Constant voltage power for Lionel O-27 switches

I converted all of mine so that I didn't have to have the voltage so high to make the switches work. 

After converting I could run the trains slower

- walt

I can tell you from running those switches unmodified all through my childhood, it stinks having to ramp-up the engine speed. or go to neutral, to make the switch latch positively.

In an Ideal world, your switches are lubed and cleaned and run smoothly, in the real word (for most of us) you don't maintain them every month, maybe every decade!

Even brand new, lubed, and clean, they don't always work quite smoothly enough.

Last weekend I TRIED to modify one, but now the switch no longer works AT ALL!

I can't see what I did wrong. I did it exactly how the video and documentation shows to do it. I have the correct wire coming from the center tap of the two coils.

All good answers, I will add that when you do the mod, you can use an external power source, reserving more power for the trains. This is not as critical with the post-1969 switches, as they do not have 3 bulbs per pair as with the 1122/1122E models.

Thanks for the feedback. I talked to Lionel and they have a nifty video that shows you how to do it. I needed to get a new soldering pencil anyway...now I have an excuse...

I have not viewed the Lionel video but I've read here of others talking about having to drill out the rivets.  I have a solution that does NOT involve that.  I wrote an article to OGR on how to do it but they claim they lost it.  If you want it send me an email and I'll shoot the document to you.  It has some in progress pictures and some things to be wary of.

- walt