I recently acquired the Lionel Cattle and Horse Accessories. The operation is at best erratic. I read some time ago that the action is better using a pad of some sort glued to the base of the cattle. Has anyone had any luck using something like this?
Thanks
Mark
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Mark I'd like to find out also since I have the same problem with my horse car.
They keep falling down or getting stuck in the horse car coming down the ramp. Not sure how that would work with the little rubber "fingers" on the bottom.
George
I improved the operation of my cattle and horses by cutting off the fingers and glueing on American Flyer 'felt', available from AF parts dealers, and others. Much improvement.
I believe the newer Lionel products now use the cloth.
I have a PostWar 3656 Stockyard Set and the modern re-issue Horse Corral set (6-36855) and both are some of my smoothest accessories.
I have them wired to a variable voltage transformer which is crucial. Sometimes they need a little boost of voltage to keep moving or get around a corner.
Adjusting the corral for smooth operation between 11 - 15 volts seems to be the sweet spot.
I found they work best when the channels the livestock move in are absolutely clean. I have had some dust settling in over those periods when I do have time to run trains which definitely affected operation.
Lastly, you may need to put a small shim under one or more corners for best operation.
It took some tinkering but once they are working smoothly they are cool accessories.
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