post war Lionel whistle tender fix

Just a silly question - you are powering your track with AC, not DC? Some Lionel form the 80s was DC operated, and I think the LionChief power supplies are DC as well.

If you are powering with AC, it could be the relay is stuck - couldn't hurt to remove the shell and visually see what is going on - maybe a little contact cleaner or lube would help.

Sometimes the whistle relay becomes magnetized. I've had success with a couple of methods. One is to tap the relay with a small hammer. If that fails, I put a piece of scotch or magic tape across the bottom of the relay. If it's indeed magnetized, I've never had that fail to remedy it.

Roger

bmoran4 posted:

Just a silly question - you are powering your track with AC, not DC? Some Lionel form the 80s was DC operated, and I think the LionChief power supplies are DC as well.

If you are powering with AC, it could be the relay is stuck - couldn't hurt to remove the shell and visually see what is going on - maybe a little contact cleaner or lube would help.

AC KW loinel postwar transformer,

relay NOT stuck. as soon as I put power to track relay activates.

POPI, thanks for the information. If the relay is reacting to straight AC and you verified this visually and saw the contacts make connection, then I would replace the relay. The WSR-1 relay is likely what you need and is available from various parts suppliers, but it can be more cost effective to buy another tender in less than stellar cosmetic shape and pull the part.

If you want to dig deeper, Olsen's has publicly published the service documents that you can dive into:

http://www.olsenstoy.com/searchcd31.htm?itm=708

Did you try a different transformer or a different tender with the same transformer to rule out the KW?

Or, try powering with the C-D posts or D-U posts  to eliminate the whistle circuit as a cause.

I agree with Roger1, try different xfmr or see if another like kind tender whistles on the track

You can put a DC volt meter across the rails and see if there is any DC on the track from any source. Is it possible that your house power is not 60 cycle?  Whistle relays will operate continuously on lower AC frequencies. 

ALL good advice!

Here is another possibility. Too long of a screw that holds the insulator/ solder lug stack to the relay. If the screw is too long, say it is from a diesel horn relay instead of a whistle relay, the screw will pierce the brown paper wrapped around the coil and partially short the coil to ground and that would short the impeadance  of the relay and close on it's own. Try loosening the screw slightly and see if that solves the problem.

Could the whistle motor be wired directly to one of the pick up rollers? The whistle motor runs on AC power.

Richard

Richard Gonzales posted:

Could the whistle motor be wired directly to one of the pick up rollers? The whistle motor runs on AC power.

Popi posted:

...as soon as I put power to track relay activates.

Ok,

I guess you have also held open the relay with a screwdriver to see if the whistle stops operating?

I wonder if the relay was wired incorrectly at sometime in the past. Although it is a D.C. Relay it sounds as if there is something wrong with the wiring.

Let us know how the whistle is ultimately repaired.

Richard

Check your wireing, once i was doing a complete rewireing on my tender and it did same thing as yours.