Q I noticed rust on the trucks of my Lionel No. 646 steam engine. When I tried to run the postwar locomotive, operation was sluggish. The engine needed an unusual amount of transformer voltage to go around the track. I removed the cab and discovered the aluminum crosshead guide, where the valve gear linkages are attached, was bent on both sides of the guide. Further examination revealed little to no clearance between the valve gear and the crosshead during operation, which likely led to the damage. Is such damage indicative of normal wear and tear or a botched repair of the locomotive? Can the postwar locomotive be repaired? — Donald McCombs, Fountain Hills, Ariz.
A Most, if not all, Lionel steam engines from the postwar era can be repaired because parts are plentiful and most of the work doesn’t require special equipment or tools. Your 646 Hudson may have been mishandled in the past, or it could have been repaired by someone unfamiliar with it. In any case, it certainly can be fixed. Good luck!
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