Can We Make This 100 Year Old Lionel Locomotive Run Again?

A buddy of mine asked if I could try and get this 1926 Lionel 152 NYC locomotive running again. After opening it I discovered it had numerous electrical issues and broken parts. It ended up taking a long time to find all the shorted areas on the locomotive but bit by bit it slowly started to come back. Despite being nearly 100 years old its mechanical parts are still in pretty good shape.

[@rogerlee3941]

The Lonel 152 was manufactured from 1917-1927. Great job on getting it back up and running!

[@SMTMainline]

I wonder where in that time frame this one was made.

[@zenithcoinsandhobbies]

@@SMTMainline Greenberg makes a great little book for this, if I get it for Christmas I'll see if I can't determine what vintage it is based on the design of the motor, although I suspect it's a later one based on the motor frame design.

[@TexasRailfan21-RailfanRyan]

A spot on restoration on a Lionel template train

[@steffennijhuis4143]

Jacco nouwen 28 12 1968

[@Mart77]

I wonder it must have cost a fortune back then

[@paulbervid1610]

Harrison, look at you. You were able to get a 100 year old train up and running. As always you did a great job.

[@zenithcoinsandhobbies]

A little bit of knowledge that you might not know: the coils are actually made with fabric insulated wire because magnet wire (the ceramic coated stuff in most HO motors) wasn't developed until the late 30s by none other than AC Gilbert, of American Flyer and Erector set fame. The coils look pretty good on that loco, usually they're covered in dust and old grease. The rollers should also be cleaned, probably is one source of the sparking. I have the Standard Gauge version, the 33. Currently I am trying to find parts for it!

[@SMTMainline]

I was wondering if the magnet wire was coated with something different, thanks for letting me know. Also I did clean the rollers off camera.

[@zenithcoinsandhobbies]

@@SMTMainline You're welcome! Also the last two coaches in the set are from an American Flyer or Ives set from a similar vintage, but the first one is original.

[@kleetus92]

Interesting you should mention this because I too have a standard gauge init as well as a couple of cars. The wheels on mine are zinc, or pot metal and are expanding and crumbling apart.... what is out of spec on yours?

[@zenithcoinsandhobbies]

@@kleetus92 The pot metal parts should be replaced when you see cracks in the metal. I've had to replace two sets of wheels on Lionel locos so far, one I just completed yesterday! It was a O gauge prewar 248.

[@kleetus92]

@@zenithcoinsandhobbies no doubt, these are completely shot... these were shot when I was 10... I'm 48 now!

[@magform]

Great job! No E units in that era. The E unit was part of the Ives acquisition about 1931. Someone has replaced the wire as these locos had sleeved and cotton wrapped wire insulation. They get about three feet from the power source and slow down. Adding in additional feeders helps. I once did repairs at a Lionel Service Center, and we would get locos of every vintage, especially around Christmas.

[@SMTMainline]

Thanks for sharing.

[@BaltimoreAndOhioRR]

Wow, neat little antique! Great to see it actually running! 😀😀👍👍

[@antonbruce1241]

Harrison....this video is IMPRESSIVE!!!!! Your skills are off the charts!!!!

[@paulliuzzo1320]

Nice job. I actually have this set, in the original box! It is amazing how well they hold up. I run mine every christmas around the tree, I have never done anything to it other than some oiling and cleaning the wheels. Anyways it's nice to see another set like mine brought back to life, I'm sure your friend is going to be thrilled.

[@SMTMainline]

I wonder if the workers in the Lionel factory knew these models would last this long.

[@zeefantasytrains944]

You are so good at reawakening these old non-running locos. Great job!

[@Its_YourImagination]

Once again the Locomotive Whisperer gets it done...nice job Harrison Im sure your friend was really happy.

[@hopstrr]

Fine job Harrison getting her running again. Keep up the great work saving old locos from the scrap yard.

[@rayshutsa6690]

That is a testament 100 yrs ago they built quality miniature trains. Thank you for a great video. 😀❤❤

[@Suncast45]

That was a great recondition job. Reminded me of the great Lionel set we had when a child in the 40's! Alas, long gone but I can remember it so well . My Father was a Railroader with ICRR now Your CN. The Main Line Of Mid America! Merry Christmas to you and yours! From Kentucky!

