Accessories

To test switch tower, disconnect all wires from lockons. Use a transformer and connect the black wire to a hot output, the red wire to the common output. Leave green disconnected. Turn on transformer to get the needed 10VAC. Light should be on. Touch green wire to transformer, should trigger, proving switch tower is fully functional.

If the above test works, reconnect black and red wires to lockon to get track power - but make sure black wire goes to center rail, and red wire goes to non-isolated ground rail. If these are backwards, light will come on, but trigger won't work. Then touch the green wire to non-isolated ground rail, should trigger. If it does trigger, reconnect green wire to the lockon in the isolated outside rail section, making sure the green wire is connected to the isolated outside rail.

There is a way to power the switch tower from its own transformer output, but to not complicate things, do the above first to verify that the switch tower works and you have it installed correctly.

MED posted:

To test switch tower, disconnect all wires from lockons. Transformer and connect the black wire to a hot output, the red wire to the common output. Leave green disconnected. Turn on transformer to get the needed 10VAC. Light should be on. Touch green wire to transformer, should trigger, proving switch tower is fully functional.

I the above test works, reconnect black and red wires to lockon to get track power - but make sure black wire goes to center rail, and red wire goes to non-isolated ground rail. If these are backwards, light will come on, but trigger won't work. Then touch the green wire to non-isolated ground rail, should trigger. If it does trigger, reconnect green wire to the lockon in the isolated outside rail section, making sure the green wire is connected to the isolated outside rail.

There is a way to power the switch tower from its own transformer output, but to not complicate things, do the above first to verify that the switch tower works and you have it installed correctly.

 

Thanks! I will give it a shot👍

Took a few moments this morning and made a block diagram showing what I believe is within your switch tower. Might be of some assistance to you. Sorry for my crude artwork.

Elliotgb posted:

I just got a K-Line Switchman Tower from an auction site. It’s new/old stock. Never been used.

It has 3 wires, red, black and green. The red goes to a “hot” connector on my MTH Z-1000 Brick, the black to the other and the green to a lock-on that attaches to a track with plastic insulating pins on both ends of the track that the lock-on is attached to.

I know too much voltage is being thrown by the Z-1000. It triggers the flagman activator and won’t shut down. Wrong approach.

I tried an older Lionel transformer that goes from 8-18 volts. The tower light works but the device doesn’t trigger as the train hits the insulated section.

The diagram states 10 volts max so I know why the Z-1000 surges but the Lionel won’t trigger the device.

I’m attaching a pic of the wiring diagram. This thing is so old I may just have to be satisfied that it lights up.

Wow, I must be getting old.  I had one I bought brand new when they were first released by K-Line.  They are, like many of K-Line's early products, remakes of Marx originals.  

MED has been spot on in everything presented. Do that. Nothing over that max anymore. You may have cooked the solenoid coil making it weak.  Always start low volt on unknowns in model RR (and dc before ac.)  If you don't see action by 9-10v, it is unlikely you will unless it's electronics wanting 12v.

But nobody has said they've had one apart to see if somebody hasn't slipped a (an uneeded ) small board or diode or something in the design.

If it works or tries to when tried on high voltage, but not on low, it may be the coil has a short in the windings.

But the OP also mentioned a surging without explaining them. What was surging? An attempt at working? Lamp brightness?; Jerky action? Measured Voltage?

  I can't see the higher voltage causing a triggering that doesnt unlatch either; not unless there is something to latch. I.e. ???? a redundant relay or transistor that actually could have been skipped 99.9% of the time ?

18v isn't going to jump an air gap at the isolation points until they are like microns from each other.

And doesn't that yellow kline transformer use a shark fin or square wave? That would explain the lionel not working if the electronics want "wave#X".

Which older lionel lionel is failing to work? Pure sine? Or one of those little DC starter set power pacs rated in VA with an ac accessories output?.. (awful little buggers)

For fun try blowing the old transformer whistle to see if it triggers, maybe revere transformer leads and try again. (this throws a dc offset and that wave just may excite something "stuck" signal wise....Working one polarity not the other tells us there is likely something other than a coil and bulb in there)  ...It is a start at an answer if MEDs help didn't solve it already.

Wrong bulb?

no

I think I see what everyone here is missing. Making an insulated track section requires not only plastic pins in the ends of the section, but also insulators in the metal ties which bridge ground to both outside rails. The diagram shows them, but it's easy to miss. This mistake would leave the tower activated all the time. 

Even though the instructions show this coil activated accessory connected to track power, this may not be the best practice. Technically, it should take its power from a fixed voltage accessory terminal, of the proper value, on the transformer. This will give the coil the best possible life span.

Big_Boy_4005 posted:

I think I see what everyone here is missing. Making an insulated track section requires not only plastic pins in the ends of the section, but also insulators in the metal ties which bridge ground to both outside rails. The diagram shows them, but it's easy to miss. This mistake would leave the tower activated all the time. 

Even though the instructions show this coil activated accessory connected to track power, this may not be the best practice. Technically, it should take its power from a fixed voltage accessory terminal, of the proper value, on the transformer. This will give the coil the best possible life span.

I have to admit, I don’t see that in the diagram but your advice makes sense. They did supply a real short section of track. It didn’t sit well with the connecting track so I replaced it with an old section of 3 rail Lionel. I’ll have to go back and check that shortie. Should the ties in between be plastic and not metal, then?

 Thanks 

I believe the outer rails should be insulated like the center rail by the little piece of cardstock(?).

coach joe posted:

I believe the outer rails should be insulated like the center rail by the little piece of cardstock(?).

I checked the original shortie section and it looks like it has insulated material on the 3rd rail section. It’s a black material, probably non conducting. I’ll retry it.

 Thanks 👍

That's it; I thought of it, but I passed thinking you would understand isolated means exactly that.

Use an old cereal boxtop, matchbook cover, etc. if you have to.     Pull apart another "rusty track" and steal the "fishpaper cardstock" if you'd like (maybe keep what isn't rusty for future use or loads, etc... messy rust breeds more rust, only keep the barely corroded that still has years of rot left )

Elliot saves Elliot    ... don't mind me; I'm easily entertained

Adriatic posted:

That's it; I thought of it, but I passed thinking you would understand isolated means exactly that.

Use an old cereal boxtop, matchbook cover, etc. if you have to.     Pull apart another "rusty track" and steal the "fishpaper cardstock" if you'd like (maybe keep what isn't rusty for future use or loads, etc... messy rust breeds more rust, only keep the barely corroded that still has years of rot left )

Elliot saves Elliot    ... don't mind me; I'm easily entertained

I used the short track that came with it and although I’m having a hard time keeping it in place on my “floor” layout, the triggering has stopped.

Thanks👍

The one cardboard isolation I had fail took about 45 years to do it. I think it was Sugar-Pop was the yellow stock (avoid that? 🤣) The grey are Nobel's shoe boxes