lionel 282 gantry crane

See wiring information with photos at the bottom of my web page, Adapt Modern 282 Controller for Postwar Crane.

on the bottom of the controller..there is a white and red wire.  Which is ground and which is hot?

thanks

Ed

Hi Ed, Red is almost always your "hot" color.

Black is usually ground but in this case it seems the white one would be your ground. HTH

Paul

Ed, it sounds like you have a postwar crane with the flat 5 wire cable that has been cut between the crane and controller (common occurrence).  The gray cable was added by the original owner.  You will need to number your 5 wire cables as shown on my web page.  In addition to the five wire cable use two wires to connect controller to transformer (polarity doesn't matter).

See the 282 wiring information in booklet shown below.  Page 25 of the pdf file.

Thanks...but I tried to connect  the wires correctly due to a schematic sent to me showing the motor and the wire colors..but it was a little too difficult to distinguish...and when I turned it on..the crane rotated when it was supposed to go up and down...I am going to try again tomorrow.  Thanks sooo much.  the help given by this forum is wonderful.  My 497 coaling station is awesome..and soon my crane will be going fine...( I hope) thanks Susan.  I'll let you know when I am running smooth.  

ED

I tried to connect the wires again.  I traced each color wire ...from #1 to 5...then I laid down the strip of the 5 wire controller...and started at one end of the strip...and connected the wires in order from 1 to 5.  The only controller that worked was the one on the left that was supposed to raise and lower the crane..but it made it turn counter clockwise only...it did not work going clockwise.  The other two controllers did  nothing.  The I reversed the wires going th other way form one to 5...and I got the exact same result.  Any thoughts out there?  It worked last year before I took apart the layout and reconnected everything.By the way..the picture of the wiring was great and showed very distinctly which wires were numbered one through 5.

Thanks Ed Roth

How about some pictures of your controller contact arrangement with the wires connected? And the crane bottom side. We may be able to see something you may be missing.

How do I upload pictures to the forum?

Ed

When you post a response click on the “add attachment” at the bottom right. Then select “photo library” . Then select the photo, only one at a time, that you want to attach. Then the above grey box, after it has loaded select finished.

Think about how the crane is supposed to work, then figure out what is wrong based on what is actually happening. The lever on the right turns the magnetic on and off. That is all it does.  The lever on the left makes the motor turn one direction, the other direction and shuts the motor off in the center. The center lever operates the clutch that sorts between upper and down and boom rotate left and right.  So get the magnetic to turn on and off.  Then get the motor to turn one way then the other, then shut off in the center. With the center lever, the clutch lever, in the center position, the clutch solonoid should be off.  The motor lever should make the crane rotate.  Then with the center lever in the on position the clutch should energize and cause the hook to go up and down.

Thanks a lot.  I've got the magnet..and the rotation working.  The solenoid goes on... but doesn't raise or lower the boom.  My friend who sold it to me...has taken it... to check on the solenoid.   One more thing.  The string that comes through the top pulley...and connects its hook to the magnet...has broken.  Does that string go through the unit?  And does that string go up and down with one of the controllers. Thanks soooo. much. You guys are great.

Ed Roth