Lionel 736 Berkshire- clean and lube - Postwar Lionel train service

[@trainman5603]

Kalmbach has cradles. Beautiful job!

[@dagryffynhobby]

Foam cradles, I don’t like working with them, but I probably should

[@stever.5092]

736 is one of my favorite runners. Its a great locomotive. Another great video!

[@dagryffynhobby]

It is a great loco! Thanks for watching!

[@timdwyer2895]

Thank you for these instructions. Well done. I just got my 736 that I had as a child. I had no idea when (if ever) it had been serviced. Your directions really helped.

[@dagryffynhobby]

That’s great! Both that you got the engine and that the video helped. That just puts a smile on my face!

[@JDWorkshop-wn9tt]

Those modern lubricants are game changing. I have the Woodland Scenics equivalent lube set also. Amazing what a clean and, lube does to turn back time on these classics! I’m new to the channel so, I’m going back at my leisure checking out your fine episodes.

[@dagryffynhobby]

The new lubricants really are a game changer! Can’t tell you how many times an old engine is brought back with just a few drops in the right places. Thank you very much for watching! I appreciate it.

[@StephenCarlBaldwin]

Just bought a pre-owned 736 (this one is IMO the King of Lionel Steam). Your tutorial helped me greatly improve performance on this noble lady. Thanks for posting this!

[@dagryffynhobby]

Congrats on your purchase. It is a fantastic and solid engine. I’m thrilled that my video was helpful. Thanks for watching!

[@SGolenski]

Hey David, I know this is an older video, but I got sucked down the KZbin rabbit hole... If you're going to tear the motor down that far, take the extra time to press out the old bushings and press in new ones. With a bench vice, it's literally a 10min job after you've torn it down as far as you have! Also, I had an old school Lionel Service Station tech swear to me he used "Non detergent 30w motor oil" down the oil hole on those after re-assembly. I've done this during break-in on those bushings and have loved the results!! Keep up the good work, man!!

[@dagryffynhobby]

Thanks! You are right, I could go as far as pressing out the bushings, if I had the tools. I do need to get them. Hopefully I can set up a good workstation soon. I’ve heard everything from motor oil, trans fluid, to kerosene to use for service and repair. I prefer the newer synthetic stuff, nice and thin and great at what it does

[@SGolenski]

@@dagryffynhobby Going to give you another one to add to your "lubricants list"... I use Marvel Mystery Oil on all of my PostWar wheels & axles.

[@NixCrossing]

Awesome video! I love these engines. I repainted mine because it was in several floods before it was given to me. I also changed out the smoke unit to a liquid resistor. 😬🚂💨

[@dagryffynhobby]

Thanks! Nice, glad you saved it! I’ve been wanting to repaint an engine, mostly to just see how it goes, but haven’t done it yet.

[@NixCrossing]

@@dagryffynhobby i have a few In the repair line. In the meantime I’ve been converting my post war battery horns to use a rectifier.

[@dagryffynhobby]

@@NixCrossing nice. How do you do that?

[@NixCrossing]

@@dagryffynhobby the video is in the making 😝. It’s pretty easy. The rectifier takes the AC and converts it to DC for the old bell alarm horns. The trick is to ground it back to the frame so it picks up the 60 hertz “chirp”. It’s very loud to presume it’s taking the output voltage 12v from the capacitor in the circuit.

[@dagryffynhobby]

@@NixCrossing that’s cool, make that video! I might need to try it on one of my engines.

[@FullEarthWorkshop]

Hey Dave! Great segment…I’ll be working on mine soon! Thanks!

[@dagryffynhobby]

Glad you like it. It’s probably about time I got back into this one for a cleaning again.

[@henryszubielski8601]

Great job Dave! I love old Lionel! Enjoy

[@dagryffynhobby]

Thanks Henry. 👍

[@Fazoo2245]

Hi David. Thank you for this. I've had a #736 that I did a lot of cleaning and brush replacement, etc., and still to no avail. When I saw you take the motor apart, I lost my fear of getting in too deep, lol. Now I'll bet my #736 has a new life. It came to me years ago, and ran barely okay for a while, then stopped. I will follow your example and subscribe.

[@joeystrains.9316]

Great video. I love my 736's.

