ZW vs ZW-L revisited

Interesting report, thank you.  I wonder if your old ZW had a bad contact roller that made it sufficiently intermittent to affect your B&M GP7.  Did you try it with each of the four "throttles"? 
I never had a problem with MTH PS1 or QSI units with my postwar ZW.  

the one thing that can damage the carbon roller was when there is a track short and some people that own them would pull the throttle back while the short was present, well this burns the carbon roller you might just need the carbon rollers replace.  I'm  sure your happy with your new zwl transformer but just l thought to let you know this tid bid.

the best way when there is a track short with a zw is pull the stop whistle switch which stops the current flow then pull the throttle back!

GN man, an interesting theory about the cause of the problem, too.  I didn't try all four throttles, but the GP7 stopped while run on the two main throttles, A and D.  Alan, I always just pulled the throttle back in the event of a short, so I could have a bad roller.   If I ever put the ZW back in service I'll check the rollers.  Thanks.

I think the ZW set up had issues, at least hidden ones.

  I'm not 100% positive on the ZW its been so long since I ran one, but bigger PW usually has a voltage boost to prevent slowing. With some better whistles and small engines you might actually get a speed boost.

 The ZW is pure sine wave so any crazy antics by boards shouldn't really happen either.

  But  I'm sure it's a low hassle upgrade. Running slow is easier, better protection, etc.. Congrats on being up, running and ready for near anything new they can trow at you. Down time on running what you want is the pits.

Steam Crazy posted:

I recently bought a ZW-L to replace my ZW as a direct result of the recent thread on this topic.   I'm very pleased with my purchase so far.  Most of my engines run better (conventional operation, I don't have DCS) , they don't slow down when you blow the whistle, some seem to smoke better and I have peace of mind knowing my trains have better protection.  There was another benefit, however, that I did not expect.

Some of you may remember my post about my MTH Proto 1 B&M GP7.  It used to stop abruptly, then start (lights and sound stayed on) or not start at all.  Many of you suggested replacing the BCR in the GP7 with a white battery.  I did that, but it didn't help.

The GP7 now runs well with ZW-L power (about an hour total run time).  There is a bit more static at idle than I remember, but you can't hear it when running.  I'm hoping some of you tech guys can tell me if this is coincidence or a result of running it with the ZW-L.  I'm hoping it's the ZW-L that made the difference!

IIRC the new MTH batteries should be green. Believe that is what Marty posted. On Proto 2 units I've had a low battery mess up the sound. Not sure on Proto1's as everyone I know has converted them to BCR's.

Marty told me to get a white battery for the PS1 engine, so I'm confident I did the right thing.  Based on everyone's comments, the ZW is starting to look like the main suspect.

Remember, these ZWs are at least half a century old now and can always benefit from some preventative/regular maintenance. Roller replacements, whistle diode upgrades, external breakers, and TVS voltage spike protection. All of this will cost much less than a ZW-L. That is not to say the ZW-L isn't any good or doesn't have a place - just that the ZWs are viable too!

Steam Crazy posted:

Marty told me to get a white battery for the PS1 engine, so I'm confident I did the right thing.  Based on everyone's comments, the ZW is starting to look like the main suspect.

https://ogrforum.com/...59#80551019595353759

"As per Marty's suggestion replace the old battery. DO NOT RUN IT WITH THE OLD WHITE BATTERY!

Older PS2 – 5 volt system, round charging port. CHANGE OUT THE ORIGINAL WHITE BATTERY WITH THE GREEN MTH REPLACEMENT (9 volt battery type)"

Some things ARE too good to be true.  Tried the GP7 this PM- it ran 5 minutes and stopped.  Got it going, then it was stop and go for awhile until it wouldn't run at all.

Looks like the ZW isn't the villain.  The GP7 was one of my first modern era engines.  It has lots of miles.  Maybe it's just a tired, old PS1 engine.

I ran my "beer train" behind my PRR H3 for consolation.  Later on, I'll have a couple of cold ones.  I never drink when I'm at the throttle.

Thanks to all who contributed to this thread.  I'm still glad I bought the ZW-L.