In Search of 2203B Instruction sheet or Parts List

You have to be careful when you mix prewar and postwar switchers. For prewar switchers one wire connect the center rail collectors in the loco and the tender. I think this was done to help the switcher get over a 0-72 turnout. On the post war switchers, which all had just four drive wheels, the engine to tender wire is the outside rail connection. This was done to help the short wheel base loco get through 0-22 turnouts.  If a prewar switcher is plugged into a post war tender, without some modifications, there is a dead short. If the tender has a second wire, that is there to operate the locos front coupler from the accessory shoe on the tender. If the tender has a third wire, usually green, that is to operate the e-unit from a slug relay in the tender. This was known as “teledyne” reversing. This was not common, found in prewar switchers 232 and 233. I do not recall it this was ever offered in the 20x switchers with the parallel plate motors.

The prewar 201 (0-6-0) and 1663 (0-4-0) had Magic-electrol (Lionel terminology) DC controlled reversing, Teledyne was operating couplers with the same DC relay. 2203 tender would have 2 wires, locomotive ground and front coupler control. It will work with a 1656.

Thank You all.

So, where does the wire plug into on the 1656?

What makes the bell operate ?

Appreciate the help..

The bell has a switch under the tender to turn it on and off. The tender has its own center rail roller to pick up power for the bell. There is a bi-metallic strip wrapped with ni-chrome wire to heat it. That does not turn off with the bell and should be operating all the time when there is power to the tender. If the bell is not working, look at the bi-metallic strip and see if it is opening and closing the contact that makes the bell ring.   The ni-chrome wire can be replaced if it is broken.  The ni-chrome wire is wrapped around a small strip of asbestos.  Do not loose the asbestos, that would be hard to replace.  It is difficult to solder ni-chrome so Lionel attached it by crimping it in connections made up with eyelets. These connections can be a problem with age.  I have polished the wire and replaced the eyelet to get these to work again.

I had to make a spreadsheet of pre/postwar 0-4-0 and 0-6-0 switchers and their tenders to keep it all straight.

The 2203B has a bell.  There is a switch like an e-unit switch to turn the bell on and off.  There is no 3rd rail pickup.  It has a 5th rail pickup for the coupler activation.

There are 2 wires, one may be missing.     Looking from the back of the tender, the left wire is connected to the coupler pickup.  So the engine and tender coupler could both be fired when the tender was on a 5th pickup rail. 

The right wire in Pre-war 2203B was a power wire, to get power from the engine.   the pre-war short slope back tenders did not have a center rail pickup so they needed power to run the light and bell.   The bell is triggered at 5-15 second intervals from a thermo switch under under the light.   It needs to be on and powered for about 30 seconds for the first ring.  The bells are not loud.   Often cannot be heard when the train is moving. 

The Postwar 1656 is wired for the front coupler same as the pre-war.  Again looking from the back, The left wire is the coupler.   The  "center "wire connector is a ground.  It used a 6403B postwar short slop back tender that has it's own 3rd rail pickup.  Why post war didn't make this power and connect to the 6403B 3rd rail pickup, I don't know.  Many rewire them this way.   

So if you want to run the 2203B, it has to have power.  If you are upgrading to postwar couplers, then add a 3rd rail pickup also and wire it like a postwar 6403B.   Or you need to rewire the 1656 to output power on the "center" connector. 

I will see if I can dig up my schematics.