I posted about this old Lionel postwar floodlight about a month ago. I’ve been told to get wires called AWG 22 gauge solid wires. Now have them and I would like to know how long these wires have to be in order for them to work properly with my Lionel CW-80 transformer and the track itself. My track is Lionel’s fastrack.
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The wires need to be able to reach the power supply from the tower. Not sure what part is confusing you. If you connect to the track, the intensity of the lamps will vary according to the track voltage. If you connect to a constant voltage source, the lamps will not vary in intensity.
What is confusing me is the length the wires have to be so i can cut and strip them. Is there a require length for those two things?
Sorry, I have no answer to the first question, other than what I already suggested: they need to be cut to the length that you need to reach the power source from the accessory.
As far as the second question, are you asking how much insulation needs to be removed at the end of the wire?
Am I missing something here?
Are you powering the floodlight from the accessory terminals of the CW-80 ?
If so, as Arthur said, you need to cut the wires the length of the distance from where the floodlight will be located to where the CW-80 is located, plus about 2" for some "give". You might also need to add in the height of the floodlight tower, depending on where the wires attach to the floodlight.
You only need to strip about 1/2" off the transformer end of the wires to attach to the CW-80.
Let's start from the beginning, since you did not add to your first post from weeks ago, and started this new one............
If that is like many Lionel towers, the 8 lights need power to light - they use about 18 volts. The Lionel makers, connected the 8 lights with two terminating wires. One end of each wire is connected to the lights at the top - one of the wires needs to feed power to rack of lights, one one of them connects and then returns the power - to whatever is being used to power them. You seem to be using a transformer. The other ends of the two wires at the top, which you might note, runs down the tower, to the bottom. Read further down for where and how they connect.
This is basically how every lamp in your house works - power to the light bulb, and a return path back to the source. But if I were you, I would not cut the end off of an extension cord, strip the wires, connect the end of each wire to the lights, and then plug the cord into the 120V outlet. The lights would light....very, very briefly.
You could light the lights by connecting a wire to the + red on the transformer, and another wire to the - black on the transformer and setting it to some voltage, say 18 volts. You would (without letting the other ends of the wires touch each other) touch one side of the 8 light's connector with a red wire (or black your choice) and the other end of the second wire to the other side/connector of the 8 lights to see if they light. Your wires could be 14 or 16 or 18 or 22 gauge, if all is good they should light.
If the tower/8 lights still have original wires at the top connected to them, the factory put an in and out wire there, (2 wires) and ran them down the tower to the bottom!) and IF the factory wiring from light to light is still intact then they should light. So let us assume you have the lights that will light - YOU DID NOT STATE OTHERWISE.
If I recall, in the prior thread, someone instructed you to see if the wires at the top, ran down the tower, and connected to two metal connectors underneath. I do not have that tower but lionel probably used a friction connector that you detent or a post/nut connector. Either way, in your case, you need the ends of the wires to terminate/end some place at the base. No one wants to see 16 gauge wires running up the tower.
If you do NOT have two wires going from top to bottom, or your lights do not work if you connect the power to the top, you need to check back and ask more questions and get more information.
If you DO have lights that light when powered to the top, and also light when you touch the two connectors at the bottom, you have it made! You have a tower that works. The person who suggested that you get 22 gauge wires, may have been telling you that is what you need to go from top to bottom, but from the tower to the transformer, I would think lamp cord or 18 gauge would be better.
BUT...it sounds like you have a working tower, and are wondering how long the wires should be to light the tower. I base this on "I would like to know how long these wires have to be in order for them to work properly with my Lionel CW-80 transformer and the track itself." Again, I would not use 22 gauge, but you can.
If so, only you can figure that one out. In the example I used in the beginning where you put two wires on a power supply, and touch each end to the tower top to light it, the length of the wires depends on the distance the two items are apart. If you have each on a work bench, and the tower and the trans are two feet apart, then you need wires a tad over 2 feet. If the tower is in your kitchen, and the trans is in your bathroom, 30 feet away, you obviously need wires over 30 feet long.