[@dagryffynhobby]

They are great engines!

[@chiconian49]

Well done. I love my Lionel 736.

[@dagryffynhobby]

Thanks. It’s one of my favorites 👍

[@gregleuze6657]

One of my favorite engines. I have four variations of them. Looking for a nice complete and high condition 1950 variant. Can’t wait to watch you tear into this one in the future.

[@gregleuze6657]

If you have already did the video of the full cleaning can you please link it here. I want to watch it.

[@Keiths_OGauge_Trains]

This video is great and was a huge help in servicing my MPC berk. Thanks!

[@dagryffynhobby]

Glad to hear the video helped you out. I love hearing that!

[@kensbackshop6399]

Another sucsesfull surgery doc ,,,,Ken

[@dagryffynhobby]

It’s always nice when they actually work better when I’m done fixing them 😃

[@wayneantoniazzi2706]

Just watched this 736 video. Great tutorial Dave, you hit all the important points and showed it's not scary "under the hood," take your time and it's pretty easy to service. I've got a 736 myself, great puller. If the prices keep dropping I might just pick up another in rough exterior shape, do a repaint and make a Mikado (2-8-2) out of it. "Mikes" were one of the most popular freight engines in the steam days but there haven't been too many O gauge models made of them, more the exception than the rule.

[@dagryffynhobby]

Thanks Wayne. That’s a great idea, I wouldn’t mind doing the same. That would be a great project and video.

[@wayneantoniazzi2706]

@@dagryffynhobby Dave, if you're interested I'll e-mail you some shots of a recent project of mine, I picked up a Lionel 2065 at a show at a great price and reworked it into a Jersey Central Pacific from 1929.

[@dagryffynhobby]

@@wayneantoniazzi2706 definitely. I’d love to see that 👍

[@wayneantoniazzi2706]

@@dagryffynhobby No sooner said than done! Coming at you shortly!

[@flinxrap]

You gained a new subscriber today due to your excellent videos. I look forward to getting the 736 I recently found at a thrift store running again. Your videos should help considerably! Currently it just growls (most likely due to the e-unit). Will be watching that video again when working on it.

[@dagryffynhobby]

Awesome! Welcome aboard! You can get the 736 going, a little cleaning should do it. Armature face and brushes. E-unit contacts. Clean the wheels and pick up rollers. And as long as the wires are good, you should be good! And feel free to hit me up with questions.

[@jimdipreta8804]

Thank you for posting this video I enjoyed it and learned a lot from it

[@dagryffynhobby]

Great! Glad you liked it 👍

[@brendanstrains9725]

Nice the 736 and the 726 are awesome I wish to get one of the lionchief plus versions or the century club version of the 726

[@dagryffynhobby]

The 726/736 is a great engine, it’s a nice size, big without being too big for a smaller radius. I love mine.

[@cmcgloughlin]

I like nickel wheels on 726!

[@oohwhop716]

I love the berkshire its one of my favorite train

[@dagryffynhobby]

A classic and well running model

[@northpennvalleysteamrailroad]

Nice! I actually have a 736 in service now. Should be back soon.

[@dagryffynhobby]

Cool. Hope you get it back soon 👍

[@northpennvalleysteamrailroad]

@@dagryffynhobby thanks!

[@robertnielsen2461]

The 736 is based on the B&A Hero.Classic Toy Trains ran an article on this very popular Lionel loco and its prototype several years ago,my favorite also.

[@dagryffynhobby]

It’s just such a good looking and good running engine.

[@arnoldberk7686]

I have a 736 that I bought the brushes and end of the motor where they go. I haven’t run it n ages.I wish you were around Lake County Illinois. I am not too confident in my repairing of it.

[@dagryffynhobby]

You can do it. Go slow, take pictures along the way if that helps you to remember where everything goes, and be patient. You can do it. And if you hit a snag, let me know and I’ll do what I can to help. 👍

[@arnoldberk7686]

@@dagryffynhobby I appreciate it. I have a Lionel hard bound book showing the blow ups of most or all of their post war products.

[@dagryffynhobby]

@@arnoldberk7686 that’s great. A good reference is important.

