CW-80 and Crossing Gate

Which CW80? Early or later ones. The early ones had the red posts common instead of the black posts. The later ones have a G in front of the four digit date code on the bottom.

The CW-80 I have I purchased in March 2009. The number on the bottom is P/N 6-14198.

I tried to switch the wiring - Center rail to black - outside rail to red and then the wire from the crossing gate to the black accessory post - and then nothing regardless of where the transformer throttle is set.    ?????

Steve

Steve here is a video from mike reagen. Hope this helps.  http://www.lionel.com/Customer....cfm?documentID=6484 

Sounds like a later one...the date code is like this "1105" for an early one and "G1108" for a later one. Also you can measure the terminals being common with a multimeter.

not sure if it's a blacks common one why it won't work on the accessory voltage...what's it set to voltage wise?

Thanks for the video post - I made a point of watching that same video when I bought the Crossing Gate.  Doesn't seem to help with the problem.  I do not have a second accessory transformer.  I was just using the accessory post on the CW-80.  That's what the accessory post are suppose to do.  

Me thinks that this is due to having gotten one of the poorly designed / built CW-80s.

The Crossing Gate is a Christmas present for my Granddaughter - I got her a Polar Express set last year for Christmas.  I will contact my Son and ask him to look at the number that is on the bottom of the CW-80 he has with that set.

Steve

Steve to be honest i think you have to hook it up that way for it to work right. Maybe something i don't know i will learn to LOL.  

The number 1005 is on the lower right corner of the label on the bottom of the CW-80.

When I put my voltmeter to the posts on the CW-80 I get 18 volts from the accessory side.  The Track posts act really strange.  I unplug the transformer - put my leads for the voltmeter on the track posts and plug it in.  With the throttle OFF - the voltmeter reads 18 volts - then the voltmeter reading starts to countdown slowly getting less. When I push the throttle to the full position I get 18 volts - but when I slowly throttle down - the voltmeter stays at 18 volts until the off position - then it starts a slow countdown again.   ?????       Is this due to the modern electronics of the new transformers ?   My good old ZW does not act this way.

Whats going on here ?  

Steve

On older CW's like yours, the red posts("A" & "B") ARE common(Black "U" under "A" is train variable, Black "U" under "B" is programmable accessory variable).  This is likely the root of your issue.

Oh, and you will have to ignore the readings on your meter - use a bulb instead. With no load, you are just reading the voltage across the shunt. There is no current to go along with that voltage reading. The CW is not by any stretch a transformer as we knew from days of yore - it is an electronic switching power supply which happens to be powered by a substantial 8-9 amp transformer core.

Well  -  I have seen discussions in the past about Lionel's CW-80 and sounds like I have on of the messed up ones.   The one my Son ( Granddaughter ) has - the label on the bottom reads P/N 6-14198  G0906.  I hope on that one the black posts are wired as common posts inside the transformer.  

Any idea why I get the strange reading from my voltmeter ?

Steve

They are.

With no load, you are just reading the voltage across the shunt.

Rob - thanks for that explanation of the workings of the CW-80.

Lionel transformers carried the UL label for decades from the 1033 up to the ZW.  They worked well and still work well today.   I know that UL probably has to be over the top with safety today - But really - how many people were seriously zapped by the output from an older Lionel transformer.  Were Lionel Transformers a large cause of house fires ?    I do know a friend who has a 1033 transformer and their wires at the lock-on got crossed and made a burn mark in their carpet - but the rug did not catch on fire.

Carpeting is about as close to fireproof as there is. It is the nemesis of the arsonist(and they usually are not aware of it).

Safety is only part of the issue. The old transformers are all just fine as built and used for their intended purpose. I'm using a 65 Year Old ZW on my Christmas layout now. Easily the oldest appliance in current use on the ranch. The problem comes in when they have been dis-assembled and/or serviced by who-knows-who over the course of who-knows-how-many owners within 7 decades.

BUT, I am still unaware of any ZW ever causing a house fire(we have been in the claims business since 1941). Dryer vents and coffee makers? They cause a lot of fires.

The electronic design is a cost issue - extremely inexpensive to produce & adapt, and no moving parts to fail and take the unit out of compliance.

If the potentiometer or buttons fail, it's a throw-away, it's not intended to be serviced.

I wouldn't mind if Lionel would replace any of these early CW80s for a phone call. When they broke in the past, Lionel had the owner cut the cord off and remove the knob, rather than send the heavy thing in. I think being the early CW80 is as good as being broken.

Maybe Mike could make a video showing how to use the backwards transformer to run a train while also operating an accessory...

That's never going to happen.

All you have to do is hook up your track and accessories the way you think they should be, and THEN, just switch the bottom wires with the top wires, on both the trains and accessories, and it will work right except for one detail - the horn/whistle function will be switched with the bell function on all post-1969 equipment.

Steve try this i did this awhile ago. First hook your wire up from crossing to red post on transformer then hook your ground wire up from crossing to the insulated rail side of track then hook wire up to your black post on the transformer to outside rail track then when your train hits the broken rail the crossing will work and power will stay on. I think you got it hooked up wrong and if you do not understand i can do a video showing how its works.