I am going to use gargraves on my layout but have a lionel operating uncoupling track with 4 screws on the side. It is the one shown with the newer 497's. All I have to do it to figure how to hook up electrically. Someone said the lone wire was a power input wire and the 4 wire controller just hooks up to the 497 and its operations. How do I get the coal car to dump?
Paul
quizshow904@gmail.com
need info on lionel 497 coal loader. The one I have was set to use 0-27 track and it snapped into place on elevated tabs. I am going to use a 4 screw operating and uncoupling track as is used with the new ones but I am not sure how to wire it since I won't be using "track" power. I want to hook it up used fixed voltage but I will use the 2 leveler controller to perform the 4 functions: up, down, dump and load.
He has the O27 power blade. The 497 blades need to be longer only if you use O track. Since he is mating with Gargraves to O27 the O27 power blade should do it. It should work fine with the 3459 or 3469. It's the early postwar 3559 that is smaller and will not work.
Dump cars with coil couplers will uncouple when you dump them, That will happen no matter what accessory you have. If possible use newer dump cars with magnetic couplers to prevent this from happening.
I am referring to the original version of the 497 coal loader.
Dick
Hi,
The 497 will not work with both the 3459 and the 3469 without modification. The shoes on the couplers are not the same distance apart on both of these cars. You have to modify the power blade on the 497, making it longer, so that the power blade contacts the shoes on both of the 3459 and the 3469. The 3459 has electromagnetic knuckle couplers, the 3649 has magnetic knuckle couplers. I have both of these cars.
The postwar 497 has it's control track rails built right into it. You will not need to use an operating uncoupling track just install a section or two of normal O27 strait track. The tracks snap into slots in the frame of the platform similarly as the milk and cattle corrals do.O27 track snaps on the bottom, lowest notch. Gargraves mates with O27 nicely. Just pick up a set of O27-Gargraves mating pins.
The 497 was designed to work with shoe activated Postwar dump cars like the 3459 or 3469. It will not work with newer cars that do not activate by shoes. You will also need to use the O27 blade.
MPC and Lionel reissues of the 497 were redesigned to use an ordinary remote control track that are compatible with most other dump car styles.
Ok the small extra wire is for power. I only have a blade marked O-27 and I am using Gargraves track. I have some lionel O-27 operating tracks and uncoupling tracks so I can put and uncoupling track in place and just connect that to the Gargraves using the special pins??? Do I need to use the blade connections for a coal dump car, or can I just rig it up somehow to get the dump car to acuate at the 497 site?
Dick,
my email address is Quizshow904@gmail.com
I appreciate the help.
You will need the instructions to hook this up. Unfortunately the Olsen's link only has the repair info.
The odd wire coming out of the controller picks up the transformer power and the accessory is grounded through the track. The remaining wires should connect inside the station to connections under the roof where the motor connects.
What kind of track are you using? The 497 will only work with O or O27. You will need the correct connection blades for the dump car.
Send me your email address and I will forward a copy of the Lionel instruction sheet for the accessory.
I printed these out but my 497 doesn't have the same electrical connections. There is a bar attached to the top of the motor and everything is soldered in. I don't have any wire clips like the pictures. i assume the unit gets power from the track but how. There is a "power shoe" that would slide into one of the operating shoes on the operating track section but that only gets power when you depress the unload button. Do you have to hold the unload button down while you lift the coal up and down? The instructions don't mention that.
Look here: http://pictures.olsenstoy.com//searchcd31.htm?itm=315
I have a postwar Lionel 497 coal loader and the manuals and drawing on Lionel's pages refer to a more recent version. I can't figure how to hook up the track as well as the electrical. Anyone with experience, please offer suggestions. The newer version says to use an operating track up I think an upcoupling track would function to dump the coal load but it won't fit.
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