# Lionel 2055 Locomotive Wiring



## unit91 (Dec 26, 2014)

In attached photo you'll see my old reversing unit before I removed it. At the top of the photo and just right of center you'll see two black wires. One has a thick covering and goes to the motor windings at the top of the motor. The other smaller black wire goes somewhere at the bottom of the motor housing. I can't see what it's connected to. It looks to me like this wire was never connected to anything, or else I ripped it off something. Anyone have an idea where the smaller black wire goes? I got the rest of the wires marked but this one sneaked up on me! Thanks.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

unit91 said:


> In attached photo you'll see my old reversing unit before I removed it. At the top of the photo and just right of center you'll see two black wires. One has a thick covering and goes to the motor windings at the top of the motor. The other smaller black wire goes somewhere at the bottom of the motor housing. I can't see what it's connected to. It looks to me like this wire was never connected to anything, or else I ripped it off something. Anyone have an idea where the smaller black wire goes? I got the rest of the wires marked but this one sneaked up on me! Thanks.



Do you have a wire that goes down to the collector (the roller pickup) attached? 

Wire diagram here, http://olsenstoy.com/cd/locos/loc665p1.pdf


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## unit91 (Dec 26, 2014)

Take a look at the attached photo of my smoke unit. In looking at the wiring diagram I'm thinking that small black wire might go the smoke element at the bottom where there's a small metal tab with some red paint on it. What do you think?


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## rkenney (Aug 10, 2013)

That small metal tab with the red paint is the ground side of the smoke element. It is grounded through the metal frame.

You need to follow all the connections from the E-unit. Power is applied here from the collector and distributed (junction point) to the smoke unit, the headlight, and the E-unit contacts. The other side of the E-unit is merely grounded through the lever.










By a process of elimination your post suggests that the wire you broke goes to the collector (center rail pickup) as Ed pointed out.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

unit91 said:


> Take a look at the attached photo of my smoke unit. In looking at the wiring diagram I'm thinking that small black wire might go the smoke element at the bottom where there's a small metal tab with some red paint on it. What do you think?


That is a ground but I don't think it is used as the unit is screwed down acting like a ground.

Do you see the collector wire???? 
It solders to the collectors pickup rollers and then snakes up through the engine frame and solders up there.

Is that hooked up?

The diagram I linked is for the 2055, 1 wire to the light bulb, 1 wire to the smoke unit, and the other goes down to the collector. I see 2 in your first picture how about the third one to the collector?


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## unit91 (Dec 26, 2014)

I used a multimeter to check resistance. One probe to that pesky black wire's bare end, other to both collector rollers. CONTACT! Now in looking at the schematic I'm convinced that that wire goes to the same post on the e-unit that the wires for the headlight and smoke heater wires go to. THANKS TO YOU ALL!:appl:


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## unit91 (Dec 26, 2014)

Well............put loco on track. Moved forward OK, stopped OK, reversing unit worked OK, headlight OK, moved it forward again and everything died. I quit. Will send it to someone who knows what they're doing. Appreciate all your help.


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## TrainLarry (Jan 15, 2012)

If the locomotive is receiving power (headlight on), try cycling the e-unit by hand to get the locomotive to run.

If the loco is not getting power, then the wire to the rollers may have broken again, or could possibly be a bad solder joint.

Don't give up. There is a certain logical path to follow to diagnose problems. Follow it, and you will be rewarded with the satisfaction of repairing your trains. 

You have the schematic for the loco and a voltmeter. Follow the power from the rollers through the e-unit fingers to the motor brushes, field winding and to ground.

Larry


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

unit91 said:


> I used a multimeter to check resistance. One probe to that pesky black wire's bare end, other to both collector rollers. CONTACT! Now in looking at the schematic I'm convinced that that wire goes to the same post on the e-unit that the wires for the headlight and smoke heater wires go to. THANKS TO YOU ALL!:appl:





unit91 said:


> Well............put loco on track. Moved forward OK, stopped OK, reversing unit worked OK, headlight OK, moved it forward again and everything died. I quit. Will send it to someone who knows what they're doing. Appreciate all your help.


