Lionel BW-80 Transformer

How are you measuring voltage? At the track or at the output from the brick?

How well will the transformer push a train? That what matters most. 

I can't figure out what could be wrong with it and what if anything is fixable. 

I measured at output from the brick to be sure there wasn't some voltage drop in the track.  I haven't hooked it up to a train yet and have enough transformers (with my recent PW ZW purchase) to get by without it.  I'm thinking of just hooking it up to yard lights.

Because you mention you are isolating the transformer from the track it sounds like you are measuring at the red & black posts...  how about measuring just the part you plug into the wall, without the controller?

That should be 17.9-18 volts.   The voltage coming out of the controller at the red & black posts will only read about 14 volts depending on which meter you use, even if it's working properly.

Rob - Thanks for your help and advice.  I did what you said, and you're right, I'm getting 18+ volts out of the plug from the brick before plugging it into the controller.  Out of the controller, however, I'm only getting 14V as measured at the black and red posts and on the tracks. 

This surprises me because the throttle's numbering goes up to 22 as if to imply 22V maximum. 

In some respects, if 14V is the max, that has some appeal to me on the Christmas layout because the kids like to open the ZW's throttles full which puts out 19.5V on the tracks and has the trains screaming around the tracks.  But, I'm thinking the BW won't work with my permanent layout (in process) in the basement since I'm hooking up TMCC.

I don't know if the BW controller uses phase control (often called chopping) to vary the voltage, in the same way as the CW-80, if so most common voltage/mutimeters will not give an accurate voltage reading. To get an accurate voltage reading from a phase control controller, you will need a TRUE RMS voltage meter. The "Brick" is probably putting out a pure sine wave current, which a common meter will read accurately, but the BW CONTROLLER is using phase control to adjust the voltage, which is confusing your meter, and causing the differences in output readings between the brick and the controller.

Doug

Hi Rob, IIRC, You are familiar with Bob Nelson (Lionelsoni) on another forum, Bob had mapped out the various TRUE values for the indicated  values when measuring the voltages from chopped wave transformers with common meters, seems that the readings were fairly predictable/consistent with most meter/transformer combinations. Did You happen to save a copy of Bob's chart, by any chance? I wish that I had.

Doug

The trains run as well on the BW at 14.5V as with the ZW reading 18.9.  I'm guessing the BW is putting out a chopped sine wave which you've explained to be confusing to my ordinary voltmeter.  I had watch a Mike Reagan video explaining the difference, but didn't put 2 and 2 together.  I had never actually measured the track voltage with the BW on my prior layout; if I had, I bet it was 14.5V then, too.  As I see it right now, I probably don't have a problem....thanks for the explanation.  Scott