Lionel ZW-L Tansformer Review by Bob Keller

[Drive Rod]

If a ZW-L is on your wish list at about $700 wouldn't you want to read an in-depth review and also see an informative video putting such a premium product through its paces? I am one such person and I eagerly read Bob's review of the ZW-L in the 5/2013 issue of CTT mag. What did it tell me that I didn't already know? I was was well acquainted with the features. I'd done my research. This baby is obviously a stellar piece ( I don't know i before e or e before i, who knows, English go figure) of model railroad electronics. But his review did nothing more than recount the features, which you can find in any advertisement put out by Lionel. No one purchases such a thing to run an oval track. This thing is meant for a major league layout.

Why was this not put through its paces running a couple of tracks at least and some accessories? And for that matter why wasn't it studied in its probable most common use in command mode? It's nice to know it can survive in conventional mode, but it ought to thrive in command mode. And what about the downfalls? Was there anything he wished it could done better? Why not put a volt and amp meter on it to verify that if is putting out the volts and amps it displays? Why not verify it can put out the maximum wattage it claims? This unit was originally supposed to be 720 watts, now after problems with Underwriters Laboratories certification it's down to 620. Why not see how it stands up to some pitfalls and abuse? Short it out 100 times and see how it bounces back. This is a serious investment and not everybody's rich. How is it going to stand up to the long haul?

The video review was, and I mean no disrespect, sorry. What can be said. It lasted less than 2 minutes. Over 20 seconds were given to the intro. And all Bob showed of this $700 hobby transformer was that it could run a few locomotives around a small oval track at the same time and succeed in ramming one locomotive into another, and derailing. What is this, The Adams Family? Now that is GREAT OPERATION! In my opinion that is hardly a serious evaluation of a major product and it does not serve a hobby community who are trying to build and improve their layouts as best they can with the resources they have.

Drive Rod Dave

[ADCX Rob]

Did you see this comment:

CRAIG RUSSELL from DELAWARE said:

The article was good but the video was even better. It shows why the railroads, even in today's high-tech world, made a huge mistake trying to save money by getting rid of the caboose. Obviously,neither the engineer or the fireman could see the diesel approaching from the rear because of the highth of the tender. Had that engine had a caboose, the rear brakeman could have radioed the engineer of the diesel to slow down, or if unable to make radio contact, could have stood on the rear deck of the caboose and relayed a hand signal to the engineer of the approaching locomotive that he was #1. Who was that engineer anyway?

Submitted: 3/27/2013 3:13:20 PM (CST)

[Drive Rod]

Excellent obervation Craig! A little electonoc box can not replace the observations and intuition of a real human being!

Drive Rod Dave

[RedfireS197]

I am not sold on the ZW-L.  Given the previous "ZW" 's track record,  I am very skeptical about the long term for the ZW-L.  Personally, I'll stick with the postwar ZW since they've proven themselves over the last 65 years.

I don't see the need for the command control aspect of the ZW-L since there is Legacy.  Just give me a robust power supply that is safe for the delicate electronics it powers.

I don't let reviews influence my decisions heavily either.  Too often the "new toy" factor gets in the way and compromises the review for just about any new product.

[rtraincollector]

Jim I'm with you now if it had legacy in it maybe but it just has a hookup for you legacy that I can do on any U post on my post war ones. Oh yeah I forgot it has 620 watts. okay that = about 155 Watts per channel. that is an nice increase but to me when it comes to transformers it seems that Lionel and MTH got into a watt war who could make the transformer with the most watts.

I have 3 ZW's and plan on using two and a R to run my trains.  6 engines on my layout and 1 on the shelf layout which will use the R or maybe my LW.

Now like I said if it all ready had legacy in it I might be able to justify it but not just for a super transformer

[sarpilot]

I have to agree REDFIRE. It's a really cool power plant but you can buy a lot of fully rebuild post war ZWs for 700 bucks. Plus an old ZW can be rebuilt and repaired on the cheap if you manage to wear it out. I would hate to think how much I would have to spend to fix a ZW-L if it went hard down. I power my entire layout with 4 train operation with a 1946 Z that was fully rebuilt for 175.00. I use it with a TMCC command set and power masters. I've had it 6 years and it hasn't missed a beat. I will admit that I never move the throttle knobs because of the TMCC remote so there is no wear. At 25 volts per throttle its a beast. I can.t even get the top of it warm with a couple of hours of continuous operation. I did put a piece of tape to mark the throttles at 18 volts so I don't send too much juice into the TMCC/Legacy trains. I power lights/accessories/switches with an old R model. That was 50.00. I'll have to stick with the old stuff until I win the LOTTO. I also love the retro look of the Z and R.

R/ STEVE

[sir james I]

I don't have one and probably never will, but, the guys in our club are buying and using them. I have not heard one negative comment made about them.

[lionelsoni]

I was disappointed that there was no information whatsoever in the review about the voltage waveform.

[laz 57]

Here's a video by LIONEL about the ZW-L, its over 36 minutes long.

http://www.lionel.com/CustomerService/ProductInstructionalVideos/video.cfm?documentID=6419

laz57