There is a polarity to the DC voltage that the transformer uses to operate the whistle; but, if your locomotive is not a modern one, it doesn't care. Nevertheless, one usually connects the U terminal of a 1033 to the center rail (which will work properly with a modern locomotive) and the A or B to the outside rails.
It seems like you have a short circuit around your whistle motor. It's probably the wiring inside the tender, not the motor itself.
What kind of track are you using? If it is tubular, you may be able to tighten up the connections, which is a good thing both electrically and mechanically, by slightly squeezing the female ends of the rails.
Bob Nelson
I am going to recommend again that you slightly bend the pin of the center rail to one side. This makes a better connection than squeezing the holes of the female end of the track to try to tighten things up. I just put together some O-27 track for a small layout, and used this technique and there were no problems with joints, and the track stays together on the kitchen floor even with a 2037 engine on it running rather fast. I know it is unconventional, but it works very well. Just be careful with crossings and/or switches, as some of them will not allow the pin to be bent. I actually bend the end of the center rail by grabbing the rail with a pair of pliers where the pin is inserted into the rail. Prior to doing this, I had been searching for a better way to join the track for 59 years. Doing this also allows you to disconnect the track section easily and when you put them back together, you don't have to squeeze the holes again. If you try it and don't like it, you can always bend the track back straight.
Since the train runs OK until you operate the whistle control, I don't suspect the wiring from the pickup rollers to the whistle relay. These are the wires that usually go bad, but if they were bad, they would short the transformer with or without the whistle controller being operated. It is possible that the motor is not turning at all which would look like a slightly resistive short when the whistle relay picked up and tried to run the motor. You may have some other problem. I had one where the whistle relay bracket was broken and the whistle relay was floating around inside the tender. If you open the tender, it should be somewhat obvious what is wrong. This is a very simple circuit.
I just checked a 2046W tender, and the only wiring that should have a deterioration problem is the wire going to the pickup rollers
big DThanks, I will try bending the pin. So the middle rail is the most important for a solid connection?
There is a great deal of confusion in this and a couple of other threads on similar subjects. Evidently, this thread began over on the "Model Railroader" forum which largely concerns itself with Direct Current applications. Then it resumed here on the CTT forum but lost some much-needed-data in the process.
On the assumption that we are talking about a Lionel 1033 transformer and a Lionel "post-war" steam locomotive with an air-whistle tender I suggest the following,
1. Members seeking help need to be much more thorough and specific in naming their components;
2. The 1033 a true sine-wave transformer that puts out Alternating Current to run both the train and the whistle motors. (Direct Current only comes into play briefly when the whistle lever is pushed, in order to trigger the whistle relay.)
3. The 1033 can be connected to the track several ways. I strongly recommend checking out the chart in the Olsen's Toy Train Library* under "Transformers" at the top of a section that also includes specific pages on the 1033. In particular, some combinations result in a fixed-voltage output only. The throttle-lever has no effect on them. In other words, whenever the transformer is plugged in to the house- current, a single specific voltage is always present -- regardless of throttle setting..
4. An electrical circuit is just that -- a circuit, or round-trip. A poor or broken connection anywhere is a problem. In this context, the connections to and within the outside rails are just as important as those in the center rail.
5. On the 1033, the combination of U and A posts yields 5-16 volts (variable via the throttle handle) whereas the combination U and B yields 0-11 volts, also variable. Voltages are "no load" and will be slightly lower when a load is present. An ordinary household voltmeter will provide sufficient accuracy.
6. A post-war air-whistle will draw almost as much current as a small locomotive. The load produced by lamps and other "always on" accessories adds up very quickly.
7. With most postwar trains, one can (and often should) test locomotive and tender separately as well as together.
8. At best, postwar transformers only produce about two-thirds of their nominal power. Efficiency drops off even further as the electrical components (the motors and the transformer itself) warm up.
9. Members, and particularly newbies, can help their cause by providing accurate and complete data about the components of their layout, and promptly responding to questions from those who are trying to assist them. Folks want to help, so try to make it as easy as possible for them.
* http://pictures.olsenstoy.com/searchcd31.htm?itm=630.
It is important that both the center rail and the outside rails make a good connection. Bending the center rail puts pressure on the center pin as well as the outside pins and thus makes a good connection for both. It also solves another problem. Usually, the pins are somewhat loose where they are installed. That is, you can easily rotate the pin in the track. Try it sometime. Take a track section and see if the pins are tight or if they rotate. If they are not tight, then having a tight connection in the mating section of track doesn't make them tight unless there is some side pressure on the pins. That is why bending the center rail works so well. It puts pressure on both the center rail and the outside rails.
I agree that people should supply as much information as possible when they ask a question. Without good information, we are all just guessing on what might be wrong.
Unfortunately, the folks who next post along the lines of, "My train doesn't work--what's wrong with it?", will not have seen this advice and will each have to be prompted anew to tell us what they've got and what they did with it. I'm already resigned to encountering that. I think it is more irritating to ask someone a simple question about the equipment he has or to perform some test that might lead to a diagnosis and have him come back with a completely unrelated and unresponsive comment or complaint.
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