[@markshogan2642]

I’ve serviced this type before. Yours was in incredibly great shape! I would however, replace all the wiring in it. Also, the brush springs are available from Lionel, or any Lionel dealer. You may have to modify them slightly, but they’re still using similar ones today. By the way, it is a universal motor, and will run well on DC. You won’t get nearly as much arcing on the commutator and it will run cooler because of that. I ran many vintage Lionel locomotives on DC. With steam engines with a whistle, disconnect the whistle, or check for ways to modify the unit somewhat. Nice job on it.

[@gavindavis6035]

His looks fine, someone's already rewired it. Sadly it's something all too common in the American collecting scene

[@haroldalexis4200]

You did a very good job in repairing that vintage Lionel Electric. First i kept saying it's going to run. I knew it would. Second this is a replica of THE NEW YORK CENTRAL ELECTRIC built around 1917. It has been featured in photos of on Park Avenue & on The New York Central Railroad. The model has a rich history as well as the prototype. Well done. 👍✅🚂🚃🚃🚃🚃

[@lwilton]

Nice job. That loco was repaired previously some time since about the 1970s. That plastic insulated black and green wire didn't exist before then. You could get plastic insulated wire back to the late 1950s, but the insulation looked different. Before that insulation was usually either rubber or fabric covered rubber. The rubber got hard over time and any movement would make it crack. The fabric covered insulation would stay on the wire, but the bare rubber insulation would crack and fall off, leaving a bare wire to short to things. I would guess this originally had rubber and fabric insulated wire, which could have failed and shorted some time in the past. You need to be very careful with that bare enamel-insulated magnet wire. The insulation on the wire is literally just a layer of paint, and it can scrape off easily on a sharp edge of the frame. It can also crack and flake off of old wire just from bending the wire sharply. But if you are careful with it, it will last forever and work just fine.

[@angeloalvarez8828]

That's some detective stuff there man

[@Petemonster62]

SMT - Those wires have plastic insulation; they were replacements for the original fabric-insulated wires. Don't forget to add some grease to the armature gear & oil to the bearing on the other side. This is probably a forward-only locomotive; no sign of a E - unit or a manual reverse switch. You can use your bright boy to shine up the center rail contact rollers. You can also use a brand-new plastic scrub pad on the rollers & the rail heads of your track. Keep in mind the wheel bearings on the passenger cars may need oil too. Like another modeler pointed out, the loco may run on DC too, since it most likely has a series motor.

[@pfkinsey]

We also have Dad's 2-4-2 oil fuel steam locomotive. The NYC runs great and has never been touched, but the steamer needed to be rewired and the two 3rd rail rollers replaced. Cost a good but, but it runs like new. We can now control the speed, where before it was either off or running a full throttle.

[@charlescrawford7039]

The Lionel 152 NYC is roughly based on the New York Central’s S-Motors which ran in and out of Grand Central Terminal. Great restoration job!

[@leverettrailfan5414]

Nice you got it running! I would have replaced the motor brushes and brush springs... but that means buying new brushes and brush springs. Generally speaking you want the springs and brushes to be matching, and there are problems when they don't. But even if it's not "ideal" your fix definitely will last a while longer before it needs them replaced. The solder on the pickups is likely because of an issue a lot of those locomotives have- they use a springy copper strip to press the rollers down to the track, but over time these springs typically work harden and eventually snap. Someone must have used the solder patches in an attempt to repair the break in the spring. Not too bad, considering you don't know a lot about O gauge!

[@brodyhays3599]

I have an old pre-war Lionel like that, the mechanisms they use to switch the direction were super unreliable, it was taken out of the one I have and it runs great

[@randysuffens1200]

I have complete faith in you, that loco is 20 years older than I am but I had no doubt you'd get it running!

[@mdouglaswray]

NICE to see a gentle hand restore an old toy! GOOD JOB.

[@cpcnmodelrailroadingrailfa9339]

Of course you can make it run u can make any locomotive run even a dummy unit nice video by the way

[@DennisSantos]

Those old O-scale tracks crack me up... Funny, when i was a kid i had a D-cell battery powered steam train set that rode on a similar all metal tracks with 3 metal ties per piece but 2 rails only and smaller guage - maybe HO sized - but I didn't know anything about different guages back then,

[@SMTMainline]

Maybe it was S Gauge?

