UPGRADING Your Lionel #2035 For IMPROVED Smoke Unit Performance

Upgrading the smoke unit and a Lionel number 2035 on this episode of Toy Train Tips and Tricks. Hello again, this is Mike with another episode of Toy Train Tips and Tricks. As mentioned in a previous episode, Lionel's number 675, 2025, and 2035 Pennsylvania not-quite-Pacifics are good-looking, heavy-pulling, and great-running locomotives. However, like many pre-war and early post-war models, any maintenance more complex than changing a light bulb or basic lubrication requires significant disassembly and reassembly of the models. I purchased this model on eBay, and in the process of basic cleaning and lubrication, I discovered that the original pellet-type smoke unit was dead. But not to worry, smoke unit upgrade kits made to replace the original parts and convert these old smokers into the new fluid-type smoke units are readily available from many dealers and even on eBay where I found this kit from Trains in the Attic. So, let's get started. Just as the old expression about removing fur from a feline says, there's more than one way to disassemble a 2035. So, you may find other videos performing these steps in a different order. I like to have a trusty parts diagram handy whenever possible. Diagrams like these are available for Lionel post-war models from various sources. I have this handbook that was published by K-Line many years ago. And there's also the Greenberg's Repair and Operating Manual for Lionel Trains. Both of these books are now out of print and can be pricey. Luckily, there are digital CD-ROM versions of the Greenberg's Guide available on eBay at reasonable prices. And you can sometimes find copies of the diagrams you need by doing a web search. Diagrams for Lionel's 1970s through early 1990s models used to be posted on Lionel.com, but these were removed a few years back for some reason. I was lucky enough to download all these files for my own use before Lionel pulled them from the site. Lionel.com does maintain diagrams for many of their more recent production models. In any case, I scan the diagrams I need, enlarge them for my trifocal eyes, and keep them in a handy binder, just the diagrams for the items I actually own. The plastic sheet protectors defend them from oil, grease, and grime as I work on the models. First, I will remove this Phillips screw from the top rear of the boiler. This is one of the screws that holds the motor and shell together. I keep this magnetic parts tray from Harbor Freight nearby for loose screws and parts. Yes, I do have a few loose screws, and not just on the model. Then, I remove the smoke box front that I replaced in the previous video. It's held in place with two spring clips that just pull off. This provides access to the headlight bulb as well as some access to the smoke unit. Next, I remove the screw that holds the eccentric crank in place. Make note of the position of the metal washer in the stack of side rods. This eccentric uses the so-called half-moon design of the 1950 2035s rather than the two-pin mount of the 1951 models. This screw requires a Phillips number one head. To keep me from misplacing the screw, I reinserted it slightly into its original hole, and I repeated the process on the other side. Next, I remove the slotted screw that holds this valve gear guide in place, removed the guide and the attached rod, and again reinserted the screw a bit and repeated the process on the other side. Be careful about dropping screws. This model has magnet traction, and loose metal items can find their way down into the motor compartment. Next, remove the two slotted screws that hold the steam chest in place. Now you can remove the steam chest. Normally, the smoke unit would be attached to the steam chest by a third screw. This was previously removed when I discovered the smoke unit was bad. You should not need to remove this screw. Also, a metal rod can usually be found running transversely across the model, which drives a piston in the smoke unit. This was also previously removed. Then you will find one very long threaded rod that runs across the shell and through the front of the motor mount. Unscrew this and remove it. You may need to push an object through the opposite side in order to get it all the way out. Now you may fully separate the shell from the motor assembly. Set the shell aside for now. There are two long wires attached together on a motor brush lug. These are the hot side connections for the headlight and the smoke unit. The ground sides of the circuit are on the locomotive frame itself. A previous owner ran these two wires. They're normally attached to the lug on the E-unit, which allows for shorter wires and easier cable management inside the cramped spaces of the shell. I'm going to be replacing these wires, and I'll reattach them to the E-unit lug. And here is the original smoke unit. The metal cap can be removed with a screwdriver and discarded. You will not need it any longer. Inside you can see the original heater element, the ventilation hole, and here is the original wicking material, frayed and caked over years of use by smoke pellets. Underneath this metal cup is the piston that makes the smoke puffing action in conjunction with the lever that we saw before. And here is the new smoke unit. It includes a new plastic cap, a foam Pac-Man material, some heat shrink tubing, a wick, a new foam washer to seal the smoke in, and a new heating element. The key to creating smoke is electrical resistance. Resistance is not futile. No, resistance in this case is our friend because resistance creates heat. The nichrome wire heats up just like in your toaster. The resistor helps prevent the nichrome wire from getting too hot and burning out. Too small a resistor and you get incredible smoke effects, but only for a few moments before the wire burns out. Too large a resistance and the wire doesn't get hot enough to create the smoke, or in our case, the particulate suspension that looks like smoke. I'd like to pause a moment and ask that if you're enjoying the video so far, please like it and subscribe so that YouTube knows that you like this kind of content and leave a comment about a repair project that you have done. And now back to the video. Before reassembling the smoke unit, clean out all the old gunk and make sure the ventilation tube is clear. I use some isopropyl alcohol. You may also need to scrape out pieces of the old smoke pellets. Now for the new smoke unit. Slide the