Operating track

What transformer are you using?

Double check the wiring from the controller to the operating track. The operating track should work unless either it or the controller is defective.

Larry

Hi Larry,  I am using a model 1033 90Watt transformer.  The transformer was operating tracks on the same oval be a problem.  Everything worked when I picked it up last Friday.  I have the red wire from the Fasttrack Power track hooked to the A post on the transformer and the black wire to the U post.  The locomotive runs great but no sound from the tender when the orange handle on the transformer is used.  I am wondering, if the problem is with the operating tracks, they are brand new.  None of the buttons work on either of them.  I also noticed that the locomotive will cycle from forward to reverse and back again, if the throddle is moved up and down rapidly but not when the orange handle is used.  Help !!!

PS:  Where in NYC are you.  I grew up in Brooklyn and Queens.

You need to tell us if anything at all is new age equipment here. Otherwise we might chase the wrong goose. 

Always include this info. A 50s milk car and modern ones are two different animals. Same with engines, tenders(whistle) and transformers.

The PW whistle should work no matter how it is wired. The old stuff doesn't really care if you mix it up. New stuff whistle/ bell would be opposite of what the buttons say if mixed up. Some new and old equipment both are more stubborn than others. 

Do you have a volt/ohm meter? (helpful but often not needed to succeed)

The whistle and track issues are almost surely seperate issues.

Lets focus on the whistle first. Post war uses a heavy motor to whistle. Its relay picks up if it sees one half of an ac as smaller than the next (12v pos. then 10v neg, etc. {normal would be 12v+ then 12v- at 60 times a second(hertz)} It doesnt care if the neg. or pos wave is stronger, just sees a difference and pulls the contacts. Because the large motor also draws a lot of electricity, the transformer also boosts the voltage 5v so the engine does not slow, or stall. (new stuff skips the boost. It is more efficient and doesn't need it.)

   The pw 1033 whistle button is a staged switch, not just off and on. It's output changes quickly as you move the handle through its paces. It does this because once the whistle and relay are active, they don't need as much power. (most items draw power hardest as they attempt to get moving from a dead stop)

    Try to turn the handle very slowly and note what happens at the track. Did bulbs grow brighter at any point? Did the relay click in the tender? Did the whistle try to start then died off? Better with no engine on the track; just the tender? (actually, I would test without the engine, using a lit car, test bulb or meter...the engine is pw and ok right? If so, it really isn't even needed here.

you say you lived in bklyn and queens if you live close to me i live in bklyn i am willing to come to you to solve your problem no charge just like to meet new train people and promote the hobby

Jkohan posted:

 I recently gave my post war Lionel O gauge to my grandson.  I used Fasttrack to build a basic oval layout.  The train runs but the Fasttrack operating track does not.  The tender also does not make any sound.  Locomotive and tender were reconditioned at a Lionel Service Center.  Tender was required and Imsaw it work at the service center.  I have 2 Fasttrack Operationg section in the layout.  Is this causing a problem.  When I try to uncouple nothing happens, also milk car does not respond.  I need help !

 

This Lionel tutorial may help. 

https://youtu.be/xUen9ktP92M

The new and old systems work together fairly well for horn- whistle/bell. However they do differ slightly. I have pw that will not respond to new transformers, and new engines that won't respond to post war power.

The reason is likely the shape of the waves. PW and modern each use a slightly different technique to get the offset voltage.

(I tend to keep things simple as the general understanding is more useful to a novice at first. I used to have to give a dozen teens a year or more a 2hr crash course that would allow them to be able to pull of arcade gaming assistance beyond " here is a token" with one hand, and an out of order sign in the other. Call me out if I soar too high, or sink too low explaining).

  I just choose what runs where if I really want that sound that day. I also added diodes on a homeade button to work the new engines whistle/bell with my pw transformers 100% reliably. (only 1 new transformer, designated to accessory power since it has no boost effect and I run more postwar anyhow.)

Also note using PW power gives the new engines a boost they don't need. A 5v boost can cause "dangerous" speed if applied to an engine that only needs 6-9v to run normally.

The offset wave of ac is better known as a dc offset because the offset portion can be measured as pulsed dc flowing only one direction. The sine wave final shape mentioned has less of a wave, looking more like a cliff vs a hill (hill is old; "pure sine"). New components tend to chop fast rather than ease into things.

   The tutorial appears to be command orientated, I think he is running conventionally, though the verdict is still out on that.

  Just a note: Adding an email address to your profiles makes contacting one another easier. Only members can see the profiles. Using an email alias account, or a free "throwaway" address just for forums etc, would add another layer of anonymity and seperate it from other business or family mail. If that one does get spammed up (never has here), just delete that address and start another.

  It will also keep the low chance of your account at ogrf being hacked at, even lower. Outlook has alias accounts, Turbomail developed the mail protocals, and then theres Gmail too I guess...and even more free ones if you search.