Need some help with my Lionel post war 685 set

[Sutter Grandma]

What oil and lubricant should I use?  Would sewing machine oil work?  

I have a very small layout, set up as an oval, and on one of the short sides the engine always slows down some, speeding up on the straight-away, and not slowing down again until it reaches the same spot.  The connections are tight and the track seems clean.  What could be causing this?

I'm a total novice at this, as you can guess.  I received this set for Christmas about 60 years ago, and it's not been used much since.  I did have it cleaned up and oiled before setting it up again, and it runs fine, just want to be sure I keep it in good shape for my grandson.

[teledoc]

The sewing machine oil will work fine, but there are newer lubricants designed specifically for trains. The slowing down problem can be a dirty connection, track pins being loose, or the need to add another power connection, in the area where the loco slows down.  You don’t mention how big your layout is, or what transformeryou have.  Give a few more details, and you will get the answers you need.  As far as cleaning the track, do NOT use sandpaper or steel wool. Use a Scotchbrite pad, and mainly just the top of the rails, is what you need to be concerned with.

[lionelsoni]

How small is "very small"?  Where on the track did you attach the feed from the transformer?  Is it perhaps not close to where the train slows down?  It may be slowing because of voltage drop in the track (however tight the connections) compounded by the extra friction in going around the curves.

[Sutter Grandma]

Thanks for your reply.  The layout is an oval 50"x40", and the transformer is the original Lionel Multi-control Trainmaster RW (rewired because the original cord was shot).

[Sutter Grandma]

Bingo...that's the problem, I'm sure.  The lock-on is on the opposite side of the oval from where the slowdown occurs.  I currently have it set up on a piece of plywood on top of my dinette table, so my options for attaching the transformer are limited!  I'm probably going to be putting it back in storage soon, as my grandson, at age 7, is too young to be trusted with it on his own.  I'll be sure to oil everything well before storing!

[lionelsoni]

It's not hard to fix this problem, now or whenever you are going to use the set.  Just run a second pair of wires from the transformer to the farthest point on the track.

I recommend using 14-AWG, which will surely provide a lower resistance than the track, is amply safe for the maximum current that your transformer can supply, and is easy to find at home-improvement stores, either as solid or stranded individual wires or as non-metallic sheathed cable (type NM or NMC).  You'll also need a second lock-on unless you prefer to solder the wire to the rails.

[Sutter Grandma]

Thanks for your suggestion on the kind of wire to use.  I've been using the original 60 year old wire, which works OK, but it's really stiff and difficult to work with.  I'll see if I can find the type of wire you suggested.

[lionelsoni]

I don't know what you're using now, but you may be disappointed to know that the copper conductor alone in 14-AWG is 1/16-inch in diameter.  Even the more flexible stranded variety is probably stiffer than what you have.

The problem is that, to provide a better, alternate path for the electricity from the transformer to the train, you need wire whose electrical resistance is at least comparable to that of the track, or preferably a little lower.  The track is (very roughly) equivalent to 16-AWG, whose resistance is only about 50 percent higher than 14-AWG.  You may be able to make enough of an improvement with lighter wire if you're lucky.

One trick for dealing with heavier wire is to terminate it with a short length of smaller-gauge wire.  Your transformer can only put out 5 or 6 amperes, so a few inches of an 18-AWG or 16-AWG "tap" at the end of a feeder wire is completely safe and contributes negligibly to the overall resistance of the wire.  You can connect it to the larger wire with solder, a crimp connector, or, easiest of all, a wire nut. 

[Sutter Grandma]

Wow, do I have a lot to learn!  All I remember from 60 years ago is plugging the transformer in and playing with the train.  I picked up some 14 gauge automotive wire at Ace Hardware, which the man helping me said was the equivalent to the original wire that came with the set.  We'll see if that works.

[KRM]

Sutter Grandma

[Sutter Grandma]

This is the original wire and lock on that came with the set back in 1957.  As you can see, the wire is really stiff!  I have no idea what gauge it is, but apparently it can't be found anymore?

[lionelsoni]

Well, actually I can't see your picture.  This forum is notorious for making picture posting difficult.

But you can guess the gauge from the approximate diameter of the conductor:  3/32 inch--10, 5/64--12, 1/16--14, 3/32--16, 5/128-18, 1/32--20 .  If you've got a set of drill bits, you can use them for comparison.

[Sutter Grandma]

Figured out how to add the photo, copy and paste did it.

 

Matching the size of the wire to my drill bits, it's 1/16 of an inch.  That would equate to....?  Is that overkill?  Under kill?  This whole wiring thing has me perplexed.

I found the 14 AWG wire and I'm going with that!

Thanks again for all your help.

[lionelsoni]

One-sixteenth is 14 AWG.

[Sutter Grandma]

Oh, got it, misread your earlier post on measuring using drill bits.

[ADCX Rob]

Sutter Grandma

Figured out how to add the photo, copy and paste did it.

No, still not there. You want to use this button:

To link to a photo hosted on the web, anywhere. I used tinypic in this post.

[Sutter Grandma]

Thanks, I tried that the first time and it didn't work.  I surrender!

 

 

[rtraincollector]

Sutter Grandma

Thanks, I tried that the first time and it didn't work.  I surrender! 

 

Here's how to post a photo in the forum:

Step 1: Prepare your photo. It should be saved in JPG or GIF format, and no more than 1 megapixel in size (approx. 1000x1000 pixels).

Step 2: Upload your photo elsewhere. You can't actually post a photo in a Forum message. What you can do is post a link in your message that calls a photo posted elsewhere. So you'll have to put your photo somewhere on the Web that's publicly viewable. Many Forum members use Photobucket, Imgur, Flickr, or their personal websites. Whatever hosting site you use, make sure your settings allow your photo to be viewed by anyone, or all you'll get is a broken-image icon. The Model Railroader User Gallery won't work, because it requires you to be logged in. Any site that requires a login won't work, even if visibility is set to Public. That includes Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and the like.

Step 3: Copy the address. Right-click (or on a Mac, control-click) to view the image by itself, not embedded in a web page. Copy the address of the photo from the address bar at the top. If it doesn't end in ".jpg" or ".gif", you're still looking at the picture on a web page, not the picture itself.

Step 4: Start your post. Create a new post on the Forum as usual, using either the Reply function on an existing thread or the blue "Create a new discussion topic" button in the Forum list view.

Step 5: Insert your picture. Click the "Insert/edit image" button above the message window. It looks like a picture of a mountain and the sun. Click it and paste the image URL you copied into the "Source" box in the window that comes up. Then click OK. Repeat and add text as necessary. Then post as usual.  

 

Some use shutterfly and then theres others out there that others will tell you of. 

[Sutter Grandma]

Thank you, I'll save these instructions in case I need them in the future.