wicking material over the resistor element. Next, cut the heat shrink tubing to length and apply it to one of the leads. It doesn't matter which. Get it as close as possible to the resistor unit. Then use a heat gun or blow dryer to shrink the tubing in place. Then carefully bend each wire lead 90 degrees as close as possible to the resistor. And next, I perform the proverbial smoke test, adding a few drops of fluid to the wick and applying power. It works great. Next, push the new plastic cap over the wire leads. The lead with the shrink tubing goes into the larger hole. Push it on until the resistor sits securely in the housing. You may have to bend the leads a little more to get a good fit. Now add the Pac-Man foam piece and secure the plastic cap and resistor assembly onto the original metal smoke cup. Make sure the cap is completely in its place. Next, I soldered a new wire extension onto the hot lead, the one with the heat shrink, and added a heat shrink tubing for this connection. The hot wire must be thoroughly insulated because if it touches anything inside the model, it will cause a direct short circuit. Then I added a new extension to the hot side of the light bulb, then soldered both of these wires to the proper lug on the reverse unit. I also added a short extension to the ground wire, the one without the heat shrink, on the smoke unit. I had several choices for points of attachment as the ground side of the circuit comes through the locomotive frame itself. Ultimately, I decided to solder the ground wire to the outside casing of the metal smoke pot. I did not need to add a common connection to the light bulb because its common connector is the metal spring that holds it to the smoke box door. Now my smoke unit wiring is complete, but before I reassemble the model, I've decided to have a quick look at the brushes and the commutator. First, remove the two slotted screws that hold the brush plate in place. Then remove the brush plate and the brushes. Next, I used a common pencil eraser to clean the black gunk off the commutator face. When I got it as clean as possible, I sprayed a bit of CR-10 cleaner on the cotton swab and further cleaned the commutator face, removing even more grime. Be sure to clean the grooves between the commutator plates as well. Be sure to clean the ends of the brushes also. And also clean out the brush wells with the cotton swab and CR-10. They can get really nasty. The fun part is getting the brushes and the brush plate back on the motor without dropping the brushes. Here's a trick that I have found. If your brush springs have enough play, from the bottom side, one at a time, push the brush springs up and through the well until they clear the metal brush holders. Then use a toothpick or the shaft from a cotton swab and slide it under the brush springs, holding them out of the brush wells. Then quickly reset the brush plate on the armature shaft. And then next, one at a time, move the brush spring aside and drop the brush in the well. When finished, remove the shaft and your brushes are back where they belong. Then reattach the brush plate screws and you're finished with the motor, other than lubrication. Now that the motor, smoke unit, and the new wiring are finished, it's time to reassemble. I found it to be easiest if I reattached the smoke unit to the steam chest first. Then I remounted the motor assembly alone with the transverse threaded rod. Then I placed the smoke piston lever in place. The extended side comes out on the fireman's side of the locomotive, or the right side when looking at it from the front. It sits in the two grooves in the smoke chest casting so that the squared off portion will slide under the smoke unit piston. Speaking of the piston, the smoke unit replacement kit comes with a spring to improve movement. I ultimately chose not to use the spring because I could not get it into place while reassembling the model, no matter how hard I tried. Then set the steam chest casting with the attached smoke unit into place. This may require some wiggling and adjusting, depending on how your wires are routed. Speaking of which, make sure none of your wires is in the way of the hole on top of the smoke unit, and make sure the gasket is properly aligned. Take your time, this part can be frustrating. It helps to loosely attach the two steam chest screws to align the smoke chest casting, and then only tighten them down once everything is securely in place. Now for the rods. Since the steam chest is now secured, you will have to loosen the remaining side rod, slide it into place, and then reattach the screw. Do this for both sides. Next, replace the side rod guides and their matching rods, and replace their mounting screws on each side. Then replace the eccentrics, being sure to put the spacers back where they belong. If you have the half-moon type eccentrics, before securing the screw, turn the eccentric by hand back and forth. You should feel a sweet spot where the eccentric naturally wants to sit in its groove. When you feel this, it's in its proper place. So then secure the screw, and of course repeat for each side. Finally, add the phillips screw at the top of the boiler casting, and your model is reassembled and ready to smoke. This is usually the point in the video where I show the finished product zipping around the railroad. Well, the model did zip around the railroad, smoking up a storm as I was setting up the camera. But it stopped suddenly, and my transformer's overload indicator lit up like a Christmas tree. Examining the model carefully, it appears that one of the brush springs has popped out of place. One end is making contact with the boiler casting, causing a direct short circuit. So I will need to disassemble the model again to fix this issue. And with less than 24 hours to go before the video is scheduled to release, well, it's going to have to wait for another day. But rest assured, my new smoke unit does work. Or at least it did until the short circuit happened. That's the joy and frustration of working on 75-year-old models. Anyway, while I am disassembling this 2035 again, all of you can keep the trains running and... Oh, oh, I almost forgot. If you're a fan of my What's New in O-Gage series of videos, they are spinning off into a new, dedicated channel of their own. So follow the link at the end of this video, subscribe, and click that notification bell so you never miss an episode. We'll catch you here next time with more toy train tips and tricks.