Will a CW80 work with non- Lionel HO gauge train and tracks?
Thanks
I had to google Lionel CW80 to know what you were asking. The CW80 is a pretty standard sized Lionel transformer. A transformer steps down the high voltage household current (110 to 120 volts) down to maybe 16 volts or so.
However it remains Alternating Current (A.C.). HO trains except for Maerklin use direct current (DC) (and yes i know DCC changes everything but for now we speak plain vanilla HO trains). Thus for HO (and N and most other non-toy trains) you need both a transformer to step down the current, and a rectifier to convert it to DC. A "power pack" such as Model Rectifier sells has the transformer and rectifier as well as speed control, direction switch, and other features, all in one package.
So the short answer is no, a Lionel CW80 or other Lionel transformer cannot be used with HO trains.
Now having said that, there are guys clever with electronics who can take a toy train transformer and have it feed a home-built rectifier/potentiometer or rheostat combo and create their own "power pack." This was easier to do back when there were electronics stores like Radio Shack in town where you could get the stuff you needed and ask for help from the staff.
Now if you have moved to HO but have a Lionel CW80 in working order that would otherwise be gathering dust, it might be able to be used to power switch machines, layout lights and some other accessories that use AC power.
Dave Nelson
Model RECTIFIER Corporation did make an add-on item to transform low-voltage AC from a transformer to DC for HO trains. It included a reversing switch, and maybe a pulse power switch (I might have added that). I had one for years, but I think I tossed it.
I tried to find photos or a model number, but no luck. So you can see how popular it was. Still, it was a very handy little thing: just screw it down next to your transformer, connect wires as directed, and you could run your HO trains.
Ed
https://www.google.com/search?source=hp&ei=IcvEW8zCGuyPjwSG4pHwDA&q=dpdt+center+off+switch&oq=DPDT+Ce&gs_l=psy-ab.1.0.0l7j0i22i30l3.3909.9796..17529...0.0..0.229.1471.0j9j1......0....1..gws-wiz.....0..0i131j0i131i10.eXNo_Qtx_dA
I poked around a bit on ye olde internet, and found an example of what I described earlier:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/HO-TRAINS-OLDER-MODEL-RECTIFIER-MINI-MODEL-ADAPTER-FAIR-S7/292648114951?hash=item44232fdb07:g:IuYAAOSwYSlXgaeS:rk:9:pf:0
It surely has a curious color. Mine came in the classic MRC gold-tone. I have serious doubts that this one works.
I see it didn't have a pulse-power switch, so I guess I added my own.
So, anyway, it is/was a Model Rectifier Corporation Mini-Modeladapter. And I guess it's a collector's item, today.
Wonder if I really tossed it........
At one time I ran my HO trains with a Lionel ZW transformer with a rectifier added.
I also had to add a high wattage resistor since the minimum voltage from the transformer made the trains go from 0 to 60 mph in about 1/2 second.
Another concern with "home brewed" rectifier + toy train transformer combos is a circuit breaker that works fast enough to prevent damage to the motor etc.
mvlandsw At one time I ran my HO trains with a Lionel ZW transformer with a rectifier added. I also had to add a high wattage resistor since the minimum voltage from the transformer made the trains go from 0 to 60 mph in about 1/2 second.
Ah, yes. You jogged my memory. The ZW starts at 6 V. and goes to 20 V. Not only did I have one of those MRC rectifier thingys, I also had one of their rheostats inserted after the rectifier. So I could just set the transformer at 16 V. and get 12 V. out of the whole thing.
Whether or not I should have just bought a "power pack" is an interesting question.
I didn't have any fuses or circuit breakers other than the circuit breaker in the ZW. I never had any damage to my HO equipment. Probably kid-luck.
You must've had a bum power pack. Most Lionel packs would do 0-100 in that time.
-Dan
Builder of Bowser steam! Railimages Site