Lionel 022 and 3010 Turnout Issues

[O-GaugeOscar]

 I'm attempting to follow Greenberg's "Wiring Your Lionel Layout", but having problems with turnouts.  I'm using a Lionel Type R 100-watt "Trainmaster" transformer (two throttles) with posts B-C (outer loop) and B-F (inner loop).  One 022 turnout runs great.  However, when switching is attempted, the other four turnouts move about half way and snap back to their original positions.  I don't think there are any mechanical turnout issues, only electrical.  (With power off, I can switch the turnouts manually.) The insulating pin placement seems to differ between the Lionel instructions and the Greenberg book.  Does anyone have a suggestion?  Also, I'd prefer to use posts A-C  for 14 volts (fixed) on the turnouts, but need to use post B for the ground.  Is there a better way?  (Posts B-E provide 16 volts fixed, which exceeds Lionel's recommendations.)  Is a second transformer a better alrternative?  If so, how do I wire it in?  (I also have a 25 and a 50-watt transformer, if needed.)

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

[servoguy]

 The insulating pin placement should be relatively obvious.  On the 022 switches, the inside curved rail is split near the middle.  This rail should have a insulating pin at the frog end (opposite the end where the movable points are).  The short straight rail at the frog end should also have an insulating pin. 

 When you turn the switches by hand with the power off, do they move easily and smoothly?  If not, they need serviced.  I posted a long post on how to service these switches.  If yours are old like mine are, you are probably going to need to service them to make them work well.  The other post is 

022/711 Switch operation pblms

 

The last entry on this thread is 12-13-09 by me.

 

I have made suggestions on minor modifications which should keep the switches operating properly for many years.

 

[phillyreading]

First off you need to get your switches wired correctly. Insulating pins go on the inside of the short straight section and count three rails over for the other insulating pin on the curved section. Another way to see where the insulating pins go in the original 022's is look for a break in the track section on the switch. The long straight section always gets a solid steel pin, count over three rails and insert the next steel pin. Center rails always get steel pins unless you want to have a siding controlled by a switch source or power handle from a multi train transformer.

For wiring the switch the center wire on the solinoid is the throw wire and the other two act in unison with the derailing feature. The fixed voltage plug is usually a hot wire from the transformer, voltage to postwar 022's can be up to 18 volts, usually only the light bulb will get hot.

If wiring other switches(after 1975) that look like the original 022's don't go over 13.5 volts to the switch's auxilary power.

Lee F.

[servoguy]

 If you are going to run your switches from the fixed voltage plug, and you have the voltage up above 15 volts, you need to change the bulb to an 18 volt bulb or your may melt the lantern.  Screw base part number is 1447.  Bayonet base part number is 1445.  I have found with the baonet base bulbs that the solder on the tip of the bulb is usually to long preventing the bulb from going into the socket.  I use a soldering iron to remove most of the solder so that the bulbs will lock into the socket.  This has worked on all of my switches so far except for one.

 There was talk some time ago about keeping the voltage below 14 volts.  I run my switches on a fixed 20 volt tap on my KW transformer.  Measurement shows the voltage at about 18.7 volts.  Examination of the switches after much running shows no problem with contact erosion.  The newer switches do have a problem.  There was a solution for the problem posted some months ago.  I need a high voltage to operate my switches because I wire the switches together in pairs so that when the train operates one switch, the other switch operates also.  I have been doing this for about 40 years.  If you are operating only one switch at a time, 14 volts should be sufficient.

Bruce

[lionelsoni]

The number 53 runs cooler than the 1445 at any voltage.  Lamp ratings are a tradeoff among voltage, current, efficacy, and lifetime.  The ratings of the two lamps are

  #53  14.4 V  120 mA  1728 mW  1    mscp  1000 hr
  #53  18   V  136 mA  2442 mW  2.18 mscp    69 hr
#1445  14.4 V  135 mA  1944 mW   .7  mscp  2000 hr
#1445  18   V  150 mA  2700 mW  1.53 mscp   137 hr

The numbers in italics are values that I calculated using the rules that for incandescent lamps current varies as the .55 power of voltage, light output as the 3.5 power, and lifetime as the -12 power.  The 1445 is actually rated at 14.4 volts and 18 volts; but that doesn't give it any particular advantage over the 53 in terms of power dissipated at either voltage, as you can see.

For screw-based lamps, the number 52 is cooler than the 1447:

  #52  14.4 V  100 mA  1440 mW   .75 mscp  1000 hr
  #52  18   V  113 mA  2035 mW  1.64 mscp    69 hr
#1447  14.4 V  135 mA  1944 mW   .7  mscp  2000 hr
#1447  18   V  150 mA  2700 mW  1.53 mscp   137 hr

[O-GaugeOscar]

 Thanks for the great advice!  All turnouts are operational except one.  I isolated this turnout from the other track, attached the fixed voltage plug and a ground wire via an alligator clip and still couldn't operate the turnout.  (It still won't stay in the "switched" position. The lantern lights up and rotates.)  Once the power is off, I can freely move it back and forth, so I doubt a mechanical problem exits.  Any ideas? 

Thanks again.

 

[lionelsoni]

The straight control rail or the terminal that it is connected to or the wiring between them must be somewhere touching the common (the other outside rails).  It's worth the time to do a close examination of the outside of the turnout, because the next step is to open it up to find the bad connection, which is probably inside somewhere.  Have you tried swapping motors, to isolate the problem to the turnout itself or to the motor?

[O-GaugeOscar]

 Success!  The problem in the final turnout was actually the controller (loose spring on the toogle, bad bulb).  I tried the suspect controller on a working turnout and observed the same problem, so the fix was relatively cheap and easy.

Thanks to the great advice in this forum, the trains will be running before Christmas.  Happy holidays to all!