Hi Everyone - I'm working on restoring an old Marx set (No. 5954 - 591 Engine with a handful of 6" cars). I've disassembled and inspected the 319 transformer, and all connections are secure (although a bit oxidized) but the transformer is only outputting about 6 volts max - which obviously isn't enough. Is there anything that you can suggest? Will cleaning the wraps of copper wire in the transformer really affect the voltage output? Is there anything else that could cause weak voltage output?
Thanks in advance!
You can try cleaning the transformer wraps or windings, but I am not sure that this will solve your problem.
If cleaning don't work try to purchase a used transformer from either Lionel or MTH or Atlas O. Go to a train show and you can usually get a great bargain on a used transformer.
Lee F.
Cleaning the secondary winding is unlikely to make a difference.
How are you measuring the voltage? Do you have any load on the transformer during the measurement? Does the voltage go uniformly from zero to 6 volts; or is there an abrupt increase at the beginning?
Bob Nelson
Hi !
I measured the voltage at the transformer terminals and saw about 6 volts. The voltage does gradually go from 0 to 6 as I move the transformer handle. I did try it with a load in the circuit (i.e. the engine and 2 cars) and the engine got powere, just not enough to move it.
The transformer seems so simple, just a coil of copper wire and magnets, so I assumed there might be a simple fix! :)
I don't know whether this is the case with your transformer; but toy train transformers often start abruptly at about 6 volts and then increase from there. This is done by having two secondary windings, one fixed at about 6 volts wired in series with the one that the wiper moves across. If your transformer goes gradually from zero at the very beginning to only 6 volts, it is possible that someone has rewired it to disconnect the fixed winding from the secondary circuit, for some purpose other than running toy trains.
Hmmm.... I think you have a good theory. I know the transformer was 're-wired' at some point. I can tell by how sloppy the connections were. I resoldered them, but I'll bet you are right. I know current is passing through the coil that the wiper sweeps over, but I'll bet it's bypassing one or some of the other coils because there were really only 2 wires I could see. I picked up one of the huge Lionel repair books at the library today, and I'll study the transformer more tonight when I get home. Thanks for the tip, though!
Hi Bob - I think you hit it right on. I did some homework and upon closer inspection I noticed that my transformer does have 2 secondary coils. It looks like, at some point, somebody disconnected one of the secondary coils because the ends of the wire were buried under the insulation. I was able to regain access to them and then I connected the 2 secondary coils in series. I’m now getting variable voltage output of between 7-14 volts!
Thanks for the help!
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