Hogwarts Express 5972 - Intermittent run - Odd behavior with pickup/reverse

Sounds like something odd with the CW-80.  If the handle is fully closed, there should be no voltage on the track.  No voltage on the track should equal no lights.

The CW80 doesn't go to zero volts if I recall correctly.  Clean your pickup rollers and wheels.

Put a lighted car on the track with the engine.

Let’s try to troubleshoot this in basic steps.

So you put the 5972 on the track and apply power and the light comes on. When you push the direction button with the throttle still on, it doesn’t change direction? (You are aware that you can’t reliably use the CW-80 throttle itself to change direction, right?)

If that’s the case, there is a malfunction.

But when you lift the loco slightly to interrupt power, it cycles out of neutral. Are you then lowering it back on the track while the wheels are still turning or have you interrupted the power again to cycle it back to neutral?

If you kept the powered applies with the wheels still turning and it stopped as soon as you set it down, you have a locomotive problem.

Make sure the pickup roller is centered properly and is sitting on the center rail like it should.

Respond to these steps and tell us what happened and we can go from there.

Jim R. posted:

Let’s try to troubleshoot this in basic steps.

So you put the 5972 on the track and apply power and the light comes on. When you push the direction button with the throttle still on, it doesn’t change direction? (You are aware that you can’t reliably use the CW-80 throttle itself to change direction, right?)

If that’s the case, there is a malfunction.

But when you lift the loco slightly to interrupt power, it cycles out of neutral. Are you then lowering it back on the track while the wheels are still turning or have you interrupted the power again to cycle it back to neutral?

If you kept the powered applies with the wheels still turning and it stopped as soon as you set it down, you have a locomotive problem.

Make sure the pickup roller is centered properly and is sitting on the center rail like it should.

Respond to these steps and tell us what happened and we can go from there.

That about sums it up - I am familiar with CW-80 operation.

I think the wheels start spinning as the collector makes contact with the center rail - set it down and off it goes...takes a few tries sometimes. Once running - if I stop or push the direction button - that kills the loco again.

I do some cleaning - wear looks minimal.

Sounds like a malfunctioning CW-80, which would not be unusual. Any chance you can get your hands on another power source to confirm that?

grfd59 posted:

Put a lighted car on the track with the engine.

 

This is an interesting suggestion - I noticed once its running - and I shut off the throttle - the headlight goes dark (as you would expect) - but then pops right back on.

Could it be this was setup to not run without the tender on the tracks?

(I dont have the tender - sorry I left that detail out)

Roving Sign posted:

grfd59 posted:

Put a lighted car on the track with the engine.

 

This is an interesting suggestion - I noticed once its running - and I shut off the throttle - the headlight goes dark (as you would expect) - but then pops right back on.

Could it be this was setup to not run without the tender on the tracks?

(I dont have the tender - sorry I left that detail out)

We're onto something here!

I put a lighted caboose on the track - and the headlight on the loco turns off.

Apply throttle - and off she goes!

Reverse doesn't work though...pretty sure this has reverse - seems like I could get it run in reverse using the jiggle method.

What position is the reverse switch in, on or off, in the cab? I’m assuming this is the older conventional model, not the LionChief. 

You do NOT need to have the tender connected to run the locomotive electrically. (Obviously, since the tender has the coupler, you need it to pull a train).

The purpose of putting a lighted car on the track is to smooth up the cut-wave output of the transformer or to absorb the low voltage the transformer puts out even with the throttle off.

My Hogwarts Express Hall locomotive, from set #7-11020, runs fine without the tender or any lighted cars, all powered by an 80-watt Lionel transformer (even with a CW-80).