[@dash8brj]

No built in obselescence in this choo choo, stuff was made to last back then. Well done :)

[@faceman8893]

Wow you are awesome at what you do with these old locos I give you a 👍👍👍👍

[@ohiovalleyrailfan]

As an O Gauge repairman, I'd be happy to share a few tips and tricks whiole maintaining Lionel Engines: 1. Always clean the pickup rollers, and the track. The rollers on that engine look like they could use a cleaning. 2. The brushes have a flat-head divit that the spring should rest into. 3. If you're confident that you've wired everything up and still won't get movement from the motor, try flipping the wires that go to the motor. Where the fielding coil wire goes is crucial to the operation of the engine. My oldest Lionel loco is from 1939, and of course Lionel has used basically the same motor tooling for all engines c. 1910-1990. I'd suggest you start to get a small gathering of parts (new brushes, springs, pickup rollers, etc.) for whenever these odd jobs pop up.

[@donaldknapik2706]

I’ve watched a couple of your videos and am impressed with your troubleshooting skills. I would watch other restoration channels to get ideas on techniques you can translate to this work. I restore firearms from the 1880-1930 and watches from the 70’s and it’s always satisfying when you make that repair and the thing comes back to life!

[@warrenvalentino5763]

Wow! this 56 year old Loves your videos! i grew up with Lionel trains. i had 3 full trains. my Dad and i even built a platform to put the train tracks on. we used 6 4feet x 8 feet sheets of plywood for the platform. i even had 3 ho scale trains too. your videos are Awesome! Please keep up the Great work! :)

[@insultmeifyouhategod4167]

That iconic “well folks” never gets old Edit: I copied this please don’t like it

[@cheesewonton7263]

It never does!

[@JOEMAMA_534]

Never

[@Ae86786]

I know right

[@insultmeifyouhategod4167]

Ok I just wanna say: I copied this comment I’m sorry

[@kenhanks9620]

An excellent job! Maybe some new brushes in time but it's got to be a thrill to resurrect a historical piece such as this!

[@elleryparsons5766]

Harrison you Rock Working on Almost Every Engine Serenity!

[@timothyowens4942]

I actually referenced this particular loco from my Lionel Prewar guide book 1900 to 1942 and its a 154 produced from 1917 to 23 with the NYC logo.

[@christophermondone6706]

Great job bringing life back to it

[@GarrettTaylorLeedy]

You finally got a ZW transformer for your O gauge train set awesome and great restoration and bring it back to life that is an iconic train from Lionel back in the day I have an American Flyer one as well from 1920 is 100 years old also

[@SMTMainline]

It's a great controller, puts my old ones to shame in terms of power.

[@GarrettTaylorLeedy]

@@SMTMainline it's great to see you have a better controller now. I haven't heard from you in a long time we need to talk sometime on you know Facebook or Instagram either way and you need to come down to the Mill Creek Central Railroad someday

[@ChristopherBrown-mq1lg]

Great job, you are the man! Really enjoy your videos👍

[@MygrandpasTrain]

Nice work. That's a fine looking train. For its age, it looks really good. The red wheels are neat too!

[@gerardrusso9642]

Just found your channel love it I really like the repair videos

[@smyset1112]

That engine is so old that she might as well belong in a museum

[@mollycaz1]

Great job getting the train back up and running. Was great to see it riding the rails again

[@qwincyq6412]

Well done! Those old units are practically indestructible.

[@theodoreolson8529]

New viewer here. This was a very satisfying video. Thanks for your hard work.

[@steventhomopoulos3926]

What a beautiful train set! Thank you for sharing this video. Happy rails to you Harrison!!

[@SMTMainline]

Thank you!

[@theodoreparfitt8942]

Give Harrison 20 thumbs up on a 100 year old model lionel engine!!.

[@betamaxblocker]

Such a beautiful old model! Even if you hadn't been able to repair it (though we all knew you would LOL), it still would have made a nice display piece for someone's train room.

