Disapointed with Model Railroader Special Edition O gauge layout.

[ChiefEagles]

Bob, another subject. I am think about installing a fan driven smoke unit in a big dummy. I will be lighting it and will be adding pickups. Now with DCS/TMCC, I set the transformer at 18V. I want to reduce this voltage to say around 12V or 14 V. That way it will not be over smoking but not low enough to make it not smoke well. Give me your imput. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Snell50,

I belive that from an older forum, you mentioned that you had a Postwar 2034. If it was madfe after 1950, it will have magne-traction and will be best for those curves. I tried building a floor version of the layout with 0-42 curves and it worked fine (my friends atlantic was used as well as my trains)

Then we tried it with 0-27. It was great fun (however, torturing to the loco) when we ran it so fast it flew of the curves on the trestle. The wrecks were so realistic too. The atlantic was run with 3 hoppers and a caboose.

But anyway, my aunt also has a 2034 ansd we used that too and iut worked great. People still run stuff from 1910 and up snel50.

Bert and Mary Poppins

[lionelsoni]

Frank, probably the easiest way to solve your problem is with a series resistor. The advantage of the diode trick is that the voltage drop is constant with varying load. However, in your case, the smoke unit's load is constant, so a resistor will work just fine. Do you need advice on how to find the resistance value and power rating?

[ben10ben]

According to David Doyle's Standard Catalog of Lionel Trains(excellent book, by the way), the 2034 does not have magnetraction. Generally speaking, the 203X series of engines had magnetraction, and most were identical to the comparable 202X engines in most respects(i.e. 2035 was a 2025 with Magnetraction and a new trailing truck). The 2034 appears to be an exception to this rule.

[lionelsoni]

My opinion of Doyle's book can be found elsewhere on this forum.

[ChiefEagles]

Please do that Bob. If you want to, you can email me or psot it here for everyone. Thanks

[lionelsoni]

The most straightforward method would be to put about 12 volts from a variable transformer across the smoke unit, let it warm up, and then measure the current. Six volts divided by that current is the resistance that you want.

If you don't have an ac ammeter to do this that can handle as much current as the smoke unit will draw, you can improvise by putting a small known resistance in series with the smoke unit, then measure the voltage across that resistor when you have 12 volts across the smoke unit. Multiply the known resistance by 6 volts and divide by the measured voltage to get the desired resistance.

(If you're lucky enough to have an assortment of power resistors, trial and error also works pretty well. Apply the voltage gradually so that you don't exceed what the smoke unit can stand.)

To get the power rating, divide 36 (6 volts squared) by the resistance that you will use. Then round up to the next power rating that you can get that is at least twice what you calculated.

If you can't find a resistor of the right value, you can put several smaller ones in series. The resistance of the string is the sum of the individual resistances. Likewise, you can put several larger ones in parallel. The resistance of the combination is the reciprocal of the sum of the reciprocals of the individual resistances. If they are all the same resistance value, this is just the individual resistance divided by the number of resistors. In both the series and parallel cases, if they are all the same resistance value, the power rating of the combination is the sum of the individual ratings.

[Frank53]

QUOTE: Originally posted by lionelsoni

My opinion of Doyle's book can be found elsewhere on this forum.

I just purchased it, do I have to search?

[Anonymous]

Yeah... I tried running my 2034 but it would'nt. It would make a noise and go
1 inch down the track then stop...

What a shame.

oh well.

Thanx,

Colin

[ben10ben]

Colin,
You might want to try another topic about your 2034 on this forum describing what it does in more detail when you put it on the track. There are several here extremely well versed in postwar repair that I'm sure could get you going in the right direction to get it running. Trains back then were designed so that they could easily be serviced. Getting one running is often a matter of no more than some cleaning and $5 or less in replacement parts. Such work can also often be easily completed in an evening.

[lionelsoni]

http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?page=-1&TOPIC_ID=23391&REPLY_ID=229602#229602
I had hoped not to restart this disagreement, but felt I needed to balance Ben's endorsement.

[ben10ben]

Let me explain my feelings a little bit more on the book.

Despite the mentioned errors, it is still first really affordably priced Lionel reference book I have encountered. The Greenburg's books, I'm sure, are excellent, but at $40-60 each, I can't afford to fill my library with all of the ones I'd like to have. David Doyle's book, for $30, describes in detail variations and other information that is more difficult to find, for a price less than one Greenburg's book. He also lists set contents, again something that I find to be very useful. I still say that it's an excellent book to take the place of a set of Greeburg's books(7, I think), at a cost of less than one of those books.

If the Greenburg's books on Lionel trains are as good as the one I have on Erector Sets, I'm sure that they are well worth the money, but, once again, I don't have that kind of money.

[Anonymous]

Thanx Ben... I'll do that.


Thanx again,
Colin