O22 switch

[Anonymous]

Can anyone help me out with some info,
I got a bunch of 022 switches.
The switches themselves work well and the tracks are in good shape. However sometimes the (frog? machine?) does not make it to contact the rails on either side. It moves but never makes it completely to create a turn or a straight usually getting stuck in the middle causing a de-rail. Does anyone know if i can just get the whole (machine or frog) new.

Thanks in advance for any info.
Angelo

[Anonymous]

You should be able to remove the bottom plate on your 022 switch.
Once that is off, take a medium paint brush and clean out all of the
accumulated dust, dirt, etc. This will help the mechanism to work
more freely. Next check all of the moving parts for damage and de-
formation. Straighten/fix these. Now apply a little bit of oil such as
LaBelle or 3-in-1 to any moving parts you see. Only a SMALL bit
is needed, as too much will gum up later on. Now turn your switch
upright again and repeat the cleaning process on the rails, points,
(those moving rails) and linkages. Again, apply a SMALL drop of
oil to these places when cleaned. Try throwing the switch with a
voltage of 14-18 VAC. Theswitch should now function correctly.
If not, then it is time to check wiring and contacts. For that I would
advise that you obtain a copy of the Lionel Service Manual that is
usually found for sale at hobby shops or *bay. this book is pub-
lished by K-Line and is worth what you will pay for it as it contains
service instructions for almost all Lionel postwar items.

Hope this is helpful. It may sound like a huge task, but it is really
quite simple once you open 'er up and see what's inside.

[Big_Boy_4005]

Angelo, the moving part of the switch is called the points. The frog is where the rails cross each other. If I understand you correctly, the points aren't throwing all the way. There are a number of possible reasons this is happening.

Are you using the fixed voltage plugs to power the machines? Is the voltage as high as it can go, about 20 V?

Are these switches old (postwar)? Make sure there isn't anything physically stopping them from throwing. To do this, you should take the cover off, and even remove the machine from the track portion of the unit. It just takes 4 screws, 2 for the motor, and 2 for the cover.

With the switch open and the motor off, check that the points move freely. This isn't usually where the problem is, but let's be thourough. One of the ways you can tell a postwar motor is the solenoid travels back and forth inside a metal sleeve. Modern versions have a plastic sleeve. The metal version can withstand some WD-40, just a couple of drops.

Now try turning the lantern ring, does it move smoothly and freely? A drop of WD-40 on the pivot and also the rack won't hurt. The last moving part is the mechanism that slides and actually moves the points. You need to be careful here, because WD-40 is electrically conductive. Before trying to lube the sliding part, turn the ring back and forth a few times, and see if it has loosened up. At this point it would be a good idea to try to throw it electrically. Any better? While you are in there, take a pencil eraser, and clean the 4 copper contact plates. Becareful not to bend the little arms that hold the contact pins, just clean the flat surfaces that the pins ride over. These are what route the electricity when the switch is thrown.

Almost done, try putting the motor back together with the track portion. Make sure that the throwing pin is sticking up through the hole in the points before tightening the screws.

Hopefully it works much better now and you get complete throws in both directions.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the Help guys, seems like they did need to be cleaned, but i was also using 10 volts, they seem to work better at higher voltages, at 15 they click right into place.

Thank again
Angelo
[:D]

[lionelsoni]

Elliot, I was surprised to see your comment about WD-40's being conductive. I have always assumed otherwise. I filled a soup spoon with the stuff and measured no conductivity between the spoon and a probe dipped into it. I was able to see a small deflection of my meter with a 10 megohm resistor; so the resistance of the WD-40 pool was at least that.

Ten volts is indeed a little low for operating a switch.

[Big_Boy_4005]

Gee Bob, I never tried that. It may not be that a pool of the liquid is a conductor, but that a thin film is not an insulator. I was thinking more along the lines that if a piece of fiber insulation became saturated, it could leak electricity. There is an easy test for that, using a piece of track.

I heard many years ago, a story about someone spraying it on the base of a 120V lightbulb that had been flickering. Perhaps the improved performance of the bulb was attributable to it being screwed in tighter due to the lubricated threads. I actually have some bulbs that I should try that on. Some of these Chineese bulbs and sockets are pretty bad. I have on more than one occasion twisted the globe off a burnt out bulb trying to remove it. It's always a fun task trying to remove the broken base. Maybe a little WD-40 applied upon installation would help that situation, if it didn't evaporate over the life of the bulb.

There is another lubricant that I like to use, Wahl hair clipper oil. That product is actually touted for it's electrical properties. Many model railroaders use it directly on their rails to improve electrical contact between the wheels and the rail. The theory is that on a molecular level the oil can fill small surface irregularities, thus making the small contact area more efficient. This practice has a drawback however, as it offers a binding agent for dust and dirt. It is possible to accumulate such a crud buildup on wheels that they are no longer round, and have to be scraped clean. Thank god for large flanges.[swg]

[rtraincollector]

Make a sugestion if you need to oil use Singer Sewing Machine Oil it doesn't gum up and think about it some of those machines are still running fine and never seen a repair shop. I was told about this by an old freind whop had a collection I could only dream of his name was Sim Diekle he did a couple of train shows for pbs in Tallahassee area of FL.