Thus, put the working tower on the board/layout, THEN put the trans where you want it, and use two wires cut long enough (or several feet longer) to reach from T to T. (If your working tower is NOT working, then - AGAIN - we have another level of repair for you to tackle! Neat-O, huh?)
If you need to know how far back to cut off insulation at the wire end to connect, like Arthur asked, then get back.....I am sure he will enjoy helping you with that! As he said, I think you lost some of us, especially me.
Sidebar: If you are trying to hook the tower to the track so it lights while the train runs, I would not. Each time track power is cut, and returned, the tower will go off and on....not very realistic. Wire the tower to another trans, or the ACC outputs on the trans. Or put it to the track if you like that....same principle one wire to take electricity to the tower, one wire to bring it back.
In the time you waited for the wire to get to you (or you to it) you probably could have searched online for a simple wiring diagram for the tower, BUT again, the water has flown over that bridge, "like a broken down dam!"
Good luck. Keep us posted. More close up pictures always help! Greg
If you are having trouble getting these to light consistently, it is due to its design.
Power travels from the wire clips on the bottom to the light rack via the two metal rods. These rods corrode inhibiting contact at the clip and light rack points.
Polish these contact areas with a scotchbright pad until shiny. Also remove the bulbs (carefully) and clean the wires in them as well as the sockets they plug into.
This is a great accessory, IMHO, but needs this maintenance every once in a while
@TheRoyalHudson988 posted:I posted about this old Lionel postwar floodlight about a month ago. I’ve been told to get wires called AWG 22 gauge solid wires. Now have them and I would like to know how long these wires have to be in order for them to work properly with my Lionel CW-80 transformer and the track itself. My track is Lionel’s fastrack.
In case you couldn’t find your prior thread on this topic…
https://ogrforum.com/topic/postwar-accessory
@Lionelski posted:If you are having trouble getting these to light consistently, it is due to its design.
Power travels from the wire clips on the bottom to the light rack via the two metal rods. These rods corrode inhibiting contact at the clip and light rack points.
Polish these contact areas with a scotchbright pad until shiny. Also remove the bulbs (carefully) and clean the wires in them as well as the sockets they plug into.
This is a great accessory, IMHO, but needs this maintenance every once in a while
John, thank you for that! I could have saved a bunch of typing if I had that tower! I remember seeing another Lionel years ago that they used 2 rods!
No less, maybe he will have better luck getting it to work with your suggestion. Perhaps mine helped him with how long to cut the wires, along with the suggestion to wire it directly and not to the track. Best of luck to him in his venture. Greg
@cngw posted:Let's start from the beginning, since you did not add to your first post from weeks ago, and started this new one............
If that is like many Lionel towers, the 8 lights need power to light - they use about 18 volts. The Lionel makers, connected the 8 lights with two terminating wires. One end of each wire is connected to the lights at the top - one of the wires needs to feed power to rack of lights, one one of them connects and then returns the power - to whatever is being used to power them. You seem to be using a transformer. The other ends of the two wires at the top, which you might note, runs down the tower, to the bottom. Read further down for where and how they connect.
This is basically how every lamp in your house works - power to the light bulb, and a return path back to the source. But if I were you, I would not cut the end off of an extension cord, strip the wires, connect the end of each wire to the lights, and then plug the cord into the 120V outlet. The lights would light....very, very briefly.
You could light the lights by connecting a wire to the + red on the transformer, and another wire to the - black on the transformer and setting it to some voltage, say 18 volts. You would (without letting the other ends of the wires touch each other) touch one side of the 8 light's connector with a red wire (or black your choice) and the other end of the second wire to the other side/connector of the 8 lights to see if they light. Your wires could be 14 or 16 or 18 or 22 gauge, if all is good they should light.
