Polar Express Gateman

You must have the activator section in between the two insulated track sections. It sounds as if you dont and are sending constant track power to the accessory.  See the video here for setup.

https://www.lionel.com/product...-track-pack-6-81317/

@jcmyers posted:

The gateman is attached to a activator track in the layout.  When the train proceeds over the activator track the shack light will go on and off properly, but the gateman will not exit out of the shack.

The activator track is working properly.  I know this because the Elf Tug of War accessory  works properly when plugged into the activtor track.-#1 the Elf tug of war is way less current draw and not anywhere near being voltage sensitive compared to the gateman.

YES, true the basic function of the activator track appears to be working, because ALL the activator track does, is allows the wheels of your train- to connect whatever you have plugged into the track- to connect to the power source VIA those wheels and axle contact to the other rail.

The layout is essentially the same as last year and is a figure eight connected with a right and left switch track to a loop around the figure eight.  I do have several of the lighted Christman track in the layout.  The (Current) layout is powered by a CW-80 transformer.

Last year it was powered by a 72 watt power supply.  When the gateman is plugged into an accessory track and I power up the layout and before I use the controller to move the train the shack will light up and the gatemen exits the shack.  It will stay in this position even when I then move the train with the controller.  So I know the gateman works then.  I am confused why it will not work with the activator accessory.

"Last year it was powered by a 72 watt power supply." The reason why this is significant is that power supply is a KNOWN fixed voltage DC power supply.

You are NOW currently powering the track with a variable AC transformer CW80 and also, a note- the CW80, while listed as 18V on the label, due to the electronic control typically does not actually put out true 18V. See this topic https://ogrforum.com/...nel-cw-80-output-15v

The gateman is a solenoid coil activated accessory. This means there is a coil of wire around a tube, and a steel/iron plunger that gets pulled into this coil to make a motor to send out the gateman. Electromagnets strength is a factor of voltage and current through the magnet. If you lower the voltage, the current also follows and lowers- thus less power (Volts times Amps). That said, DC creates a stronger magnetic field in the coil than the exact same voltage AC. Also, Because the plunger is far out of the coil being attracted into the coil- that distance is the weakest point of attraction. It has to overcome the spring force and the friction of the mechanism, and be attracted so strongly to begin moving closer to the coil which then decreases the distance making the same attraction stronger. It's that initial push that has to get it moving- is also at the weakest point- so voltage and current through the coil matter.

Again, let's recap your system: You switched to a CW80 which may not be putting out the same voltage, but also being AC is slightly less power at the coil. Then, we are using an activator track that depends upon the very wheels of the train to carrying that track voltage from one outside rail, through the wheel, through the axle, through the other wheel to the rail of the activator track and out the wiring to the operating gateman. Each contact point is resistance- so depending on how clean your wheels and rails are, the weight of the car on the rails comes into play. But wait, we aren't done yet. You added another specialized piece of track into the mix. The special lighted Christmas tracks are also using isolated rail on one side to activate the lights in that section of track. They then depend heavily on the known to fail and be high resistance folded tab bus bar connects at each end of the lighted track- to connect both outer rails to the common.

Why the above is a special combination of things that can go wrong:

You may have lower voltage and power on the track even when the CW80 is turned all the way up compared to the DC fixed voltage of the Lionchief 72 Watt supply. This is especially true for the gateman. When you added lighted track sections- these are possible ways for further resistance and places where only one rail has common power is possible in your layout. Most standard track pieces also use bus bars to connect both outer rails- but because they too are folded tab connections- another resistance or open circuit point. So then we get to the activator track, which is ALSO isolated rail construction and heavily depends on the power coming into the one actual common rail on one side, and then the cleanliness and conductivity of the wheels and axles to get that power to the sensing isolated rail and out the wire to your accessory.

Bottom line- highly likely your gateman is simply not getting the voltage and current required to activate the solenoid coil to the magnetic strength required for it to overcome the friction and the spring and begin pulling in.

Again, there are dozens of ways this can go wrong:

Not enough power feeding into the system (voltage from the CW80 and lesser effect of AC VS DC on a magnetic solenoid style coil). So again, AC VS DC, and possibly lesser source voltage.

Lighted track sections can impact overall track connectivity and add resistance to the circuit. This is again because the lighted track sections only have one contiguous outer rail- the other being the isolated rail. yes, the bus bars and tabs are supposed to reduce this, but that is not a perfect system. This is the downside of this specific piece of track in a layout.

The activator track itself- just by nature- adds resistance to the circuit because of the way it senses-using the wheels of the train to carry the voltage and current from one outer rail to the other thus feeding the accessory being activated. This resistance can be worse with dirty wheels and track. Further, because again this section so heavily depends on a good outer rail connection on one side- if that somehow aligns to the non direct path of the outer rail on a lighted track section- there could be even worse than normal resistance.

The gateman itself can over time be damaged and require a lot more power for operation. Example the coil converts some of the energy to heat, however there is no fan, no heatsink, no airflow for cooling. It has a plastic center core tube. The more often the gateman is activated over and over and over as the train goes round and round- the hotter this is going to get and that can deform the tube and cause additional friction for the plunger trying to pull in. The grease and lubrication of the sliding points of the mechanism- the grease can age and the oil evaporates leaving sticky old grease remaining. This then requires more voltage and power to the coil to overcome this additional resistance.

A temporary layout of fastrack or any track system with pin contacts depending on the rail structure for making the electrical contact, can loosen up over time at each of those rail joints between track sections. this leads to high resistance or even intermittent connections and thus dead and slow spots on a given layout.Especially true the more the track is moved, handled, and taken apart and put together repeatedly can bend and open up the rail joints making them prone to problems and high resistance or just flat out open circuit no connection.

This additional resistance could hugely affect the operation of a voltage and current critical item like a gateman

Also, one last thing- The plug and play "standard" has 3 wires or pins and connections in the plugs and sockets. The idea being one common-connected to outside rail, one constant hot lead (center rail), and then one triggered lead- either connected using a switch to common, or in the case of activator isolated sensing rail track, the wheels of the cars connect between the outer rails closing the circuit.

I do not know how that gateman is wired but it might be 3 wire with both a constant and triggered used- constant intended for the lights and triggered intended for the coil.

@jcmyers posted:

The gateman is attached to a activator track in the layout.  When the train proceeds over the activator track the shack light will go on and off properly, but the gateman will not exit out of the shack.

I'm trying to play "what is new to the situation VS last year". I think you are implying that last year, this activator track and the gateman worked when also using the DC 72 Watt Lionchief supply.

This year, the changes are adding lighted fastrack sections, and switching from the DC 72 Watt supply last year, to CW80 AC power this year.

Example topics of the gateman and similar connections and problems.

https://ogrforum.com/...-plug-n-play-gateman

https://ogrforum.com/...gateman-item-6-82735

https://ogrforum.com/...6#182184738151981506

Thank you for all your replies.  Ultimately, I removed eight pieces of lighted track and cleaned the wheels on the engine, coal car and the passenger cars.  This solved the problem.  The gateman is now working properly.

Thanks again.