Mine does the same thing - The direction button works sometimes IF I hold it down for a few seconds -- The Forward Reverse Neutral Power up Power Dwon Cycle is built into the system But the Instrcutions don't tell you that.
I have been trying to get some answers for the fastrack switches I bought - 95.00 each - they don't work - I even watched a you tube vid on how to wire them
You tube has almost any answer to any question - You just need to enter the best search terms for what your looking for - ADD model and parts Numbers etc etc CW80 -
THE SMOKE ON MINE ONLY works when I ran full throttle for a few minutes............... I am very disappointed - I bought the train for my grandson ( I AM 65 ) and remember my TRAINS FROM MY CHILDHOOD - never hAD problems back then it seems ---- I built an 8x8 foot layout board that folds up against a wall on my lanai ( that a patio in florida ) It's so big and heavy it takes a block and tackle to hoist it ---- I AM editing a video for You Tube and it should be there in a few days
I also sell the plans for the "fold up train board plans" on Ebay
tylerwelch If I stop the train and go to start it again by slowly lifting the lever on the CW-80 the train lights power on but the train does not move. If I move the lever to the stop position and slowly lift again the train goes in reverse. If I lower the lever to stop the train and slowly lift the lever then the train powers on but does not move. Finally if I lift the lever again it moves in the correct direction and functions as desired. This cycle of behavior consistently repeats leading me to believe I have an issue with the CW-80 or maybe the locomotive.
Normal function as per page 7 of the manual:
And on page 13:
Also, you need to add more smoke fluid and follow the directions:
Rob
First off ---> Tyler.
ADCX is correct. It is performing exactly as all 3-rail engines perform. If you just want it to run in forward, refer to the manual, which I believe you have to power down and turn a switch inside the cab.
I received the Christmas version of the Hogwart's engine, the Santa Flyer, and it is a beautifully designed steamer and a decent puller as well. The smoke unit is a little underwhelming, but I like the different output it gives.
If you are floor running, make sure you keep the track clean.
Years ago there was a good discussion on the forum about smoke. Basically, people add recitifers to the motor lead. Many of remove the materials from the smoke unit and add pink insulation. We also then take the wicking material off of the smoke resistor.
trainsfan Hello Chief Eagles. Someone told me you may be able to help me out from another forum thread. I have a Lionel Mikado Jr. I had been running it in conventional with 2 full wave recitifers in series with a motor lead. It smoked nice at higher speeds and so so at medium speeds, hardly anything at slow speeds. I recently put in another making a total of 3 modified recitifiers. Now it smokes nice at lower speeds and really smokes at higher speeds. Do you think this is too many rectifiers? I don't want to damage anything. I actually tried 4 and the outside of the smoke unit was hot enough to sizzle when I spit a tiny bit on it! Mayber you or someone else have done this and know what a usual amount to use is. I also put in pink insulation and use JT's. I think the JT's burns up too fast, seems I'm always adding. Thanks for any help!
Hello Chief Eagles. Someone told me you may be able to help me out from another forum thread. I have a Lionel Mikado Jr. I had been running it in conventional with 2 full wave recitifers in series with a motor lead. It smoked nice at higher speeds and so so at medium speeds, hardly anything at slow speeds. I recently put in another making a total of 3 modified recitifiers. Now it smokes nice at lower speeds and really smokes at higher speeds. Do you think this is too many rectifiers? I don't want to damage anything. I actually tried 4 and the outside of the smoke unit was hot enough to sizzle when I spit a tiny bit on it! Mayber you or someone else have done this and know what a usual amount to use is. I also put in pink insulation and use JT's. I think the JT's burns up too fast, seems I'm always adding. Thanks for any help!
Smoke units in the first run of the Polar Express looked like this:
Celebrating 18 years on the CTT Forum.
Buckeye Riveter......... OTTS Charter Member, a Roseyville Raider and a member of the CTT Forum since 2004..