[@tjimmy71]

Another fun repair!! Fantastic video

[@acrranscaleandlifejourney4330]

Wow great job on that locomotive! Always a pleasure Harrison.

[@paulsmith5398]

Ohhhhhh, my! My dad had one nearly identical to that one, but it had headlights on both ends, was a little longer, and had the "latch" style couplers. It also was a lighter shade of green, i have no idea what happened to it, but i know it was worth some money. His was either the #251 or the #253, dont remember for sure.

[@SMTMainline]

I think the one you're referring to is much more rare than these.

[@paulsmith5398]

@@SMTMainline quite possibly, i think it was from the 1920s or 1930s, and had 2 "mini-pantographs" on the top, as well as 2 headlights, and there was a directional switch in one lower corner. It had either 2 or 3 matching passenger cars that were lighted. He also had a "2-4-2" steam loco, with a 4-wheel tender, a Shell tank car, yellow gondola, and a green flatcar, plus a red and green 4-wheeled caboose. There were 3 4-wheeled passenger cars, that went with the steam loco set, they were a brownish tan color. I dont know what happened to all of it but i know the whole thing was worth some money. Would you happen to know where i could find some drive bands for some ancient Athearn engines? I have 2 F-7s and a GP-9 that run, they just need those bands. And i am also looking for either an AHM or IHC GG-1, the body doesnt matter, but i need a good mechanism/chassis, or just a motor and drive wheels for one. (I am like you, like to fix older/non-working trains!)

[@paulsmith5398]

@@SMTMainline one of the comments mentioned that the older Lionel could run on DC, and that is correct, i have the manual for the Lionel trains my dad had, and there are directions on how to use the old 6-volt dry cell batteries, as a 6-volt car battery would have way too many amps, and fry everything.

[@dtsalek]

@@paulsmith5398 Ebay seller has Athearn bands. A little over six bucks will get you 24 of them

[@paulsmith5398]

@@dtsalek sorry, i dont do ebay......thanks anyway! And have a great holiday season!

[@garyjohnson4608]

Wow ! Fantastic to see this old train up and running again !!!!

[@DJBREIT]

To fix the brush plate use a small washer instead of tape. I think the fiber insulator thickened over time and pushed the brush holders into the frame. To clean up the coil wire, cut the black wire from the coil and bring it out the back. If not enough wire is available unwind it once. There is a small hole on the top side of the coil insulator. You can use this hole to loop the coil wire through. Then resolder the black wire to it. This is so you can keep it away from the wheels and gears. The 152 had a reverse selector lever that stuck out the front of the engine. It seems to be missing. You will need some parts to fix this or keep it running in one direction.

[@robertnielsen2461]

Mr.Cowan knew what he was doing!

[@adam207321]

You know its old when it has field windings :D woah pretty stuff

[@callmebigpapa]

So clean for its age!

[@hoscaleconstuction]

Very impressive, great job!

[@adamsvoboda5483]

thoses are so rare that’s pretty cool

[@wheeling827]

Wow! That's awesome you were able to make a 95-year-old engine run again! Amazing video Harrisson (sorry if I incorrectly spelled your name)

[@SMTMainline]

Thank you!

[@caboosech]

I had a friend that collected a whole bunch of that old Lionel stuff and from 1917 to 1927 was when it was built your friend there has equipment that is 100 years old and they have it in the condition it's in him to take very good care of it

[@andrewferguson5653]

That's amazing, SMT!

[@38911bytefree]

GORGEOUS engine With this build it can put serious miles (for real). My dad had a Lionel set, we still have the engine, all cast iron, he managed to test it 15 years ago and it it run perfect. after decades of being inactive. My father told me that was a prewar model and those tend to be more valuable. This thing is heavy as a big hammer anre really big (in comparison to HO). It is gorgeous in any aspect you can wish from a model train ... but good lock having an O setup if you are not living in a mansion.

[@davidsheriff8989]

That is incredible...

[@johnnycee5179]

Just to think your dad wasn't even a twinkle in his dad's eye yet when that was built. Your officially The Train Master now.

[@SMTMainline]

It would have been built around 15 years before my grandfather was born and still runs to this day.

