Good transformer for WVP&P Shay with PS1

MTH Z-4000.

Jim R. posted:

MTH Z-4000.

Not to sound cheap but.... any of the lesser Z series accomplish the same or is the 4000 the only clean sine wave box? I already have clipped wave transformers and really don't want to shell out another 3 bills to support a couple engines. Thanks 

Ran my PS1 locos perfectly with a postwar ZW.  No bell button, but whistle/horn worked fine.  Ran both a GTEL and GS4 with this transformer.

All the other MTH Z transformers have a chopped wave output, according to those who have scoped them on this forum.

I have used the Lionel CW-80 and ZW-C to run my PS-1 locomotives just fine.  Also used the Z-1000 without problems.  Sometimes I had to put a lighted car on the track with the locomotive to keep the horn from blasting all the time, but they ran just fine.

Jim R. posted:

All the other MTH Z transformers have a chopped wave output, according to those who have scoped them on this forum.

Plus the Z4000 has the unique features allowing easy selection of all the programming features for PS1.  

Not a big deal if you never need them, but a great advantage if you do.

That alone is worth it, IMO.  (of course maybe not so much for only an engine or 2)

-Dave

Jim R. posted:

MTH Z-4000.

Pretty much the only one that will work right. Found out the hard way a MTH Z-1000 will NOT work....bought Z-4000 and wonders...it works fine.

That's funny, I had to buy a Z-1000 to run the PS-1 engines I had.  They certainly would not run with a Lionel CW-80.

The MTH manual (if you have it) that came with the engine should list all the compatible transformers, at least at the time it was produced.

Larry

Larry,

   He wants everything to operate, the Z4K is the right transformer ROB.  You can use the old ZW but you must add the side Bell Button.  I also believe the ZW-L will do the job ROB, however I have not owned one to prove it.

PCRR/Dave

Pine Creek Railroad posted:

Larry,

   He wants everything to operate, the Z4K is the right transformer ROB.  You can use the old ZW but you must add the side Bell Button.  I also believe the ZW-L will do the job ROB, however I have not owned one to prove it.

PCRR/Dave

 

 

I think I successfully used a ZW-L to power one of my Proto 1 engines, but might have had a problem with another.  (it's been a while since I experimented with this combo).

One engine was the Shay in question, another was an empire State Express Hudson.  I honestly forget which one worked vs. which one did not.

I think there is also possibly the "not all Proto 1 are created equal" aspect of this.

-Dave

Dave45681 posted:

Pine Creek Railroad posted:

Larry,

   He wants everything to operate, the Z4K is the right transformer ROB.  You can use the old ZW but you must add the side Bell Button.  I also believe the ZW-L will do the job ROB, however I have not owned one to prove it.

PCRR/Dave

 

 

I think I successfully used a ZW-L to power one of my Proto 1 engines, but might have had a problem with another.  (it's been a while since I experimented with this combo).

One engine was the Shay in question, another was an empire State Express Hudson.  I honestly forget which one worked vs. which one did not.

I think there is also possibly the "not all Proto 1 are created equal" aspect of this.

-Dave

Agreed. My original Protosounds K4 did not like the club’s ZW-L transformers. It simply refused to come out of reset. It worked fine with my Z-4000 at home.

However, so far all of my other original Protosounds locomotives have responded without problems to the ZW-L.

Wow, thanks for the robust responses guys. I think for the sake of a couple engines I will just use a simple post war transformer with the Lionel standalone buttons to send the DC offset. I am sure at one point I will end up with the z-4000, but that point is not until at least tax return time.

Well, as luck would have it the engine ran on a CW-80 and the bell, whistle, smoke, and decoupler all worked. The only issue is there are three spots in the track where it seems like its stalling. I need to investigate further to see if its mechanical or electrical because I am running it on O36 with a min. recommended of O42 but the way it cuts out certainly seems electrical. Does the same thing with a post war transformer.

The MTH Z4000 is the best choice. Unlike older ZW transformers the Z4000 has much quicker and thus safer circuit breakers. Remember, the Proto-1 Shay is one of the engines vulnerable to the scrambled chip problem so always use a recently charged battery or better yet purchase a BCR1 from J and W Electronics and never have a battery issue again. Also, the Z4000 allows you to reset and program your Proto-1 engines. It is just the best **** transformer on the market and has been for over 20 years.