Jelloway Creek, OH - ELV 1,100 - Home of the Baltimore, Ohio & Wabash RR
TCA 09-64284
Thanks Buckeye for bringing that forward. Also, my Polar Express passenger cars flicker more than I liked. Added about 3 ozs of fishing weight to each car. Stopped flickering. Takes a little more to get the engine moving but smokes more and more as the voltage is higher to pull the extra weight.
God bless TCA 05-58541 Benefactor Member of the NRA, Member of the American Legion, Retired Boss Hog of Roseyville , KC&D Qualified
The cycling of the Reverse Unit has worked that way since Lionel "borrowed" the mechanical design from Ives in the late 1920's.
The Smoke Unit is designed to not burn out at the higher voltages required if you purchased all of the add-on cars available for the Polar Express. If you run the complete train, the loco will require a much higher voltage to move, and the smoke unit will be more prolific.
Jon
Tylerwelch and anyone else interested,
Perhaps you didn't receive manuals for your modern transformer and/or locomotive. Such manuals are online, and can be downloaded and printed out at the Lionel.com website, but can be a bit tricky to find.
A manual for the CW-80 is at http://www.lionel.com/media/servicedocuments/71-4198-250.pdf if the link works. There are actually a couple of manuals for the CW-80, reflecting changes made in their design and production over the years. I don't know for sure whether this is the current one, but it will probably do. Seriously, you have to study it. If anything, they contain too little rather than too much information.
Part of the "problem" with your locomotive is due to the slightly misleading labeling of the "Reverse" switch. It actually refers to a 3-position electronic E-unit which is built-in your locomotive. An E-unit is a device which when in the "OFF" position, allows the locomotive to run in one direction only.The throttle and directional switches have no effect on it.The locomotive continues to go in the direction it was headed (including Neutral, I think) when the E-unit switch was set to OFF. In the OFF position, the E-unit is out of the circuit. The switch should properly be labled something like "Directional control system activation unit: ON ---- OFF" or perhaps "Enable-----Disable" but it would not fit next to the switch.
When the Reverse switch is set to "ON" it activates the E-unit and is the correct position for most normal operation. It enables the direction control buttons, the throttle lever, and anything else that interrupts the current to the locomotive for just an instant, such as a bounce. Repeated pressing ot the direction button or pulling the throttle back to zero causes the E-unit to "step" its way through a cycle of the general type -Neutral-Forward-Neutral-Reverse-Neutral . You discovered this but mis-interpreted it as a problem. That's the way it's supposed to work as others have said.
Almost any interruption of the electrical power to the engine will cause the E-unit to cycle one step. This includes a momentary loss of contact of the pick-up rollers on the bottom of the engine, loose wires, and other events. Store owners often lock their display locomotive in the forward position so it will keep going even if it encounters a brief power-interruption problem. The same for train show displays. Some people do it on their home layouts if they just want to have it running but don't want to control it manually all the time, but then they tend to forget that they've done it and can't figure out what's wrong. Leave it in the ON position.
I think, but can no longer remember for certain, that after the power has been off for 5 seconds or so, the modern electronic E-units "revert" to a pre-set position in the sequence. (Williams E-units use the same sequence but are factory-set to start at a different step. They can be changed to work exactly like the Lionel units.) So, it's reasonably simple once you undertand it, but can be daunting, particularly for a beginner to the world of three-rail.
The older Lionel electro mechanical E-units used the same sequence of steps, for the most part, but accomplished it a very different way. In my opinion, the modern electonic NON-mechanical units are much more reliable, IF you protect them from over-voltage spikes with some sort of transient voltage suppression (TVS) device.
There is nothing magical about the pink color of the insulation. That is just a trademark of the manufacturer Owens-Corning. Any other (usually yellow) glass-wool insulation should work as well. I have several times suggested that someone who needs to replace a smoke generator's wick try rock wool instead and report how it works. It has a melting point about 500°C higher than glass wool.
Bob Nelson
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