Dump cars need some oomph

The MTH dump cars are motor driven and work very well.

Thank you Rob. When the kids come over they glove the dump cars. I need some that work consistently. Will try to pick up some MTH ones at the next train show.

Ed

Rob, do thenMTH cars operate on the regular Lionel uncouple/unload track sections and do the shoes slide well over the switches?

Ed

I use the MTH cars on a 6019 track, the shoes are ingeniously spaced specifically to work with all Lionel(and other) tracks as long as it has the control rails even though they are much longer than the 8.75" O-27 track sections. 

I use the cars on wide radius O-27, never had a problem with the shoes snagging. They are a new design with wide electric contacts and no sharp or sudden edges.

The way to fix your problem is to wire the remote control section(s) to fixed voltage on a separate handle of a transformer so you can manually set (and leave that way) the optimum operating condition for the PW operating cars. Goes for lumber, coal cattle, milk etc.

Same goes for all switches and operating accessories. Find Lionel, Type V, Z or ZW as each has 4 separate controller for voltage setting. On layout I just tore down I had 2-V's, and 2, ZW's controlling all fixed voltage requirements. Two Z4000's operated the DCS operation on 4 main lines.

What I just said is really for a permanent layout.

Thanks Hugh. I thought about that. That part of the layout is run by a Z1000 brick and I wasn't quite sure how to hook up to a separate power source for the operating track. I did measure the voltage across the extra rails on the operating track and it was 17.9 volts when activated. I thought that should be plenty of voltage to activate the solenoid. 

Ed

Ed,

My kids also love operating cars. I have found that the best solution for cars that work well is the K-Line or now, Bachmann ones. They have great motors and work with any uncoupling section or even better, can operate anywhere on the layout with an inexpensive remote control.

They not only have coal and log dump cars, but also an operating boxcar and milk car. They are always a big hit with the kids.

Jay in Ottawa

Where are you unloading all that coal?

Hi Carl,

Unloading the coal and logs into various accessories or bins around the layout. Just something fun for the kids to do as I put them to "work" on the layout. I thought it would also give my layout a purpose in that trains from different parts of the layout can make deliveries. Have been using black aquarium stones for the coal. It doesn't feel particularly heavy and is large enough to keep the mechanisms fom jamming most of the time.

Ed

Ed, it's been so long since I had a dump car operational, are they voltage sensitive like many operating cars are?  Also, I don't know what kind of dump action you're after.  A very harsh, snap action might have coal flying around. 

In any case, sounds like the kids can have fun dumping and picking up coal all over the layout.

Carl,The cars seem to be voltage sensitive in as much as the higher the voltage the more snap there is to the emptying. I do seem to have a lot of coal all over the place. I think I will look for the MTH version or the Bachmann ones, although the Bachmann seem to cost almostntwicenas much.

Ed

I haven't done this, but perhaps if you apply a light shot of Pledge, Endust or something similar to the loading areas of the cars, it would "slicken" the surfaces to reduce the friction of the loads and increasing the "dump."

I'd try a car or two with and without this "treatment" and see if there is a noticeable difference.

Thanks again Carl. The problem seems to be that the solenoid cannot enerate enough power to lift the dump mechanism when there is more than about a 1/4 load in the car. All works well with the car empty or almost empty. Also, Happy New Year to you and all who responded to this post!

Ed

Ed,

The K-Line and Bachman cars have motors and not solenoids so the dumping action is smooth and eliminates the coal flying everywhere. They are more expensive but that is due to having a motor and a remote receiving unit. I personally only have the K-Line cars which I am able to find often as new old stock for under $100. Not too bad considering the expense of most non-operating freight cars these days.

This LINK is a great youtube video showing all these cars in action. This is what inspired me to buy my cars, milk loading platform and the remote.

Happy New Year everyone!

Jay in Ottawa

Good point Jay. Seems like the MTH and Bachmann cars both have motors. I have operating tracks already in place in strategic locations so I might not need the Bachmann capability of operating anywhere on the layout. Also, if I got the MTH cars, it would seem like I wouldn't have to carry another set of pushbuttons around with me. Either way, I'm excited to have something to look for at the next train show.

Ed