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Was it your cat up until now?

The lanterns are $2.75 each from Lionel.

 

 

AS for the bulbs....here's what the manual states.  Maybe somebody knows exactly what it takes.

Servicing the lamps

Your switch lamp and switch controller are illuminated by several light emitting diodes (LEDs). The LEDs are expected to last for the life of the switch and are not user serviceable. See your authorized Lionel Service Center if your LEDs require service.

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Last edited by Steims

FWIW, the instructions posted (excellent step by step BTW), specify the Lionel part number for the LED.  In truth, any white 3mm LED will work, and you can buy them for a few cents.  When I fixed all of my switches with the bad bulbs, I just took the LED's out of my parts box and installed them.

It was mentioned that the reason they're dying is over-current, but that's not the case, at least not with my switches.  I checked the current through the LED and it was around 12ma.  My feeling is there's something else that is causing the LED failure, perhaps voltage spikes.  I suspect that a snubbing capacitor across the LED would be more protection than changing a resistor.

Guns,

   As I indicated before I do believe they are faulty LED's supplied to Lionel, from the over seas vendor.  I saw this happen to one of my friends who was building a different product, it is almost impossible to stop QC wise unless they inspect ever single item sold.  Similar to when we were kids when the they shorted a few nuts and bolts on every item sold, to make millions, same game different product line.

PCRR/Dave

Last edited by Pine Creek Railroad

Could be bad LED's, but I'm surprised that many would surface.  I've bought the cheapest " Chinese factory floor sweepings" as far as my LED collection, and I have only had a couple of failures in hundreds of installations, and those may well have not been the LED's fault.  Most of the time, if they work, they'll work forever.  There are occasional failures, but the number of LED failures with Fastrack switches suggests to me that something else is in play.

The last time this discussion came up, I put a Fastrack switch on the bench and went looking for voltage transients with a 100 MHz Tektronix scope. If you hit it just right, the switch will occasionally put about 30 volts on the center rail, but it is very narrow and doesn't happen often. Having said that, I have not checked to see what happens in real layout conditions; Pullmor motors and all that. But, I feel confident that the switches themselves are not creating any damaging transients.

FWIW, it is very easy to underestimate the amount of electrical noise created by PW locos and accessories. Some time ago I was repairing a 364 log loader, and wanted to see if DC operation would quiet it. Had a Heathkit battery eliminator, so used that. To make a long story short, the battery eliminator failed repeatedly. Turns out that the 364 motor was generating happy little transients of about 150 volts, which wiped out the regulator chip in the Heathkit. Now, Heathkit was not known for fine designs, but it serves to illustrate what PW motor and accessory designs can do to electrical systems.

Since that time my track power comes from a dedicated transformer, nothing on it except the center rail.

I've often wondered why Lionel didn't arrange to have the replacement LED with short clipped leads which simply fit into a socket....like Z-Stuff does on their DZ-1000 motors/control buttons.  Needle-nosed pliars are all you need to make the swap.

As far as the lanterns are concerned, we (LHS) found that a couple drops of tacky glue on the lantern base will keep them in place when actuated.  They've held up quite reliably on our store 4 X 8 figure 8 oval having four such switches. 

HOWEVER, nothing to offer here about obsessive puddy-tats.....except, maybe, a trebuchet or ballista!

(just kidding)

Gunrunnerjohn,          Quite a thread indeed! I have a switch- dead!  does nada! Lionel says boards" not available",so are these boards repairable? Also I have a second switch,reads 5VDC@ contacts LED tests good yet won't lite when connected. Am in frustration mode! Appreciate any imput you could render.

gunrunnerjohn posted:

I don't have a clue about repairing them, I haven't faced that yet.  I suppose it would be dependent on what is dead.  Are you sure the LED isn't reverse polarity on the one with the apparently good reading?

Thank You for the response John! I know the LED,s are polarized if energized wrong they blow  (ask me how I know). I did replaced  this LED as in tutorial above.  Much thanks again sir.

Gentlemen,

    I just received 2 of the 610-2045-126 switch stands from Chuck, great immediate service from him, and my money had not even reached him yet.  

DKDKRD,

    The reason is Lionel is making more money selling the full 610-2045-126 LED Stand than they ever would just suppling LED's themselves.

 When I replace the full LED stand I will back shop the old one, and actually see how much trouble it is to insert, a new LED into the old stand.

PCRR/Dave

Last edited by Pine Creek Railroad

The replacement switch stands are the way to go.  The individual LEDs are a PITA to solder if you don't have those "helping hands."  I have one O72 switch which had  the original LED burn out, which I replaced several years ago.  It burned out again a few months ago.  I attempted to replace it again with a spare LED I had bought back then but since I'm a few years older I'm not as steady as I was then so it has not been replaced.  The LEDs are $3.00, so the whole switch stand is a bargain at $6.50 when one doesn't have to do any of that fine wire soldering.  John,  I measured about .3 of volt of AC at the point that supplies the LED.  Do you think that could be what's causing it to burn out?  

 

Larry

nmtrains posted:

Gunrunnerjohn,          Quite a thread indeed! I have a switch- dead!  does nada! Lionel says boards" not available",so are these boards repairable? Also I have a second switch,reads 5VDC@ contacts LED tests good yet won't lite when connected. Am in frustration mode! Appreciate any imput you could render.

NMTrains,

Try this fix for the dead switch. There is a resistor that goes bad. read through the thread and you'll find the repair. Earl's post on 1/9/12 describes the resistor hidden in shrink wrap and the test to verify before replacing it.

My money is on the bad resistor.

Moonman posted:
nmtrains posted:

Gunrunnerjohn,          Quite a thread indeed! I have a switch- dead!  does nada! Lionel says boards" not available",so are these boards repairable? Also I have a second switch,reads 5VDC@ contacts LED tests good yet won't lite when connected. Am in frustration mode! Appreciate any imput you could render.

NMTrains,

Try this fix for the dead switch. There is a resistor that goes bad. read through the thread and you'll find the repair. Earl's post on 1/9/12 describes the resistor hidden in shrink wrap and the test to verify before replacing it.

My money is on the bad resistor.

The link to the harness with the resistor is dead in that old thread, but I think this is the harness...

6102045316HARNESS / 4-POS / FASTRACK REM SWITCH TRACK POWER

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OGR Publishing, Inc., 1310 Eastside Centre Ct, Ste 6, Mountain Home, AR 72653
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