Correct Voltage for Lionel Horse Corral

The voltage is too high on the original poster's corral.

Being that the horse corral works on the vitration generated by AC current, it would be interesting to see what happens with a diode place in series with it.

Some vibration based accessories, such as the Lionel 362 Barrel loader already have a built-in diode. The 356 operating freight station does not have a built-in diode, but I think I had a diode in series with mine when it was out on the layout. (The voltage and accessory have to be adjusted).

On some vibration powered rotating searchlights / beacons, the directon of the rotation will change when a diode is added.

Some -- most --  of the classic Lionel "vibrating" accessories are very sensitive to small increases/decreases in voltage.  They operate best after you experiment and come up just the right setting. I have all my accessories like the barrel loader, freight station, cattle car/loader wired to a separate power source with -- and this is key -- adjustable voltage. This lets you fine tune the voltage for the most efficient operation.

I read on the horse car/corral instructions, which said the proper voltage for the corral is 11-14 volts.  A question:  does turning the adjustment screw on the underside of the corral control the voltage?  If so, that may be the solution to my problem.  Otherwise, how about running the horse corral with 11-14 gauge wire to a separate terminal block?

Just found there is no such thing as 11-14 gauge hookup wire, as far as I can find.

Didn't search far enough, there IS 14 gauge hookup wire.  Would that work?

IMHO 14 gauge wire is overkill for a horse car corral. I think you'd be challenged to get it under the clips.  

18 or 20 gauge should be fine.

Agree w/CW. 18g wire is fine. And -- again -- focus less on the wire and more on your voltage setting. Off the top of my head, you should be using ~12 volts. Make sure you have an adjustable power source for these types of accessories so you can fine tune.

quote:

.  A question:  does turning the adjustment screw on the underside of the corral control the voltage?  If so, that may be the solution to my problem.  Otherwise, how about running the horse corral with 11-14 gauge wire to a separate terminal block

The adjustment screw on the bottom is for the gap between the electromagnetic coil and the slug that is mounted on the floor of the corral (where the horses roam). I recommend against fiddling with it.

As has already been posted, you have the voltage too high.

You are confusing voltage and wire size, they are two different things.  When the directions talk about 11-14 volts, that is how much power is being applied from the transformer, it has nothing to do with the wire size.  It's all about the transformer.  Forget wire size.  Stop thinking wire size.  Put wire size out of your mind.

Now, is wire size out of your mind?  Good.  So, turn down the juice that you are applying to the accessory.  The more volts from the transformer that the corral receives, the more violently it vibrates, which sends your horses into the Curly Shuffle.  Ease off on the power, meaning lower the volts, meaning turn down the throttle! and get it to where the horses will move around the corral but not fall over onto their sides.

That being said, with the corral I've got, I still haven't found the sweet spot where the horses stay on their feet AND make it UP the ramp!  They get about halfway and then just stop.    Guess they don't like the looks of that big scary corral car.