If the tower/8 lights still have original wires at the top connected to them, the factory put an in and out wire there, (2 wires) and ran them down the tower to the bottom!) and IF the factory wiring from light to light is still intact then they should light. So let us assume you have the lights that will light - YOU DID NOT STATE OTHERWISE.
If I recall, in the prior thread, someone instructed you to see if the wires at the top, ran down the tower, and connected to two metal connectors underneath. I do not have that tower but lionel probably used a friction connector that you detent or a post/nut connector. Either way, in your case, you need the ends of the wires to terminate/end some place at the base. No one wants to see 16 gauge wires running up the tower.
If you do NOT have two wires going from top to bottom, or your lights do not work if you connect the power to the top, you need to check back and ask more questions and get more information.
If you DO have lights that light when powered to the top, and also light when you touch the two connectors at the bottom, you have it made! You have a tower that works. The person who suggested that you get 22 gauge wires, may have been telling you that is what you need to go from top to bottom, but from the tower to the transformer, I would think lamp cord or 18 gauge would be better.
BUT...it sounds like you have a working tower, and are wondering how long the wires should be to light the tower. I base this on "I would like to know how long these wires have to be in order for them to work properly with my Lionel CW-80 transformer and the track itself." Again, I would not use 22 gauge, but you can.
If so, only you can figure that one out. In the example I used in the beginning where you put two wires on a power supply, and touch each end to the tower top to light it, the length of the wires depends on the distance the two items are apart. If you have each on a work bench, and the tower and the trans are two feet apart, then you need wires a tad over 2 feet. If the tower is in your kitchen, and the trans is in your bathroom, 30 feet away, you obviously need wires over 30 feet long.
Thus, put the working tower on the board/layout, THEN put the trans where you want it, and use two wires cut long enough (or several feet longer) to reach from T to T. (If your working tower is NOT working, then - AGAIN - we have another level of repair for you to tackle! Neat-O, huh?)
If you need to know how far back to cut off insulation at the wire end to connect, like Arthur asked, then get back.....I am sure he will enjoy helping you with that! As he said, I think you lost some of us, especially me.
Sidebar: If you are trying to hook the tower to the track so it lights while the train runs, I would not. Each time track power is cut, and returned, the tower will go off and on....not very realistic. Wire the tower to another trans, or the ACC outputs on the trans. Or put it to the track if you like that....same principle one wire to take electricity to the tower, one wire to bring it back.
In the time you waited for the wire to get to you (or you to it) you probably could have searched online for a simple wiring diagram for the tower, BUT again, the water has flown over that bridge, "like a broken down dam!"
Good luck. Keep us posted. More close up pictures always help! Greg
I got this a gift from my family and I attempted to hook it up and it just didn’t light up.
I just hooked up the new wires to my transformer and the lights don’t turn on. Is this because of how old the lights are? By the way, here is my connection.
@TheRoyalHudson988 posted:I just hooked up the new wires to my transformer and the lights don’t turn on. Is this because of how old the lights are?
See my earlier post several above.
Do this and your issue should be fixed
If you are connecting one wire from one transformer post to one clip on the tower, and another wire from the other transformer post to the other tower clip, the thing should work.. Theres not much to this accessory. If it doesnt light up then there must be an issue with either 1) the tower's connection from the clip to the conducting rods up the center and to the light bank or 2) the tower's connection from the conducting rods to the the light bank or 3) the tower's connections to the light bulb sockets or 4) every light bulb is burnt out. Other than that unless you forgot to plug the transformer into the wall it should work.
@Lionelski posted:Polish these contact areas with a scotchbright pad until shiny. Also remove the bulbs (carefully) and clean the wires in them as well as the sockets they plug into.
Your advice is good, and should work.....unless every bulb is burned out. Or, the lead from one socket to the other is broken. I am not sure if someone isn't playing a prank on us here!
