Resister Value and Wattage

I see no one has replied with a difinitive answer for you. I would suggest buying a simple Volt-Ohm Meter (VOM) and directly measure the resistance. Oh wait a minute. I am now assuming that since you are replacing this component it is defective and my suggestion won't work for you. Sorry for taking your time.

Lionel won't tell you?

@Arthur P. Bloom posted:

Lionel won't tell you?

It won't be easy to get them to do so unless it's already listed in the description.  Just checked lionelsupport.com and it's not.

You're assuming that someone there knows what value it should be, and can be tapped by a customer interface person for the answer.

Possible?  Yes

Likely?   Not quickly.

Mike

The good news is that the nichrome wire broke/burnt close to one end, leaving one long strand intact.  By carefully unwrapping the nichrome wire so that none of it overlaps itself, it's resistance could be measured with an Ohmmeter.  To get a more accurate reading, scrape the oxide coating off the loose end of the wire before measuring its resistance.

Suitable wire-wound resistors can be purchased from many electronics retailers.  Most commonly available are ceramic coated, but the ceramic coating can be carefully crushed in a vice, leaving the resistor intact.  Maybe get a few extras, in case some practice is needed.

I would estimate 3 to 5 watts should provide enough power handling capability.

I'm sure it would be easy to figure out with the unit in-hand, but I don't want to guess since a wrong guess could damage the board.

I would bet a decent bottle of wine that the original was a 27 ohm, since that is what Lionel used for most everything up until the late TMCC and Legacy era. And if its powered by 12-14VAC accessory power that would line up well for about 1/2 amp of current draw producing about 6 watts of heat. 27 ohm is where I would start.

A little study of the internal wiring would be in order just to confirm that the resistor is connected directly by the input supply power.

Rod

Thanks all !

I did ask Lionel and they were no help.

I'd bet money that it's probably in the 30's since I think this has a stationary smoke unit that isn't fan driven.  However, knowing exactly how the resistor is wired and what the smoke unit looks like would be key to coming up with a reasonable value.