Help with Transformer

search the bay. plenty of used transformers, and a good bit have been refurbished.

 Dkokoszka,

That is a really good price on that ZW. I would grab it while it is available. I have two of these modern ZW's and they work great. Don't worry about parts.

It just looked a little cheap. The housing is plastic and it was very lite.

Not sure how old it is as well. Looked a little beat up.

Thank your youR input.  Still undecided.

You could buy two KWs for about $50-75 each.  They are 190 watts each.  I have 4 of them and have replaced some of the rollers and power cords.  I expect them to last more than 20 years before they need service again.

You could use a garden transformer. Here is one example. 12 volts AC will run most accessories and lighting.

LINK

Here is a post where I used one to light a larger layout

LINK2

Dale H

If you are running all Lionchief all you need is one 180 W brick which will give you a whole 10 amps to play with for your lights and trains.

 LC or LC+ needs 18V constant power. AC or DC. Bricks are AC.

I just bought a molex connector, attached it to a teminal track and it works perfect. The breaker on the brick is all you need for circuit protection.

You could also molex to a terminal block for power drops, etc.

In this case the ZW case is lighter because there is no transformer in it. Thus the 2 bricks.

PW transformers will supply plenty of power for what you want. Remember though that PW does not have both whistle and bell controls. Only one or the other.

I think he mentioned he was running all Lionchief so all the bells and whistles will be on his remotes.

Yes he did but somewhere down the road he might just want to have those features on his transformer.

My understanding is that he just wants to run lighting and accessories. The 18v from a brick alone is too much voltage.

Dale H

All Lionel RTR Lionchief sets are powered by an constant 18V wall pack.  I don't think they would sell sets you cannot add any accessories to. At least I've never seen a disclaimer.

I have the older version of that ZW - Postwar Celebration series from 1998.  Its still running fine after 15 years.  The controller is light because the actual transformer is in the two bricks.  The transformer allows you to add 2 more bricks if you need more power for a grand total of 720 watts (180 watts per channel).  You can't beat a price of $250.  As long as the dealer guarantees  that it works, I would buy it.  This is modern power with built in short circuit protection which is far better than any postwar transformer.  It will easily handle lights and accessories.  I would pick this over a postwar transformer.

Thank you all for your posts.  

So 250.00 for a used zw with the 2 bricks is a good buy? 

I though I read somewhere they had issues?

Also if it breaks, can I get it repaired?

Are parts still available?

Also on the KW you have three accessory voltages that can be used as well as two train controls with a whistle control. The only down side is that you may have to upgrade the whistle control circuit for use with newer Lionel engines.

There is a post war Z transformer with 250 watts that has four controls for running four trains from it, but no whistle control. Can also use it for accessory power or lights.

Lee Fritz