I just hooked up the new wires to my transformer and the lights don’t turn on. Is this because of how old the lights are?
Yes, it could be that the bulbs are so old and burned out they will NEVER light. The sockets, the wires, your connection.....all good, but bad bulbs. Disconnect your wires from the tower, take out each bulb, with the trans half way up, touch one trans bare wire to the metal side of the bulb, touch the other bare wire end from the transformer to the center lead dot on the bulb bottom. If you see light, it is a good bulb. Do this with the other 7. Then get back with info. Someone will tell you how to test a good bulb in a single socket. You may just have a pile of junk that you can't fix.....but it could be a nice board decoration! Have a great weekend, and good luck. (you might want to get a cheap VOM and ask someone to tell you how to use it. HF has them cheap)
I have resisted typing the messages that I generally ask (and have often been taken to task for typing) when a person comes here with a basic electrical problem:
DO YOU HAVE A VOLT-OHMETER AND DO YOU KNOW HOW TO USE IT?
DO YOU UNDERSTAND BASIC ELECTRICITY?
CNGW says: "I am not sure if someone isn't playing a prank on us here!"
I do not think that this is a case of trolling, although the initial question (paraphrasing) "how long should a wire be to get from one end to the other?" certainly qualifies as questionable.
"Disconnect your wires from the tower, take out each bulb, with the trans half way up, touch one trans bare wire to the metal side of the bulb, touch the other bare wire end from the transformer to the center lead dot on the bulb bottom."
NO. Use an ohmmeter to determine if the lamps are continuous. If he uses too much voltage, he will defeat the purpose. The lamps that I am familiar with from my floodlight towers are not made that way. They are two-pin lamps.
After you determine the continuity of the lamps. use a voltmeter to trace the circuit.
@Lionelski posted:If you are having trouble getting these to light consistently, it is due to its design.
Power travels from the wire clips on the bottom to the light rack via the two metal rods. These rods corrode inhibiting contact at the clip and light rack points.
Polish these contact areas with a scotchbright pad until shiny. Also remove the bulbs (carefully) and clean the wires in them as well as the sockets they plug into.
This is a great accessory, IMHO, but needs this maintenance every once in a while
Out of all the suggestions I got, I’m gonna try this one first. Does it matter which scotch bright pad I use? On the internet I found a general purpose and a heavy duty.
@TheRoyalHudson988 posted:Out of all the suggestions I got, I’m gonna try this one first. Does it matter which scotch bright pad I use? On the internet I found a general purpose and a heavy duty.
Either will work (I use the 99 cent (now $1.25) store brand.
Ya just have to polish off the dull film.
Is this what scotch bright pads should look like? I’m just making sure I bought the right thing.
Just something scratchy to remove the oxidation. Scotch Brite pad, Emery Cloth, 400 grit sandpaper, your cat's tongue... as long as it's a little scratchy, it'll work. Aside from a street light, this is literally the simplest thing you can work on. I knew that eliminating Shop Class was a bad idea...
Jon 
@TheRoyalHudson988 posted:Is this what scotch bright pads should look like? I’m just making sure I bought the right thing.
I would suggest the one on the left. It only cost a $1.00.
This has to be the most amazing thread that I have ever read on any forum. My head hurts.
@Arthur P. Bloom posted:This has to be the most amazing thread that I have ever read on any forum. My head hurts.
Remember this: We were all "newbies" at one time.
Mike
Yup!
Jon
I think I missed a few spots, I cleaned off the bulbs but forgot to take off that frame thing. How would I take that off? By the way, some of the lights are old and broke while cleaning unfortunately.
Does anyone know how to take off the metal frame so I can access the wires inside the accessory? Is there a Manuel on how to disassemble this? Just thought I would ask so I don’t break it.
@TheRoyalHudson988 posted:Does anyone know how to take off the metal frame so I can access the wires inside the accessory? Is there a Manuel on how to disassemble this? Just thought I would ask so I don’t break it.
