Parts, Service, Repair and Restoration of Antique Toy Trains - Factory Experience

Service and Repair Department

Lionel Factory Experienced Repair and Restoration Service.

Please select one of the following:

General Locomotive Repair Service, done to original Lionel specifications

Other services available include antique train restoration advice and postwar train layout consulting. Please inquire.

Repairs: How to Ship Them and What to Expect

Obtaining a Parts List

Please note that we do not carry American Flyer, Marx, G-Scale or HO parts, or perform repairs on these trains.

Motor Overhaul Guideline - From $45, plus parts

Disassemble motor, analyze problems
Degrease and clean all parts
Check drive gears, axles and bearings for wear and damage
Clean armature and resurface commutator face
Burnish brush holders, inspect brushes and springs and replace if needed
Inspect and burnish pick up roller system and replace rollers if worn
Overhaul e-unit, replace contacts, drum, plunger and lever switch, if needed
Degrease plunger, pawl, fingers, drum and frame
Inspect fingers and drum, replace worn parts
Clean and burnish plunger and solenoid tube
Reassemble and check fingers for alignment
Lubricate pawl pivots
Re-tap drive rod mounting holes as needed
Lubricate axle bearings and drive gear system
Quarter and gauge drive wheels
Inspect electrical wiring and connections, re-solder and re-wire as necessary
Test run motor

Locomotive Overhaul Guideline - From $75, plus parts and return shipping & handling

Overhaul motor as described above
Overhaul smoke generator, if applicable
Clean piston and linkage
Test and inspect heater element, replace as needed
Inspect wiring and repair as needed
Verify proper operation
Conversion for liquid smoke is available as an option
Degrease pilot wheels and bearings
Degrease and polish drive rods and valve gear linkage
Re-blacken drive wheel faces and crossheads
Re-tap mounting screw holes as required
Remove, straighten, polish and re-assemble handrails
Lubricate and test for proper operation
Document work done

Repairs: How to Ship Them and What to Expect

A major reason for damage to old trains comes from improper packing when shipping an engine or tender to an out of state repair shop. If you can't deliver a piece to our shop personally, we cannot stress enough that you take extra precautions to pack your trains. Accessories and transformers require the same special care.

Always put the engine in its own tightly fitted box, the tender in another box, and then put both in one large box, surrounded by bubble pack or plastic foam "popcorn". The pieces should not move inside the outer carton. Practice the shake test before you ship.

Some items simply should not be shipped, like 700E Hudsons, cranes and bascule bridges. Old Lionel prewar castings are too brittle and do not ship well. Once your engine boiler is broken, no replacements are available, in most cases. Insurance claims can be a lot of red tape and usually don't produce any satisfactory results anyway, so don't expect to get your trains back in one piece, if you don't take the time to pack them as outlined here. You can insure the package, but that doesn't do much good for a broken heirloom. Insurance does encourage handlers to be more careful, however.

Call ahead or email to advise that you are shipping an item. We will be happy to give you an estimate in advance, if possible. Most jobs require 20-30 days turnaround. No advance payment is required for repair work. A confirmation will be sent to you when we receive the job. UPS or US Mail works for us. We have good results from both.

All work is guaranteed, so long as you do not alter or modify the piece after you get it back. Opening up an engine, transformer, or operating car or disassembling it, violates your warranty.

Don't send track with your repair job. Do not send disassembled trains, if possible. If you must send a train in "kit" form, you should call first to forewarn us, as trains that have been dismantled require extra research in order to make sure everything is intact. Reassembly is made much more difficult when it arrives disassembled. We therefore must charge accordingly for this added effort. Send all loose parts that you have, because we will charge you for all parts that are required in order to make the piece complete and operable, according to original Lionel Specifications. Our standards are very simple. Do it the way Lionel did it, period.

If your engine has been stored for a long time and does not seem to want to move when you first put power to it, stop and allow us to replace the old solidified lubricant before damage is done to the gears, due to this typical condition. Gear work is expensive and often avoidable.

Santa's helpers are eager to serve you, but please don't wait until Christmas to send your repair. We get backlogged every year and always have to turn folks away, so plan early, if possible, to get trains up and running, well before the Holidays.

Obtaining a Parts List

Need replacement parts?

Then you need Dr. Tinker's Parts List, updated bi-monthly, free to active, regular customers, over 1800 of the most needed parts and materials for the repair and restoration of your trains. Parts listed are new, used, reconditioned, and reproduction, depending upon availability at the time of the request.

To obtain parts list send $2.00 Large SASE ( 9 x 11) to

Dr. Tinker's Antique Toy Trains Parts & Service
P.O. Box 242
Lexington, MA 02420-0003

If you need a street address to mail to:

Dr. Tinker's Antique Toy Trains Parts & Service
1 Belfry Terrace
Lexington, MA 02421-4909