Converting two rail trains

[Anonymous]

Hey guys can anyone tell me if it is possible to convert two rail trains to three rail? If so how. I got a switcher that runs two rail and I need it to run on three.

Also is it possible to convert a Marx DC switcher to run AC. It runs on a d battery now.

Thanks in advance
Angelo

[ben10ben]

It would be quite a bit of trouble to install pickup rollers on a 2 rail engine, and maybe not even worth it. What I would do, rather, is get a boxcar with pick-up rollers, install an e-unit in it, and run a 2 wire tether from it to the engine. The two wire tether would then be connected directly to the motor and to the lights(if present). Be sure to disconnect the normal two rail pickups, though.

The Marx DC engine likely has a 3 volt motor in it, and that would have to be replaced before converting it to AC. Probably not worth the time or the trouble, if it's even possible.

[Big_Boy_4005]

Angelo, anything CAN be done, the question is it worth the money and effort to do?

In the case of the switcher, you will need to deal with the trucks. The wheels on the 2 rail version have small flanges, which may give you trouble depending what kind of track you use. You will also need rollers for center rail electrical pickup. Beyond that, you will need to get an electronic E unit, so that you can run the DC motor on AC and so that you can have directional control. A lot of work if you ask me.

The Marx problem is even worse. A motor that works off a single D battery is a 1.5 VDC motor. That engine may not even have metal wheels. Basicly you are looking at $50-$75 dollars to convert a $20 max engine. For that, you would be better off buying an old scout.

[lionelsoni]

I think Angelo is talking about converting one Marx two-rail DC switcher to three-rail AC.

I also assume that the 3-volt battery is connected to the track, not carried in the locomotive. This means that there is an adequate connection to the running rails; so all Angelo needs is a center-rail pickup. Ben's tether idea is clever, particularly if done with a single wire, since the locomotive's wheels should suffice for the return. It is easy to make a very small 1-wire connector by soldering or crimping a loose female connector pin to one wire, male to the other, and covering all but the business end of the male with shrink tubing. However, I have found it not that difficult to add a pickup to a locomotive. (Actually, I recommend connecting any available tender pickup to the locomotive even if it already has a pickup.)

I doubt that the Marx locomotive has scale flanges. One problem might turn out to be fat flanges. Marx locomotives often have gear teeth cast into the drivers with the same diameter as the flanges. These won't go through Lionel switches.

For the DC motor, you have to rectify the power from the wheels and the pickup. Connect them to the terminals of a bridge rectifier (rated at about 3 amperes) marked with a tilde (~). Optionally, put a few thousand microfarads of capacitance (rated at about 25 volts) on the output, observing the polarity markings of the capacitor and the rectifier.

An electromechanical Lionel E-unit will work just fine. Connect the frame, together with the green wire, and the terminal that is wired to the E-unit coil to the output of the rectifier. The yellow and blue wires will supply the motor.

The motor voltage will have to be reduced. You will have to experiment with this. One way is to use a resistor in series with the motor. The resistor's power rating (in watts) should be approximately 200 divided by the resistance (in ohms). Another is to put diodes in series. A convenient way to do this is to use the same bridge rectifier type as before. Connect the + and - terminals together and use the ~ terminals in series with the motor. Each bridge will drop the motor voltage about 3 volts; so I would guess that about 3 of them would be enough.