I'm wondering if something is wrong or if it is common for a Post War Lionel 2343 to slow down when the horn is played?
I'm using a ZW for track power.
Matt from Anaheim, CA and Bayfield, COClick Here for my model train photo website
The 2343 should speed up when you operate the horn. What kind of transformer do you have?
Sorry, I missed your comment that you are using a ZW. if you are using A & U, switch to D & U and see if it works the same way. You could have a problem with the whistle circuit on one side.
Sounds to me like it's drawing excessive power. I don't have experience with post-war (yet), but an engine slowing down like that usually means something else is using a lot more power than the engine. There may be a near-short circuit somewhere (if it was a full short, everything would simply stop).
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darth what servo was saying I believe would be = to a short if the whistle switch was malfuntioning which I have heard is semi common now days in those transformers as there between 50 and 60 years old
Life's hard, even harder if your stupid John Wayne
http://rtssite.shutterfly.com/
The locomotives slow down when you blow the whistle/horn because you are using power to pull in the relay, and also in the case of a whistle, you are powering another motor. The transformers have a compensating winding to boost the track voltage back up to minimize this effect. If the transformer whistle switch does not make contact with the compensating winding terminal, the locomotive horn/whistle will sound, but the train will slow down.
As advised by servoguy, switch to the opposite throttle and check for proper operation. If it works, chances are there is a problem with the whistle switch on the bad throttle.
Larry
The whistle switch has two positions. The first position adds a DC voltage to the normal AC output of the transformer. The power delivered to the motor will drop in this position, and if the control is left in this position, the train will slow down. The second position shunts the diode or copper oxide rectifier (used in the transformers originally) with a low resistance. This leaves enough DC to keep the whistle or horn relay pulled in, but adds some AC voltage to the normal transformer output to power the whistle motor. However, a 2343 does not have a whistle motor. The horn is powered by a D cell battery so the engine should speed up.
Thanks for the info.
Looks like I'll be testing a few things to narrow down the problem.
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