[@JohnJohnson-cn9fh]

great video harrison,indeed these loco,s were built like tanks,bit crude by todays standards,but they worked and worked well,nice one.jpj

[@frankmarkovcijr5459]

Some of the Prototype electric locomotives used for the model did serve almost 100 years in service

[@joallawestervelt6918]

That is so impressively awesome. So very cool. Great job Harrison. I live it. 💕🎅💕😊💕🤶💕🎄💕

[@justaboringjoha3678]

Cool loco, i really like prewar trains.

[@raysrails2164]

Looks great.nice job

[@shockstrains5077]

dude that loco is awesome

[@djbeatreviews3438]

That’s cool you were able to make it run. I love old Lionel trains. I have a old Lionel train my self.

[@Santafefrank]

Thanks for the video you did great. I have a IVE ENGINE and it did the same thing when I got it from a 90 years old man.Then he gave to me to keep for fixing it Today it runs great. Thanks again.

[@felixfelix9062]

Those wheels sure are beautiful... I wish they still made 'em like that

[@uTube486]

They do...

[@davidstrainsandlego]

This was very unexpected

[@_casey_idk_]

Wow that's cool

[@bigguy1526]

you should also clean the contact rollers on the bottom of the engine,-- all surfaces of the track with a scotchbrite pad lightly to make good contact. I got my pre-war to work great pulling 7 cars

[@scout17051]

Nice job getting such an old engine running again!

[@Stanf954]

Congratulations

[@mr.shadestrains6033]

An oldie but goody Awsum train 🚂❤️👍👍👍👍👍

[@LordS20000]

It's beautiful

[@northyorkshiremusic481]

This model actually appears in a Buster Keaton Comedy called "The Electric House" from 1922

[@marcnissen578]

Fantastic job it runs smoothly for its age

[@MMRails]

First surprise: vintage light bulb discovery. Second surprise: 3 cars for this beast to pull. Awesome.

[@Brianrockrailfan]

great video

[@Weeethunder]

Hello! Nice loco!

[@charlesmiller2351]

that is soo beautiful

[@mattydred72]

Nice job!

[@pfkinsey]

I have the same locomotive, it runs very well. It was my Dad's first train set. Have the cars that go with it.

[@ivapir004]

The locomotive: ah what year is it young boy? Boy: its 2021 Locomotive: hold up

[@ethanspaziani1070]

Crazy how stuff was built so tough back then

[@josephkearney9319]

Nice job!!

[@EvilTurkeySlices]

I have three old prewar Marx o gauge cars. A Caboose, a open top box car, and a Union Pacific tender. No matching locomotive though.

[@littleuikiku]

I think its really cool what youre doing, Im just new to the hobbie and wouldnt dare to put a screwdriver to a train yet. Thumps up for your swedish trains aswell! Here in Sweden getting hold of trains from the US/Canada is quite difficult, would like to get my hands on a couple of classic american steam locos and a union pacific diesel one day. My no 1 dream loco though, would be the Amtrak x995, a test locomotive based on the swedish RC4! Don't know that much about canadian trains, but I'll learn some from your videos no doubt :)

[@w.rustylane5650]

Believe it or not, all that Marx, Lionel AC stuff can be run on DC. I run all my Lionel 027 on DC and they run much better on DC than AC. Just thought you'd like to know. K9POW (I'm a Ham radio operator) - Rusty in eastern Tennessee

[@Suncast45]

I just visited Kingsport, Tn. Friday from Louisville, Ky. Brought home a new Pathfinder from there. Loved seeing the Clinchfield and mountains. My neighbors were K4AIT and K4BDN years ago! In Paducah, Ky

[@michaelhallas6450]

Nice Work

[@charlievink1977]

Can you do a shop tour

[@SMTMainline]

There will probably be another in early January.

[@RichardEKranz]

Excellent job!

[@stoystownpa]

That’s a cute locomotive

[@richardcorcorran8965]

That is pretty cool

[@John-1984]

I suspect that there were washers to space where the electric tape was and were lost when it was rewired sometime in its past.

[@gunslingerfromwish4656]

The biggest flex yet.

[@darkkennight]

I know you mostly do HO but I would love to see more O Gage stuff in the future

[@MattKonsol]

Dang bud you got that prewar engine running again!