Yes don't give up so easy.
I would replace the collector wire with a new one, as I said that is where the wire goes.
One to the headlight and one to the smoke unit and the other to the collector. Sometimes that wire get old and brittle and as it snakes through the frame and motor it could have a break and be shorting out where you can't see it.
When you say "everything died" you mean it did nothing? Or did it make some noise like it was trying to move? The e unit has a plunger sometimes it sticks. All it needs is a good cleaning.
While you had it apart did you oil it all up?
Look in the gears that turn the wheels, sometimes a small piece metal picked up from the track has found it's way up into a gear stopping the train. A simple fix is to just take it out.

See the coil on this e unit? The copper thing, look underneath, in the center that is the plunger that sometimes get stuck. Sometimes it will go up and won't drop down because it is dirty. ( a common problem) All you need to do is clean it up. Did you happen to oil this piece? You should not oil it just clean it up, the oiling might make it stick.
I had one locomotive stop running when the headlight bulb blew out, I forget what locomotive it was but it just died when the bulb died. Live and learn, I never knew that could happen. I can't see paying someone to just replace a light bulb. 









Don't give up so easy, once you learn it gets easier on the next one. Once you know how it gets easier too. 

That above picture came from this thread,
http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?t=15024

Sat under salt water for a couple of weeks then sat in a salt water mud for another 2 weeks.
It lives today.  
Don't give up your 2055 is in much better condition than that one.


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## unit91 (Dec 26, 2014)

Checked loco wiring again and it's OK. I noticed that when I operate the whistle/direction lever that there's a short. Once I get that lever in just the right position the loco runs well. Can I bypass that direction/whistle control somehow and just use the speed control so the train will run? At least the grand kids could see it run. Thanks.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

unit91 said:


> Checked loco wiring again and it's OK. I noticed that when I operate the whistle/direction lever that there's a short. Once I get that lever in just the right position the loco runs well. Can I bypass that direction/whistle control somehow and just use the speed control so the train will run? At least the grand kids could see it run. Thanks.


What transformer are you using?
You can throttle to change direction, I still do.
I can't seem to get used to using the button, maybe yours is not working right?

When you say the whistle/direction lever where is that?

On the train or the transformer?

The lever on the train only works the direction. You set it and leave it alone. You change directions by throttling down on the transformer, then throttle back up (you will be in neutral at the second throttle) then when you throttle again you should be in the opposite direction.

Now some transformers have a button to do this to, the more you throttle up and down the more wear you are putting on the inside of the transformer.

What transformer do you have, lets start there.


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## unit91 (Dec 26, 2014)

Transformer is a 1033. Right hand lever is black and controls speed. Left hand lever is orange and controls whistle in one direction and changing direction in the other direction. I only have the loco on the track right now.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

I never worked a 1033. 
Put the whistle/direction in the middle (or the off position?)
Then,
When I move my handle up, the train will move forward, then I move it back down and up the train won't move it will be in neutral, then when I move it back down and up the third time it will be in reverse. 
I would think yours should do it too?

Maybe your whistle/direction control needs work?
Try what I just said above with the right side controller, while the other (the left handle) is in wherever the off position would be.

Someone who has that transformer "should" jump in with a cure or ideal.

Try that in the mean time and tell me if it works.


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## TrainLarry (Jan 15, 2012)

When you move the left lever of the 1033 transformer to the direction position, it just opens a switch to interrupt power to the track. When you release it, power resumes to the track, cycling the e-unit in a locomotive. There should be no 'shorting' observed when the lever is put into the direction position. The same cycling of the e-unit can be accomplished by simply turning the track power all the way off, and turning it on again. Doing this repeatedly will sequence the e-unit between Forward, Neutral, Reverse, Neutral, etc.

The whistle position of the left lever puts a DC voltage on the track to blow the whistle in the tender. It also adds about 5 volts AC to the track to compensate for voltage loss when the air whistle is blowing, which would slow down the train if not compensated for.

Which position of the left lever do you notice a problem with, the direction or whistle position?

Larry


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## unit91 (Dec 26, 2014)

The direction position seems to be the issue, but it doesn't do it all the time.


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## unit91 (Dec 26, 2014)

Replaced rectifier disc with diode in transformer. All problems solved.


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