# 2046W tender question



## TulsaFlyer (Sep 21, 2009)

I have a 2046W tender, can anybody tell me about this tender?
I don't know a whole lot about the O scale stuff and this tender has me intriqued.
Obviously, it does something it has a scoop on the bottom and wires running into the tender.

Any info would be appreciated.


Jody


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## servoguy (Jul 10, 2010)

Jody,
It is a whistle tender. It has a motor driven air whistle inside. It is controlled by a whistle controller on the transformer. The whistle controller puts a little DC on top of the normal AC from the transformer to operate a slow relay inside the tender. The relay, in turn, powers the whistle motor. If the tender has been sitting for a while, the motor may need to be lubed which requires disassembly (removal of the shell).

Any more questions?


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## T-Man (May 16, 2008)

For information value. the tender is classified as streamlined. It was mated with the 2046, 2056,671,675,681,682,726,and 736. The high end for Lionel at the time.


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

I believe that the scoop was modeling a real life tender that picked up water via a trough as the train went down a track.

Here's some general info on Lionel whistles ...

http://pictures.olsenstoy.com/searchcd31.htm?itm=708

And some parts specs for the 2046W tender ...

http://pictures.olsenstoy.com/searchcd31.htm?itm=733

TJ


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## TulsaFlyer (Sep 21, 2009)

Wow! Thanks for the info gang!!

This tender came with the 675 Locomotive I found in the bottom of one of my trade boxes. I don't think either one of them has seen much use.


Jody


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## servoguy (Jul 10, 2010)

Before you run the engine or tender, you need to lube both of them. I recommend 5W-20 motor oil. I have been using motor oil for 50+ years and it doesn't dry out or get gummy. To lube the tender, you must remove the shell and lube the motor bearings. One bearing is on the top of the motor and sometimes has a felt wick. Saturate the wick with oil. The other bearing is not visible. It is on the side of the armature opposite the commutator. You can use a paper clip or toothpick to get a drop or two of oil to this bearing. Oil the wheels and the coupler and the bolsters (the bearing that allows the truck to swivel). Check the wires to verify that the insulation is still good. Otherwise, you need to replace the wires.

The engine needs to be disassembled to be oiled. There is a single screw on top toward the back of the engine and two screws, one on each side, that are on the bottom near the front. Once you get the shell off of the running gear, you will see an oil hole in the motor housing and the worm gear that drives the rear axle. Put several drops of oil into the oil hole and tip the engine front end up to make sure the rear bearing is getting oil. Oil everything that turns or slides. I have seen a lot of damage to engines due to lack of lube. If you have any question about what to oil, Olsen's should have a drawing showing the lube points.


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## TulsaFlyer (Sep 21, 2009)

Thanks a bunch!
I'll definately lube them up before too much run time. I have run them around the track a few times just to see if they work.
Looks like I will be busy doing some maintenance tommorrow night.

I also found a Lionel 1044 transformer. The plug in wire will definately have to be replaced. But it does have the whistle control.:thumbsup:



Jody


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## rrbill (Mar 11, 2012)

TJcruiser is correct about the purpose of the scoop under the steam tender. IIRC, one of the railroads that used this equipment was the Pennsylvania RR. There may have been others back in the days of steam. On busy railroads, it allowed steam locos to pick up water "on the fly", saving a good bit of time, and keeping the merchandise moving.


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## TrainLarry (Jan 15, 2012)

A picture showing a New York Central tender taking water from a track pan can be seen here.

Larry


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Cool pic, Larry! Thanks for sharing.


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## servoguy (Jul 10, 2010)

The NYC had such a tight schedule for their "extra fare" trains that they could not stop for water. NYC and PRR used to compete for the passenger traffic between NYC and Chicago, and they would refund part of the fare to the passengers if they were late.


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Oh ... very interesting. 

In looking at the pic above, and thinking about how a scoop must work, I figured that the train would have to be traveling at some siginficant speed in order for the scoop to be able to scoop/suck up water in sufficient volume. What I didn't figure was your insightful comment above ... that the "need for speed" was dictated by tight/competative passenger service schedules. Very interesting!

Thanks!

TJ


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## servoguy (Jul 10, 2010)

I am sure you can find a good discussion of this on the Internet. The NYC and PRR were keeping schedules between major cities at average speeds around 60 mph or more.

PRR train was the Broadway Limited.

NYC train was the 20th Century Limited.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadway_Limited


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

Tender scoops in detail,

http://jimquest.com/writ/trains/pans/Track_Pans.pdf


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Good historical article, Ed. Did you see the pics in there of the tender overflowing from too much water scooped up? Looks like Niagara Falls!


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