I think you may have run into the number-one problem with the CW-80, assuming it was manufactured prior to Sept 06 or thereabouts. There have been reams written about this screw-up which Lionel has never acknowledged. However, they have quietly fixed it after more than 3 years -- so some of us believe.
If your CW-80 is less than a year old, see whether you can get your dealer or Lionel itself to replace it. (There is no repair service for CW-80's.) Meanwhile, Bob Nelson (lionelsoni) and countless others will almost certainly advise you to get something else.
What I think you did was deliberately or accidentally connect the U posts together, assuming they were "common." They are not -- on the "old" ones. In effect you connected two "hots" together. On the old CW's the A and B posts were "common," and can be used that way but doing so will reverse the function of the whistle and bell buttons, which is the standard workaround if you can re-label them and live with it. If you want more details do a "search" on this forum and/or a "find" on the OGR one and you'll find more than you want to know.
Incidentally, I have heard repeatedly that the FasTrack switches are so smooth and efficient they don't need to be remotely powered. Has your experience been different?
A replacement for your CW80 that won't cost too much would be a postwar Lionel 1033 or 1044 type transformer. I haven't priced them lately, but i've seen other posts that quote less than 50$. Your local shop may have one or two for sale-- or you could go to Ebay-- If you can spring for 50-100$, an MTH Z750 or Z1000 would be an alternative that would provide enough power, plus you get the bell & whistle buttons(PW transformers only have a whistle button). I think I'll go search out some current prices from Ebay & post my results here---
Ok, here's what i found: 1033/1044's-- less than $50 w/shipping; Z750's most less than $50--- Z1000's from $50-100$.
HTH!
A Day Without Trains is a Day Wasted
Thanks Wolverine I really appreciate you help. I will post what I decided to do after the fact. Again I really appreciate your input.
Greg
One other option is to purchase the "Thomas" set for just over $100 mail order. The older set stocks come with a CW-80 (newer stock may have a powermax which has only 30W). You would get more track and another train as well and another year warranty on the CW-80. Justrains has an K-line Army train with transformer (again a very basic one). You might be able to sell the track you do not need on ebay (or to me! ;-)).
Jim H
From everything that I have heard about the CW(can't work)-80 you will do best to get another transformer, anything but a CW-80!
Lee F.
"Just a hobo" and others who might be interested:
May I respectfully call your attention to a thread on the OGR forum begun on 1/1/07 by "donhradio" and "Ted Bertiger"?
The CW-80 has been substantially revised. We really ought to consider the possibility that at long last things have changed for the better.
Evidently the speed of the cooling fan has been increased, and the lack-of-a-sensible-common-ground problem solved. The accessory posts AND the whistle and bell buttons now work as they should, with the two "U" posts as common or "ground." You can now easily and safely power accessories, including switches (turnouts), while retaining the as-labeled functions of the whistle and bell buttons.
I spoke to a dealer here in Maryland yesterday recently who claims that over the past year he has sold "...dozens of CW-80's, and not one has come back." Did I believe him? Not really, but I think things have improved. In any event, why not give the new ones a chance to establish their own reputation -- good or bad? (I just wish they had given them a new name to make the revised ones more distinguishable from the early ones.)
I'm not yet ready to suggest going out and buying a CW-80 -- hence no direct response to this thread -- but I am interested in learning the experiences folks have had with the revised ones.
Once again, I cannot get a direct link to post here, but one can go to that other forum and use the advanced "find" function. Simply type "donhradio" without the quotation marks, in the author block and browse through his posts to find the one about the CW-80 dated 1/1/07.
"Just a Hobo,"
I certainly agree that Lionel should have recalled the original ones. But I don't know quite what you mean by the "poor folks who bought the junkers." As I understand it, Lionel was ready and willing to REPLACE any defective CW-80 that was brought to their attention within one year of purchase, if it was bought from an authorized dealer and if the owner had a receipt. The customer was not required to undergo the hassle and expense of returning the unit -- just a phone call. That's a whole lot better than nothing, particulary in the face of a huge lawsuit that literally sent them into bankruptcy.
Folks who bought them on the cheap from the well-known auction house or elsewhere, and who received a device that didn't work, need to seek satisfaction from the seller.
