Ok...So I have this Marx crossing signal that works the same way as the Lionel on. Or should. I have a 154C connector and as the train goes over it, only one light bulb glows. Periodically the other one barely lights up. All the connections seem be good. And when I roll a train over the connector by hand, I can get both lights to go on. Is there a secret to this? I have cleaned to top part of the connector so the wheels should be making a good contact on both. Any suggestions would be great!
Thanks
Tim
MBL
Bob Nelson
"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
The 154c contactor has to sections on each side of the clip that goes over the outside rail. When a wheel runs over one half, it illuminates the left/right light, and when it touches the other it lights the left/right light. I dont think that the weight of the car has any effect on this. As long as it touches the outside rails, all it has to do is touch the contactor and make the 'short' as I call it and it illuminates the light.
I think Bob has a good point. The numbers may be different than the lionel flasher.
"Lionel trains are the standard of the world" - Jousha Lionel Cowen
The wheels don't make a short. it completes the ground circuit, therefore the wheels and other rail MUST be clean and the car weight must touch well enough to complete the circuit. these are suggestions of help. not a this is your problem thing
On a marx flasher the center post is ground, on a lionel;facing the front ground is the third post(back )
sir james I wrote: The wheels don't make a short. it completes the ground circuit
The wheels don't make a short. it completes the ground circuit
Yes, I know that. I said I called it a "short", since it sparks once in a while.
Thanks for all the feedback! I got it working. It turned out to be hooked up wrong. I could have sworn that I had it right. The center is the common ground. I had one of the wires transposed. It seems strange to me that it would have worked at all or only when I put pressure on it. Either way. It looks good now.
You're welcome. Oh and some other things that I noticed about this part. If anyone cares to hear it. One of the light sockets did not accept the bulb far enough to make contact at the base. So I added a glob of solder. A quick fix. Also I needed bulbs, so I took some out of some prewar cars I had, and I painted them red with a testors paint marker. Worked like a charm. This is good if you don't have any red bulbs lying around.
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