[@izzynutz2000]

What kind of LED bulbs are you converting to I've got a whole bunch of stuff and some passenger cars I want to do.. I've cross-referenced some on Amazon but I'm not exactly sure I'm satisfied and I really don't want to butcher anything up in case I want to put it back to stock

[@dagryffynhobby]

I am using a generic led from Amazon. Got a pack of 20 or so. They are not bright enough for passenger cars, but do well for headlights. I believe you can get bulbs that screw in as a direct replacement for the incandescent bulbs, no other changes required. I’m going to see if I can find that website.....

[@dagryffynhobby]

Take a look at Town and Country Hobbies. I have not yet purchased from them, but they have a whole lot of specialty replacement LED bulbs for Lionel trains.

[@johnsockriter8595]

How do I replace the pickup rollers? the front one sparks a lot it gets a little warm is that a concern I just bought a set of rollers

[@dagryffynhobby]

That indicates that there is resistance. Yes should replace. You need to spread the arms apart and pull the roller off the pin. Clean the pin, put on the new roller, and squeeze the pins back together. I use a pair of snap ring pliers.

[@cmcgloughlin]

Can you do a video about how a basic lionel steam locomotive works and all the interior parts and what they do?

[@dagryffynhobby]

Sure. Any particular engine?

[@cmcgloughlin]

@@dagryffynhobby this one (736) would be great? And/Or a 2035? And/or perhaps a diesel? With an eye to basic maintenance and cleaning to get them running better. Thanks for your videos, very interesting.

[@dagryffynhobby]

@@cmcgloughlin could be a series of videos. I’ve been meaning to clean of the 736 again so that’s a good place to start. I’ll start working on that soon. Thanks for the recommendation

[@michaellindsey8044]

How do u remove the moter

[@ronalddevine9587]

Really nice. Have you ever worked on the 1946 version? I have a 671 from '46, and can't figure out how to lube the front worm gear. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you 😊

[@dagryffynhobby]

I have worked on 671s but maybe not the 46 version, I don’t remember the 671s any different than my 681.

[@ronalddevine9587]

@@dagryffynhobby the motor etc is the same as the 1946 726.

[@dagryffynhobby]

@@ronalddevine9587 haven’t worked on that one either. Looks like I have to buy more engines!

[@bryanharris3589]

You have to take the shell off and remove it's horizontal reversing unit, and possibly the motor. There should be some screws holding the double worm drive shaft in place, remove those screws and the double worm drive shaft should come out of the top of the frame. Be shure to orient the drive shaft bearings in the correct position or else the worm gears on both ends of the driveshaft won't properly mesh with the front and rear axle gears.

[@dagryffynhobby]

@@bryanharris3589 thanks for the tips!

[@michaellindsey8044]

I wish u can fix and clean my Lionel trains collection they needs some cleaning

[@dagryffynhobby]

If your trains are pre/postwar, give it a try. Watch some videos and follow along. It’s how I started! You can also send me an email at [e-mail] and I will be happy to help you out.

[@joegennari395]

Do you have a video of cleaning and lubing Lionel Santa Fe F3 .....I have my original '55 that I want to service?????

[@dagryffynhobby]

Thanks for subscribing! I do have a couple videos on the Santa Fe 2343s, there are two videos from 2 months ago, it’s more involved than just clean and lube, but check them out, they may help. And I’m always available for questions either here or via email. Link ⬇️ kzbin.info/www/bejne/gnmsdq2Brtinfa8

[@joegennari395]

@@dagryffynhobby Thanks!!! My son just made me a small work bench. I just have to work up the guts to try and take the engine apart. I'll check for the videos .

[@dagryffynhobby]

@@joegennari395 you can do it!

[@dougharlow6037]

looks interesting but can't see how you disassemble. I need to check mine. Thanks

[@dagryffynhobby]

I don’t remember if I showed how to put it back together in this video, disassembly would be opposite. I can’t remember at the moment the specifics, if you still need help, let me know and I’ll check out my engine and let you know.

[@dougharlow6037]

@@dagryffynhobby Thanks

[@davidhanna3863]

How in the world did you get the shaft out of the motor assembly so easily? I took the clip out, washers out, and bearing out, but the main shaft still will not come out. It backs out easily to a point and then hard stop, like something's blocking it. What am I doing wrong?

