We have an old AF 596 Water Tower we are trying to refurbish. I can't not find any diagrams or pictures of the inner workings. Does anyone have any information or pictures or can take a picture of the inside of one so we can rework ours?
Hi ciclarry
You are welcome to call me for the information you need.
Sincerely,
Roger Carp
Senior editor
Classic Toy Trains
262-796-8776 ext. 253
There are 3 wires, yellow, green and black. The black (base) attaches to the coil / cross bar. The green from the switch to the bottom of the coil. The yellow to the lamp socket. In operation the lamp is always on. When the switch is closed it supplies power to the coil and the spout drops. The black is the base or common for both the coil and the lamp. Sometimes the green wire looks black, it solders to the end of the coil away from the cross bar.
Jim
The wiring info helps. Thanks. We still need a picture or diagram of how the solenoid and linkage to spout are set up
I'm not set up for pictures so I'll try and describe the linkage from memory because I'm not at home. I'll look and confirm tomorrow but as I can remember as the coil is energized via the green wire soldered to the bottom of the coil, the coil pulls the coil core up. A rod attaches the coil to the spout end that is inside the tower. As it pulls up on the rod the spout pivots and and outside the tank the spout lowers as if to add water.
The water tower is a fairly robust accesory. If the wires are intact, and you can hear and see the coil work, the rest is get the linkage to work. If the coil is bad, go on ebay and buy a uncoupler for a few bucks and use it as a replacement.
We are closer. We have the linkage rod to the spout. We cannot tell how the linkage rod and flat bar under the solenoid that the linkage bar is connected to, are held in place to operate with the solenoid
The rod that connects the flat lever part of the coil is about 2 ¾” long from pivot point on the lever arm to pivot point on the weighted end of the spout. At both ends there is a 90° bend ~ 3/8” long that goes through the weighted end of the spout up through the round hole in the bottom of the tank to the flat lever bar on the coil. Original has a flare on the weighted end and a crimp on the coil end. If you need to make one, the rod looks to be about a 14 gauge wire diameter, and you could probably use a push on speed nut to secure the rod in place on the spout and the coil lever bar. There also is a tiny compression spring ~ ½ eye to eye very light duty that assisted the coil. A small cotter pin holds the spout to the tank body.
Hope this helps
Looks like we do have the original Connecting Rod to the Spout. The Flat Bar that works with the coil is our problem. Not sure how the Rod connects to the Flat Bar and how the Flat bar is connected to the coil.
Make sure the core is in the coil. Take the small compression spring and attach it to the flat bar on the wide end in the small hole. You’ll see two notches on the wide end near the spring hole. With the rod disconnected from the flat bar, and the round tab where the rod attaches pointing to where the rod attaches, slide wide end under the coil to the notches and up on to the coil frame. This is the hinge point for the flat bar. Take the other end of the small compression spring on the flat rod and attach the spring to the hole in the coil frame. Now take the round rod and insert the rod into the hole in the flat rod tab. Secure the rod with a speed nut.
I am pretty sure I understand the directions. I think there is something off with the coil frame and flat bar. Our Coil is mounted to the underside of the Tower's Cross Frame, with the long vertical side of the coil frame toward the spout. There is no "bottom" to the coil frame. There seems to be nothing to hold the flat bar in place.
What keeps the flat bar in place is the notches on the frame of the coil. You are correct that the coil is on the underside of the brace that holds both the lamp with the bulb pointing up, and the coil.
On the side of the coil facing the center or toward the lamp, on the outer bottom sides there is a small hole, one on each side. just inboard from these two holes, is a cut out, parallel to the bottom of the coil. The flat bar slides into this cutout at the notches on either side of the flat bar. The slot in the coil frame is just wide enough for the notched part of the bar to slide up onto forming like an open bottomed hinge. The upward pull of the spring between the coil frame and the flat bar, puts tension on the flat bar. Between the spring tension and the close tolerances between the hinge at the coil frame slot and the flat bar notches keeps the bar in place.
I was wrong when I said the was a core in the center of the coil. There is no core inside the coil
We will get it working, I’m confident in you
Success!! The flat bar slipping into the notched part of the coil frame was the issue. Thank you.
You are welcome
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