Now that is a fair question. If the bulb sockets are not connected properly, so that they have a + and - then there will be no continuity. Those "pole" connectors have to form continuity some place.
But, taking that unit apart could be the hardest part of the repair (I seriously doubt that is the problem, but you want to try, so go ahead) and perhaps others who know can chime in. But me...I have never seen that item before, so I can not knowledgeably help you.
It does appear you either:
1) drill out the rivets on each end....not an easy task, rivets tend to spin when drilled or,
2) bend up the tabs shown in the pict, so that they are straight up, then remove the back.
Take my suggestion and be aware, you proceed at your own risk. The item still doesn't work, so you have little to lose. Let us know how you make out...I am sure that EVERYONE that is following this, can hardly wait to hear.
Maybe one of them can write a Manual on the proper way to take that sucker apart. I can't, I can only guess. I hope one day, to see 8 little beams of light from that thing! (You do know that since you broke some, you will need new bulbs, right? But that is another thread. What say ye Mr. Bloom?)
Good luck, Greg
At this point I would just take it to or send it to your closest hobby shop. If there are none ??? you can just send it to me and I will fix it no charge and send it back to you no charge so this can finally stop and you can have your working tower. I also have plenty of bulbs. Email is in my profile.
"That frame thing" is probably not the (main) problem. It is riveted at the factory, so "no user serviceable parts inside" is probably the rule here. From the photo, I think I see that the two power rods are corroded and need to be polished. Have you tried testing the accessory from the clips on the bottom, through the rods on the top, with a voltmeter or test lamp?
Looking forward to your purchase of Post War Culvert Loader and Unloader.
Jon
@KOOLjock1 posted:Looking forward to your purchase of Post War Culvert Loader and Unloader.
Jon
I nominate this as OGR's "post of the day". Sheldon Cooper says "sarcasm?". 
OTOH, I had to slog through the preceding crud to appreciate it.
@KOOLjock1 posted:Looking forward to your purchase of Post War Culvert Loader and Unloader.
Jon
Jon,
LOL!!
Love it!
Sorry I haven’t been on here in a while I’m just reading some of your suggestions. The frame might not be the problem. First I will try to get new lights that will fit with this tower. I think my first questions should have been if there are any light bulbs replacements? (Not sure if I asked this question) is there any manufacturer making modern bulbs that look the same?
Have you tested each bulb individually?
Jon
Search for Lionel bulb 12 on eBay.
@KOOLjock1 posted:Have you tested each bulb individually?
Jon
No I haven’t, how would you do that?
Seriously?
Jon
To test any lamp, you need two test leads with alligator clips, a variable electrical source, and a volt-ohmmeter.
First, try to test for continuity, and then apply the lowest possible voltage and increase until you determine that the lamp is either open or OK.
I imagine (I have never checked) that a Google search for YouTubes will result in many tutorials about basic electricity. May I suggest that you go there, do that, and come back here, once you are educated and experienced in this subject?
@Arthur P. Bloom posted:To test any lamp, you need two test leads with alligator clips, a variable electrical source, and a volt-ohmmeter.
First, try to test for continuity, and then apply the lowest possible voltage and increase until you determine that the lamp is either open or OK.
I imagine (I have never checked) that a Google search for YouTubes will result in many tutorials about basic electricity. May I suggest that you go there, do that, and come back here, once you are educated and experienced in this subject?
Can that electrical source be a 9v battery? I have those. And I also have alligator clips. I remember using them to test the motor on one of my other Lionel trains to detect a problem.
@TheRoyalHudson988 posted:Can that electrical source be a 9v battery? I have those. And I also have alligator clips. I remember using them to test the motor on one of my other Lionel trains to detect a problem.
Yes. Try that. The bulbs may not light at full intensity, but if they light at all, they are good. there is no in between, they are either good or not.
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