[@dagryffynhobby]

Honestly, I don’t know. I’ve tried it with other motors and it hasn’t worked, I’ve found the same thing as you, it moves to a point and then stops. Probably has to do with bearing wear. Maybe this motor was worn enough that it pulled apart. I’m assuming it requires a puller and a press. Sorry I can’t be of more help.

[@jwbinab]

Dave - thanks for showing how to service these motors! I've been busy doing this service now to all my locos! They are all better. One thing you could help with is that I struggle at testing the motor before putting it back in. Can you show how/where to touch the leads? All the videos are appreciated!

[@dagryffynhobby]

I’m thrilled the videos are helpful! I can certainly do something, a video or maybe a short, about testing the motor. Great idea!

[@michaellindsey8044]

Can u show show how u remove the body off the chassis

[@dagryffynhobby]

I’ll be doing a new video on the 736 and it’s components soon.

[@sgtcote1]

I've been wanting an S2 turbine for quite some time, but now it seems I need to add the 736 to my want list. Lol it's great seeing these 70 year old trains get new life after removing 70 year old sludge. Btw was that Optimus Prime on your layout.??

[@dagryffynhobby]

The 736 is a great engine. They are a lot cheaper than the 726, but I hope to pick one of those up eventually. Yup, that’s my Optimus Prime from when I was a kid

[@michaellindsey8044]

I got this lionel model engine I got my engine from a trainsshow last year

[@dagryffynhobby]

It’s a classic!

[@darius7760]

I recently bought a 736 Lionel Berkshire with tender. When I tested it would not go forward I would have to push it by hand to get 736 moving otherwise would just hum. sluggish both forward and reverse and could nor get whistle to work in tender. The seller on ebay claimed it was serviced and ready to go on layout, does not seemed to be when I tested it. So I returned set back to seller on ebay to get refund, I paid over $300. Do you have any idea what the problem is with my 736 and tender? Any suggestions? Thanks

[@dagryffynhobby]

Sounds like it needs a cleaning and oiling. Most problems like that can be made better by cleaning the brushes and commutator, and oiling any pivot points. If it didn’t work at all I would check the wiring. If it doesnt change between forward, neutral, and reverse, I would check the eunit, specifically the drum condition.

[@railchief74]

I used epoxy for the bottom of the front truck on my 736

[@dagryffynhobby]

Interesting, I hadn’t thought of that. Thanks for sharing.

[@s.sestric9929]

5:35 PTFE is Teflon.

[@trainman5603]

Meat loaf with mushroom gravy and green beans!

[@chicagolandrailroader]

Love this loco! Good job! Where do you get your locos?

[@dagryffynhobby]

Thanks! Most of my stuff comes from eBay and Facebook marketplace. The special ones come to me via my uncle. This one was a gift from him.

[@michaellindsey8044]

I really don't know how to take apart my steam engine from Lionel I need a how to video

[@dagryffynhobby]

Which engine, the 736?

[@michaellindsey8044]

@@dagryffynhobby yes can u do a step by step video thanks great video

[@dagryffynhobby]

@@michaellindsey8044 a complete disassembly or just removing the motor from the shell?

[@michaellindsey8044]

@@dagryffynhobby complete

[@dagryffynhobby]

@@michaellindsey8044 I will add that to the list. It could probably use another cleaning anyway.

[@TrainTracker911]

You sure can't service the newer Lionel engines like the old Post-War ones. Electronic circuit boards are nice but the Post-War Lionel reigns supreme.

[@dagryffynhobby]

Totally agree. Anything can be fixed on the old stuff with a little research and experience.

[@gkoproske]

Too many comments of the nature, "I'll do that later." You cleaned the brushes but you did not polish the armature.

[@dagryffynhobby]

But I will do it later! No, I hear you. I clean the armatures off but have not really found a need to polish them. Maybe I should start doing it, but I have had very good results so far.

[@TCstrainrr]

If you still need a cradle for working on engines let me know. I can send you some. I’m only in the Scranton area

[@dagryffynhobby]

Appreciate it. I have a piece of foam I use for delicate models but I feel like a foam support would get in my way.

[@robertnielsen2461]

@#$$%spell check