Interesting Locomotive

[Madman]

Browsing Ebay, just now, I came across this locomotive. The description says that it may be G scale. Looking at the photos of the innards, the motors look like Lionel O gauge Pullmor motors. There are center rail pick-up rollers. The description also says that it sits nicely on G gauge track.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Early-PRR-D...560970?hash=item43f3785f0a:g:5b8AAOSwV0RXs1Gu

 

[trammayo]

Browsing Ebay, just now, I came across this locomotive. The description says that it may be G scale. Looking at the photos of the innards, the motors look like Lionel O gauge Pullmor motors. There are center rail pick-up rollers. The description also says that it sits nicely on G gauge track.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Early-PRR-D...560970?hash=item43f3785f0a:g:5b8AAOSwV0RXs1Gu

and it looks to do so too! Weird.

 

[Hutch]

and it looks to do so too! Weird.

I would guess vintage Marklin 1 Gauge 3-rail, AC motors,but the cog belts seem out of context.
Or homebrew for 3-rail 1 gauge track?

 

[Rhinochugger]

I think it's home made - and of a fairly high quality, although dated, as it looks like there's an on-board transformer of some sort.

The question that I have is the bogie side detail which looks as if it's USAT / Aristo territory, thus suggesting a scratch built model that ain't quite an antique

 

[Madman]

I too believe it's home made. The thing mounted on the chassis is an E unit or reversing unit. Lionel developed them way, way back. The motors are definitely AC, as that is how the E unit works.

Most of the O gauge trains made by Lionel had three position E units. Depending on when the power was last cut to the track, an E unit could be in any one of three positions, forward, neutral or reverse. The normal sequence is forward, neutral, reverse, neutral forward, etc. On alot but not all of their O27 gauge trains, a two position E unit was installed. Forward, reverse, forward, reverse, etc. The issue with a two position E unit is that if you want to stop a train at an operating accessory that used track power, you couldn't with a two position E unit. Interestingly, a two position E unit could be converted to a three position unit with some minor wiring alterations.

This is a three position E unit


This photo is the wiring diagram for a two position unit

The E unit consists of a solenoid with a plunger. Rather than try to explain it here are some pictures. First is a three position, second photo is a two position E unit.

 

[Rhinochugger]

Fascinating