Lionel Smoking Caboose Shorts Out

When you said you disconnected the blinking light, did you disconnect the bulb from the board, or did you disconnect the circuit board from the power supply?

Take note: Don't make it more complex than it is. I bulb removal clears the short-replace the bulb.

Disconnected the bulb from the board.  

I have a 'BIG NAME' brandee illuminated, smoking caboose, with blinking end lamps, which somehow shorted and caused smoke to come from under the cab.

I was using the prescribed 18 volts for the fancy new locomotive I have and the cab wires, from the pick-up, to the lamps, fried!!!

When, I checked the wiring from the pick-up, I noticed that the contact lug seemed too long and was bent downward, evidently touching the (bus bar) center rail.

The transformer circuit breaker did not trip quick enough at the time, now I use extry circuit breaker protection.

Thank GOD nothing else was damaged!

After, having the cab rewired and $30.00 some odd dollars later, I had my cab up and running, as it should have been!

Somehow, 'Quality Control' did NOT do such a good job.

From then on, before I buy, I check the under carriage of electrical goodies, which for the most part is easy enough to see.

Ralph 

Does the lamp behave when the smoke unit is off?

Looking at the parts list for 6-17613 the bulb is unavailable and the socket and wires have a new part number. second page. don't know what bulb goes in that one.

Sounds like the bulb shorted. unusual, but it does happen. When you replace the bulb, remember it is a 6volt bulb.

I have a lighted caboose from the same time frame and it was shorting out at the truck assembly. The center rail pick-up was shorting out against the truck frame, and burnt up the plastic in the truck assembly so bad I had to replace the whole truck assembly. I used it on DCS command control.

FYI, be careful when using lighted cabooses with command control systems.

Lee Fritz

Is this a command layout? 16v is still high for an older caboose that was designed to be run under conventional voltages which are way below 16v, unless your running at blazing speed with a long set of passenger cars.

 I think even some modern cabooses are questionable as to whether they can handle the voltage. Some K line cabooses have a switch for command voltage operation.

I have fairly new Lionel caboose that crackled and popped when I tried the smoke, it now stays off.