Thank you, that is also quite helpful!
I did google on how to clean the tracks, which is what led me to this forum in the first place. I thought the track clip was hardwired, but I could have been mistaken. There are a couple others loose in the box that have screwdowns instead of the clips, and are removable.
And interesting on the Marx and the connectors. I am new to a lot of this, but I have very fond memories of grandpa running his trains around the xmas tree, and since I have a 2 y/o and a 7 monther, I wanted them to have some of the same experience. (I have a baby fence around tree and tracks :) )
My uncles got all of my grandpas Lionel prewar stuff, I know one of them donated his to a local railroad park/museum (McDowell railroad park in Scottsdale, Az), I need to get over and gaze at them again.
John
Do not use anything more abrasive than a Scotch-Brite pad to clean the track. The rails are tin-plated steel. If you remove the tin, the steel will then rust, making it harder to keep the track clean.
The direction changes because the connection between rail and wheel or pickup is momentarily interrupted by the corrosion or dirt. The Marx reversing unit is designed to change direction when that happens. Normally the reversing happens only when you stop the train deliberately and then restart. Some Lionel trains work the same way, but most have an additional, neutral state between forward and backward, letting the train stand still with the track voltage turned up.
This is unlike most scale model trains, which are meant to be run on DC and use the DC polarity to determine direction. Marx and Lionel style trains are usually run on AC, which does not allow this simple behavior, but lent itself to more powerful motors in the early days. Modern toy trains generally have DC motors, but are equipped with the necessary electronics to mimic this historical way of operating.
The wiring terminals are called "Fahnestock clips." They used to be more common than they are today. The thing with the Fahnestock clips is called (at least by Lionel) a "lock-on." It is actually not a permanent part of the track. It attaches with two blades that are inserted into the rails from below. You can remove it and put it wherever you want on any track piece.
The Marx automatic couplers are a very clever design. They are operated by a special contraption, which, like the lock-on, could be put on any piece of track. It has a spring loaded blade that pokes up between the center rail and a side rail. When a train car's truck is pulled through the device, the blade leans to one side and has no effect. But, when the same truck is pushed back over the device, the blade stays up and pushes on part of the coupler, which rotates and disengages from the coupler of the car ahead. Then, when the train moves forward again, the uncoupled car stays behind.
Bob Nelson
Thank you, that is kind of what I suspected after I thought through it. Lots of scrubbing in my future. :p
Stopping/starting/changing directions:
Sounds like shorting due to dirty track, wheels and pick-up rollers.
Need to cleen the track and track to track contacts as well as the wheels and try it then.
I don't think it is the transformer.
Best of luck.
Joined 1-21-2011 TCA 13-68614
Kev, From The North Bluff Above Marseilles IL.
Hey all -
First time poster (Obviously), although I've had N gauge trains from my grandfather for years.
I recently picked up a box of track and cars in the O gauge size (O-27 maybe)? I have identified the locos as the Marx 1666 (With the smoke still working), and the Marx 999 (Missing the front 2 wheel truck). There are a couple of coal tenders, flat cars, caboose and oil car. The 1666 has the vertical tab/slot hookup, while some of the cars have the "y" looking snap fit connectors.
The track is heavily tarnished, and there were a couple odd things I noticed when setting up a basic oval to test the transformers and engines. There are two gold colored Tyco transformers with switches (untested), and a Lionel type 4851 15VA labeled "Trainmaster Toy Transformer", with a single speed control lever that shifts to reverse when moved to "off". This is the one I used to test.
The 1666 ran fine with the coal tender, although with a lot of sparks at the contact points/wheels. However, when I added 2 more cars and the caboose, it made it around about three times, then it stopped, sat for a second, then tried to reverse, then stopped, started forward. It did this about 3 times before I was able to shut the transformer off.
The transformer is connected to the track with a permanently connect tab extension with two wire contact points that are basically vertical tabs with holes that have two pressure surrounds that you press down to insert the wire in the holes and then lift to maintain contact. It seems a bit flimsy, so I'm probably not wiring it quite right.
My questions are as follows:
1. Is the sparking normal? Will it minimize with a good cleaning of the track?
2. Is the behaviour of the stopping/starting/changing directions a fault of the transformer or the engine? I didn't test the 999 loco as it is missing the front truck.
Appreciate any information/insights that you might have.
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