Manuals

Introduction

For the last half of the last century, the engines which used this armature have been prized more for their collectibility than their operability. Collectors and operators alike have consoled themselves with the thought that: “They never ran very well when they were new.” With a few notable exceptions, most hobby shop repair facilities have promptly tagged them “Unrepairable – No Parts Available – Good for Parts Only”.

It gives me great pleasure to announce the very limited availability of “The Mother of All Toy Train Armatures“. (Or maybe I should say, their Great-Great-Grandmother). With this armature installed, the owner will finally get to see how these engines ran when they were new, and why they were considered the preeminently exciting, high-tech toy of the early 20th century. With this armature installed in your engine, the words “poor runner” and “unrepairable” will be permanently banished from your vocabulary.

About This Armature:

This armature is brand new and guaranteed to meet or exceed original Lionel Specifications. No tricks! The armature is wound exactly like the original. The metal laminations are new; the fiber laminations are new. The shaft is new (not scored, bent or nicked) and has the correct 0.112″ diameter as the original. The windings are new (I use only the highest temperature enamelled wire, not the red, green or pink stuff that burns up if the motor locks up or the wheels are on too tight). Windings are permanently insulated from contacting the laminations (a common cause of armature failure). And, of course, the commutator is new (and meets the shaft concentricity requirements of the original armature). Due to the new condition and the guarantee this part carries, put this one on your “Rare to Non-Existent” list. Here’s a closeup of the armature:

Applications:

While this armature was originally designed in the very early 1900’s, the armature shown here was used in the production of Lionel’s Standard Gauge 4-Bolt “Standard Motors” (samples shown in the picture here) manufactured between 1917 and 1925.  It also fits some 2-Bolt motors made before 1917, but exact dating on these has been elusive.  Some of the later engines in which you will use this armature are the: #5, #51, #6, #,7, #33, #38, #50, #51, #53, #42/#54 (single and dual motors), and a bunch of reproduction 5’s, 6’s & 7’s that have been fitted with a #38-style motor. Some of the engines on this list are not numbered, but are simply stamped NYC&HRRR or Pennsylvania.

To avoid confusion: This armature was used in what Lionel called its “Standard Motor”.  It was not used in Lionel’s Super Motor series – Large Gear or Double Reduction Gear (8, 8E, 10, 10E, 33 (Super motor version) 50, 318, 318E, 380, 380E, 402, 402E, 408, 408E) ,  or Bild-A-Locos (384, 390, 390E, 400, 400E, 385, 385E or 1835).