your neighbor knocks on the door and asks if you want this Lionel thing he has!!
So, it needs a cord, no big deal. I upgraded my other one to diodes and took out the disks. Where do I find the newer circuit breaker?? I probably need to do both.
Last question. Cleaning the track made by the rollers. I think I used an eraser last time? Still good??
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I'd probably just wipe it with a dry cloth. I don't think it needs much cleaning. I worry about erasers, especially the pink ones, they are abrasive enough to possibly remove some of the adjacent insulation and even possibly move the windings. For circuit breakers, I'd probably drop by the local auto parts store and get a 10-12A one, they work just fine in the ZW.
Nice score! I concur with John on the breaker; that's what I did with my first ZW.
Mitch
Here's my questions on the circuit breaker.
1) The photo attached of the circuit breaker is a replacement for the one in the ZW. Is it an upgrade or just a modern replacement?
2) Not being an electrical wizard, how is the external breaker wired/installed? (A picture is worth a thousand words!!)
Jeff T posted:Here's my questions on the circuit breaker.
1) The photo attached of the circuit breaker is a replacement for the one in the ZW. Is it an upgrade or just a modern replacement?
A modern replacement. Caveat: The internal breaker is designed to protect the internal wiring only. You can easily cook outside wiring before it trips. I speak from painful personal experience here.
2) Not being an electrical wizard, how is the external breaker wired/installed? (A picture is worth a thousand words!!)
Here's a prewar breaker wired up on my workbench. Modern breakers are wired in a similar fashion:
Mitch
There are two types of ZW stock breakers that Lionel used:
Z22: 
ZW-232:
Some parts suppliers offer a modern automotive Bussmann 19115 in an folded metal assembly to mount same as the ZW-232. It is not necessarily an "upgrade", just a more readily manufactured substitute :
All are available from the standard parts suppliers. I like to use the original style breakers internally. I always have additional protection externally.
With any of the above, it is a matter of simply replacing the existing, matching the two connections.
I know it's going to be a good day as soon as I wake up,
I'm in America,
I'm free,
and can play with toy trains.
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