501n throttle repair?

[Anonymous]

(long post as usual )



well here i am needing advice again. when my trains were stored for so long at one time they were at my friends home who is an N scaler. i know he used my packs.

now some 15 years later i open my stuff and find the 501n with cord cut off so i put a cord back on and check dc volts and only the varible dc and the ac has any output none from straight dc side. its humming pretty loud too.

i know at same time i had given him a kitty and that is why the cord was most likely gone . to further add to mystery there is a box for a 501ho also in my stuff but empty?? i know i DID have a throttle with momentum but i did not get one of those back. only another plastic MRC single cab 1100 or 1400 which does seems to work. i had a dual cab something.

whats this with my throttle bigjim??????? im not mad yet but i want to know something
you big gorilla. i know you in here just shy to post..respond to my emails man

question is a 501n fixable or worth fixing ?? also is says it has circuit breaker
protection? is it resettable or a fused link. seems the box is riveted so no access without drilling rivets.

i need a throttle bad now. ill check the volts output on the small MRC i do have and see if it will power my 4x8. if not i guess the way to go is find someone who has upgraded to dcc that wants to sell or trade a throttle.

argh i reminded of the old carribean man saying all i want is to buy this mellon. all i want to do is run my one good atlas on a loop right now.

[cacole]

My advice would be to buy a new power pack and throw that 501n away before you electrocute yourself or start a fire tinkering with it. Electrical devices that old are usually not safe.

[MisterBeasley]

This might be the time to consider DCC. I had all my old HO stuff in storage for 40 years. The rolling stock and the power packs all came out pretty well, but the engines really weren't very good anymore. So, I'm slowly retrofitting all of my old cars with Kadee couplers, and metal wheels will be next. I did manage to get a decoder into the only engine that worked well, and a couple of others have been converted to dummies.

Do your old engines still run well? If you're going to have to replace them anyway, you should consider starting with DCC. It really is a much better way to run a railroad.

[dgwinup]

Hi, John.

I agree with cacole. Don't bother with that 501N.

The other MRC (1400?) you have should be good to run your 4 x 8 layout. The 1400's had plenty of power for a layout of your size and it's perfect for what you want to do. Later on, you can convert to DCC or just upgrade to a bigger MRC.

Someone on eBay is selling TWO MRC 2500 packs. Listed at $9.99 for both. A great buy! Don't get into a bidding war; you wouldn't want to pay more than about $40.00 including postage (maybe a little more). The 2500's are older models and they have momentum and brake features. Look on eBay, enter "2 MRC" into the search function and you should be able to find them that way.

Hope this helps.

Darrell, quiet...for now

[Anonymous]

as always thanks for the good solid advice guys. the 501n is in trash .

this little controller is a mrc 1100 and puts out 16.1 dc volts according to my amprobe.
it should be enough i think until i can upgrade.

ill go and check the auction out too.


btw i got the bench work decked with plywood today its 3/8 " i was not going to use any plywood but it seems thin foam is all im going to find around here. also got some of the support cabinents painted. so some progress and thats feels good

best regards friends, john