My 252 Crossing Gate Sticks in the down position. I have cleaned the plunger and the tube and added some light lubrication. But still sticks. This is a Post War model, not modern era. My Greenberg's Service Manual says that "If the coil spool has been distorted by heat the entire coil should be replaced"
Any suggestions ? Or look for a new coil, or look for another 252 ?
Steve
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I ran into this issue a couple years ago on my Christmas layout. At the time, I just added a dab of hot glue and a fishing sinker to make the back side of the arm a bit heavier. The coil was still strong enough to lower the arm. Now that I think about it though, i really should go back and investigate further.
I used graphite on the plunger mechanism. I also added two of those super magnets one on each side of the part that holds the arm. Those magnets are quite tiny and very powerful. They are probably an eighth of an inch in diameter and not quite a quarter inch long.
Most likely a train sitting on the contactor for a long time and overheated the coil assembly. Any friction on the plunger when you take it out of the gate?
You can try a round file in the tube, but probably replacement may be required, not a hard part to find.
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