Need help with 022 PW switches

Have you taken the screws out of bottom and looked inside.

Pingman: You need to pop the switch cover off the solenoid mechanism (2 screws on the bottom) and clean about 50 or 60 years of accumulated dust/junk/whatever out of there. You should also clean the sliding contacts off with some alcohol on a thin piece of cardboard to clean them up - think matchbook cover cardboard here.

Once you get all the gunk and junk out of the operating mechanism, it should work reliably again. While the operating module is removed from the base of the switch, make sure the swivel rails move freely, if not free them up as well. Also clean the two contact pins on the bottom of the turnout base that make the electrical connection with the solenoid base when installed. Once the operating solenoid is clean and free to move and the swivel rails are free, the turnout should "snap" closed both ways with 12 to 15 volts applied. Be sure you line the "pin" on the solenoid slide with the hole in the swivel rails when re-installing it.

As it happens, Olsen's Library has the Service Manual portion dealing with 022's which includes a discussion of diagnosing and fixing problems.  Should be able to at least test and diagnose what's going on with these switches:

http://pictures.olsenstoy.com/searchcd31.htm?itm=673

D&H; THANK YOU for your very helpful reply; I was typing when you posted.  I'll let you know how it turns out.

pingman: Should have mentioned there are two screws that let the entire operating solenoid detach from the turnout and two more screws that let you remove the phenolic cover itself.

Pingman:

I put the procedure I used when I serviced a bunch of O22 some years ago on my family's website.

I don't know if what I did was 100% correct, but the performance of the switches improved afterward.  I would be interested in hearing from others regarding anything I missed or did wrong.

HTH and thanks.

Steven J. Serenska

Just looked thru your website.  Now I see where you got the idea for my little layout.

Thanks very much by the way. I'm slowly starting to buy some switches and I have the milk car and platform. Starting to look for coal cars, log cars, log loaders etc. I expect to get started laying track just before NEW YEARS. 

Marry Christmas to you and your happy family.

Steve, very nice website, and it's great to see your kids getting some valuable train and life lessons.

My suggestions, regarding the switches, is to also test the bulb and lantern installed in the switch, as well as the direct voltage plug.  You surely used the plug when testing the switch's action, but isn't mentioned in your otherwise very comprehensive procedure.

Also, if you are using the LIONEL switch controllers, it's a good idea to test these as well as inspect them for frayed wires, bulbs working, soldered connections are solid, etc.

As it happens, I've just about finished my work on all of the troublesome 022 switches.  Fortunately, I only have three pairs to deal with.  I didn't see your reply in this thread until just now.  I didn't do them in the same order as you describe in the link you supplied, but when finished, they should give many years of good service.

Pingman,

   Carl Lionel 022 switches definitely take a lot of voltage to run properly, one of the ways to help the switches run with lower voltage is to replace the 2 bulbs in the switch controllers and the bulb in each individual switch itself, with LED's, this helped my large layout big time. 

PCRR/Dave

Dave, that's an excellent suggestion.  Can you supply a product name/number and vendor?  It's only six switches of which I know four will be put to use by the recipient, but I'd like to save as much voltage as possible for the solenoid. 

SUCCESS, mostly.  Two pairs work great at 14 volts, including the non-derailing feature (and coincidentally the recipient needs only two pairs for a planned layout).  Two switches required some soldering assistance for the diverging path outside rail.

The two other switches work fine at 16 volts.  They will get some more attention this evening.  The controllers needed zero work.

So Monday a.m. I expect to have three pairs of 022 switches on their way as a belated Christmas gift.  Thanks to all who helped me here, including a recent soldering post referencing the Jim Barrett tutorial on soldering, and Olsen's Library.