I was given a 1946 1405W Lionel Train Set that was only used a few times. I have cleaned and lubricated cars, cleaned the tracks and set it up. The 1666 locomotive ran great! The whistle tender is in great shape, but will not blow when the whistle button on transformer is pressed. I disassembled, inspected, lubricated and cleaned. Initially the turbine for the whistle was stiff but lubrication freed it up. Still no respose. I placed on track wihout cover and lifted the contact below the relay and Eureka, it not only worked, but sounded great. Given that it works when the contact is lifted, is it possibly the button on the transformer that is not working? I disassemble the transformer and inspected the wiring and it appears intact. Could it be something else?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
Tully
You can test the relay using a 1.5 volt D cell. Put the D cell in series with one of the wires from the transformer. Turn the transformer on, and the relay should pull in. The relay should pull in and the whistle should sound. If the relay doesn't pull in, there may be a wire that is not connected or the coil of the relay may be bad. Check to see if the two tiny wires from the coil are connected. If you have a meter, check the resistance of the coil.
As for the two tiny wires...Is one the black insulated one that goes into the relay in the middle and the other the bare looking wire that comes out the top and connects to the frame of the relay?
Rob
As an update...I went on the chance it was the relay and as luck would have it...it was! Soldered in the new relay and the whisltle works like a champ. Thanks for the help!
Dave
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