionel engine, tender, and caboose. He is pretty excited.

I have a question and I'm hoping somebody can help me: The engine smokes. It has a three-way switch on the top and I'm not sure what each position is supposed to do. I don't have any smoke pellets or oil, and I have a sneaking suspicion I shouldn't run it dry. It looks like it gets pretty hot.

The engine is "Famous American Railroad Series Santa Fe 4-6-4, 6-8900" built in 1979. (I did some research on it and bought it on eBay.) It's an O-scale train and I have newer track with a bed and am using a 75 watt RailKing transformer from M.T.H.. Everything appears to work great! I just wonder about the smoke. 

Hopefully that is enough information. I thank you in advance. I do intend to stick around. My hope is that over the years my boy and I will slowly build the train set and have a whole bunch of fun with it. I'm not into serious collecting, but I like old things and the older trains seem like more fun to me. Any suggestions about books related to Lionel collecting and care would also be appreciated.

All the best,
Chuck
Flagstaff, AZ


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## T-Man (May 16, 2008)

Welcome Chuck!
Just disconnect or remove the smoke unit.

The diagram is here

JUst find you engine in the index. I think page 127 ,3-27 has your engine.
You need the engine number to be sure.


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## flagstaffcharlie (Dec 25, 2010)

Thank you. I took a look at that. I'm not sure which diagram is my engine yet. It's a big pdf. and after my kids give me a break I'll look in more detail. I just wonder if I even need to remove the smoke thing? Seems like you ought to be able shut it off? Maybe? I think one of the switch positions might shut it off... at least it looks like it. One position shuts off the engine. Does anyone know what the function of the switch is? We're tinkering with it a bit at a time. Seems like the smoke still comes out occasionally...

Also I noticed that the tender attaches to the engine via a little cable. I can't figure out what it is supposed to do. It doesn't appear to do anything. This will teach me to buy a 30-year old toy for my boy. (Well, probably not :laugh


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## T-Man (May 16, 2008)

It all goes by cab number. When you wrote 6-8900 I asuumed the cab number is 8900. That is on page136,the tender is 176 and the motor is 418

The 8206 and 8603 are the same. So what is the cab number????
I think the wire is for the sound of steam system.

I wil search for a wire diagram when I know what I am looking for. It may be a smoke unit switch. page 477.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

flagstaffcharlie said:


> Thank you. I took a look at that. I'm not sure which diagram is my engine yet. It's a big pdf. and after my kids give me a break I'll look in more detail. I just wonder if I even need to remove the smoke thing? Seems like you ought to be able shut it off? Maybe? I think one of the switch positions might shut it off... at least it looks like it. One position shuts off the engine. Does anyone know what the function of the switch is? We're tinkering with it a bit at a time. Seems like the smoke still comes out occasionally...
> 
> Also I noticed that the tender attaches to the engine via a little cable. I can't figure out what it is supposed to do. It doesn't appear to do anything. This will teach me to buy a 30-year old toy for my boy. (Well, probably not :laugh


I think the 3 way switch your talking about is the e unit.
read about it?
http://www.thortrains.net/manual2.htm

scroll down to reversing the train paragraph in the link.


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## flagstaffcharlie (Dec 25, 2010)

Thanks guys! I've been away - so busy with the holidays.

Yes. It is engine 8900. And I think that 3-way is the E unit. We've been running the train here and there without problem. I also picked up a couple of books on Lionel Trains at our used bookstore. I'm just going to have to learn more about what I got myself into. Not a big deal.


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