Did you read the post by donhradio on the other forum? I think it gives some real insight into what was going on at the corporate level during this fiasco, and few would argue that nobody should be fired. Evidently, somebody finally was; but it took far too long.
My concern is, and alway has been, with the overally public-relations disaster that has existed over the past three years or so, when heaven-knows how many kids were introduced to toy trains only to be terribly disappointed on Christmas or their birthday or whatever. I have never suggested that anybody go out and buy a CW-80, but have typed my fingers to the bone trying to help those who already had one. In many cases, we were able to salvage something, via a workaround, some obscure clause in the Owner's Manual, attention to the warranty, or the like.
Before I shuffle off this mortal coil I'd like to be able to recommend the revised CW, but I don't have enough data to do so yet. In this light I'd sorely like for people to make it clear when they complain about their CW's whether they have a new one or an original one; or better yet, report some good news if and when they have some.
This has not been a very proud chapter in the history of Lionel, but it may be just that -- history. Some, perhaps many, CW's had their problems, but at least they weren't Pintos.
Does anyone know the date code for the "improved" CW-80's. I for one love the CW-80. Sure it has (or had) some problems. Still, Lionel did send out replacements and not even request the old one back.
For those who have an old one that croaked....I am sure there are some hobbiests that went out and purchased a new set....sending in the old transformer with the new set receipt. Not saying they should.
I think Lionel has done a good job standing behind a horrible mistake! Remember it is not whether you make mistakes (everyone does!), it is how you respond to them.
jimhaleyscomet,
jim,
I've been asking the same question on both forums. In addition, I have tried to do a little research (yesterday) and will try again tomorrow. Yesterday I found a local dealer who was willing to open two, one from a set and one stand-alone version. Both were the new types; that is, the U terminals were common. In both cases, the date code, which in my experience had always been four-digit numeric, was now a five digit alpha-numeric, specifically G0606 and G0806. Perhaps the "G" is what we are looking for.
Why does it have to be so difficult? Does anybody know the true story here? Folks who intend to buy new CW-80's, whether in sets or stand-alone, really need to know this.
One thing we seem to know from this: at least some of the CW-80's manufactured as early as June 06 are the revised type.
Just to add more fuel to this thread....
Just before Christmas, my CW started making noise. I brought it and my receipt to my LHS, a service dealer, for a look see. He tested it and then it started making noise. He grabed a replacement unit and gave it to me. He never asked me for my receipt. I got back to work and shot off an e-mail to Lionel about my experience. I later got an e-mail back from them saying that they were pleased that I was satisfied and would notify those people that were "appropriate". The next day, the replacement unit started making the same noise.
I haven't had the heart to go back for another replacement (though I may well do that soon).
I am the monster in your head...And I thought you'd learn by now, It seems you haven't yet.I am the venom in your skin --- Breaking Benjamin
anjdevil2,
Would you be so good as to provide the full date of manufacture from the bottoms of both transformers; or at least from the replacement that you received?
The replacement is 04/06, the original one was a 2005 date. I think it was 12/05. I bought the set from Charles Ro in Feb 2006. That was a NYC Flyer set. I'm pretty sure it was 12/05 though.
I'm probably going for another replacement this weekend. I'll let you know what date that is
We have no data on reliability of the new ones, but in terms of necessaryand long-awaited design corrections, the new ones should be a whole lot better than the old ones. Why settle for a replacement that is obsolete?
If you have an ohmmeter you can easily check the one you have. Look for a reading of zero ohms across U and U; and some reading much greater than zero between A and B. If you see zero ohms between A and B, it is an old one. To avoid doing any damage, check the continuity with the unit unplugged and nothing connected to the posts.
anjdevil2 wrote: Just to add more fuel to this thread....Just before Christmas, my CW started making noise. I brought it and my receipt to my LHS, a service dealer, for a look see. He tested it and then it started making noise. He grabed a replacement unit and gave it to me. He never asked me for my receipt. I got back to work and shot off an e-mail to Lionel about my experience. I later got an e-mail back from them saying that they were pleased that I was satisfied and would notify those people that were "appropriate". The next day, the replacement unit started making the same noise.I haven't had the heart to go back for another replacement (though I may well do that soon).
lionroar,
It sounds like the cooling fan. It squeels & squalls for a while, then is goes away, like a bad wheel bearing in a car. Operationally it's fine, just disturbs the wife with the noise.
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