I am hoping to find out what type of transformer, preferred wattage, and brands might be best to use with a Lionel, I think its HO gauge? On the box it reads that its an 027 gauge. Its a Nicel Plate Special and I have plenty of accessories too. I know that in the past we had a 40W? Which was way too slow. Its been sitting for at least 10 years and the track needs to be cleaned. I thought steel wool was the way to go til I was told that some dishwashing soap or laundary detergent works best. All comments are appreciated.
It is 027 and not HO. but NEVER use steel wool around toy trains the metal pieces can ruin gears and motors. A Brite Boy works good, I use sand paper but some say it can have metal in it too. Any AC transformer around 80 to 100 watts is a good start. Lionel has a CW-80 that works good and is user friendly,the first ones had problems but todays work fine. and MTH makes a 100 watt Z1000.
"IT's GOOD TO BE THE KING",by Mel Brooks
Charter Member- Tardis Train Crew (TTC) - Detroit3railers- Detroit Historical society Glancy Modular trains- Charter member BTTS
I recommend a Scotch Brite pad for cleaning track. It will clean off the rust and dirt and not damage the plating.
If you have a lot of accessories, you might want a larger transformer. The KWs are good, 190 watts, they control two trains, they have 3 different fixed voltages, and they are a good value for the money.
Have not tried it myself, but Goo Gone is said to work well for cleaning track.
About every two months, I'll run my old postwar track cleaning car pulled by a switcher around the layout for a while. Cleaning fluid is Lionel track cleaning fluid. This is maintenance. If the track is heavy duty dirty, you need to use the methods suggested above and elbow grease.
The CW80 transformers have a good built in circuit breaker and are not too expensive. The Lionel 1033 and 1044 transformers are rated at 90 watts, and are usually less expensive on e-bay than the CW80's.
If you do choose a 1033, 1044, or KW, remember that you are buying a piece of electrical equipment that is about 40 years old. It may need a new power cord, cleaning or other repair. When they are in good shape, they are good dependable transformers. The 1033 and 1044 do not have circuit breakers, I am not sure about the KW. If you are not comfortable with a 40 year old transformer, the CW80 is a good choice for a simple layout and a few accessories..
By the way - welcome to the forum. Lots of knowlegable people here. Don't feel shy about asking questions.
I have to correct myself. I've just discovered while researching a 1033 question I have, that the 1033 and, probably the 1044, do have circuit breakers. These breakers are meant to protect the transformer itself, not what the transformer is powering.
Its been sitting for at least 10 years and the track needs to be cleaned. I thought steel wool was the way to go til I was told that some dishwashing soap or laundary detergent works best.
Hi, and welcome to the forum. On really badly rusted track, I have used a wire brush in my Dremel tool. Use it away from the layout for reasons others have mentioned. Also, eye protection & gloves are a good idea. I used eye protection but got some 'stickers' because I didn't use gloves.
Scotch Brite works well as a final touch up & regular maintenance if you don't have a track cleaning car. Goo Gone is great for oily or sticky (tape) spots.
wyomingscout
A postwar transformer like the 1033 is indeed a good buy these days, however it only has a horn/whislte control where a newer transformer like the CW-80 and Z1000 have whistle and bell buttons which is a feature you will want if you upgrade to a newer engine.
The 1033 and 1044 do have circuit breakers. In fact, I am unaware of any postwar Lionel transformer that does not have a circuit breaker. The multi-control transformers (Z, ZW, KW, e.g.) skimp by having only a single breaker, when they should have one for each output. The thermal postwar breakers are better suited to their job than the modern electronic current-limiting schemes, which, like fuses, respond too quickly to harmless momentary overloads.
Bob Nelson
Years ago, I read about a guy who used steel wool to clean his HO track. All DC locos have a permanent magnet motor which will pick up the steel will and contaminate the motor. It is not easy to get the steel particles out of the motor. We had some problems with contamination of DC brushless torquer motors at work a few years ago, and we used masking tape to get the filings out of the motor. In this case, we could disassemble the motor. The motors cost about $3000, so we had to fix them.
The can motors on newer engines are DC motors, so I am sure they would pick up iron particles from steel wool, although it would be on the outside of the motor as the motors are sealed.
If the track is really dirty I will use sand paper or a pencil eraser, if it is too bad I throw it out. Down here in south Florida my biggest problem is moisture, even indoors,the track will rust quickly if it isn't quality metal track.
Some people have said to use WD-40 on the track to clean it, however that leaves behind an oily residue that has to be cleaned off.
Lee F.
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.
Get the Classic Toy Trains newsletter delivered to your inbox twice a month