Mine has this interesting sticker on the bottom from Los Angeles Building and Safety. I put a new cord on it today. The solder point were a little differently located compare to a few i saw on Youtube.
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@TMack posted:Mine has this interesting sticker on the bottom from Los Angeles Building and Safety. I put a new cord on it today. The solder point were a little differently located compare to a few i saw on Youtube.
This may help: LIONEL TRAINS TRANSFORMER TYPE ZW
@Training Wheels Thanks. Looks like I have the variation D. 1952 -1958.
@TMack posted:Is there a way to determine the age of a PW ZW transformer?
Check this page: LIONEL TRAINS TRANSFORMER TYPE ZW
It gives you the manufacturing date ranges for the various iterations of the ZW. It even mentions the special California sticker.
@gunrunnerjohn posted:Check this page: LIONEL TRAINS TRANSFORMER TYPE ZW
It gives you the manufacturing date ranges for the various iterations of the ZW. It even mentions the special California sticker.
Day late and a dollar short, there, John 
@Training Wheels posted:This may help: LIONEL TRAINS TRANSFORMER TYPE ZW
@Training Wheels posted:Day late and a dollar short, there, John
No, I saved that dollar since I didn't have to spend it. 
How come its “a penny for your thoughts, and you have to put “your two cents in?”
@gunrunnerjohn posted:No, I saved that dollar since I didn't have to spend it.
Are you giving away dollars?……..I’m in………lol
The LA safety sticker brings up an interesting thought. Some of Southern California was 50 cycle until maybe as late as post war. I do not think I have ever seen a 50 cycle ZW. I think Lionel focused most of the odd voltages and frequencies on the R and RW transformer line.
The earliest versions of the ZW, from 1948, had only 250 watts. I believe that the 275 watt version that we all know was first issued in 1950, coinciding with Lionel’s 50 th anniversary.
The capacity of all the ZW transformers is the same. The difference between the 250 watt and the 275 watt transformers is the method used to rate them.
@RubinG posted:The earliest versions of the ZW, from 1948, had only 250 watts. I believe that the 275 watt version that we all know was first issued in 1950, coinciding with Lionel’s 50 th anniversary.
That was the input rating for each. The output was not changed discernibly... 190-200 watts output continuous.
Circling back to the OP. Going out on a limb here, it's possible the ZW was used in a public display and had to be inspected and approved by the building department. ZW's were not UL or CSA approved back in the day due to the high wattage rating. The wattage exceeded the rating for a toy transformer according to the UL safety standard.
@CSXJOE posted:Circling back to the OP. Going out on a limb here, it's possible the ZW was used in a public display and had to be inspected and approved by the building department. ZW's were not UL or CSA approved back in the day due to the high wattage rating. The wattage exceeded the rating for a toy transformer according to the UL safety standard.
Follow the link in my post from above and take a look at the description for Variation D.
@Training Wheels posted:This may help: LIONEL TRAINS TRANSFORMER TYPE ZW
TW:
Clears that up.
@CSXJOE. Sorry I don’t hav an answer for that.
Jamaica uses 50 cycle 110 and 220 volt power and my Lionel LW transformer work just swell. The 50 cycle power works well with most things like appliances but a few had slower running fans and could run hot. Window ACs and refrigerators had to have voltage step down transformers to keep them from running too hot. Idems like audio turntables had to have pulley or gear changes to keep the speed correct.
Charlie
Cool, I got gifted a 1948-49 ZW from a friend at work. It has the L.A. sticker which makes sense, he grew up just outside Berkley, His comment at the time was he sure had to mow a lot of yards to buy it back then. He also threw in a couple SF F3's and a couple 675's.
Mark
