need help!!! lionel 80 watt transformer , MTH engine...

[ozzy]

ok i have an 80 watt lionel transformer, and a mth rail king engine, the engines bell keeps coming on by its self, will only shut off when i hit the horn. will not shut off or turn on with the bell button. sometimes it will not move or it creeps along at full power, or slows down , when i hit the horn it will take off or speed back up. so whats wrong? what is going bad,,,? engine or transformer?

[60103]

Ozzy: quick test: reverse the connection to the track. Is this a CW80 transformer? The bell and whistle are controlled by DC but going in opposite directions. Reversing the connections will reverse the DCs. (At least for Lionel engines).

[Renovo PPR]

You can operate the functions correctly on a PS 2.0 engine properly with a Lionel CW 80. I know it sounds strange but you just can't. However every other modern Lionel transformer is ok. Now you can use every MTH transformer for modern Lionel and the only PW engine and tender I have work just fine too.

There is a longer explanation somewhere in the history in this forum.

[ozzy]

it has always worked fine before, just in the last few days it has been acting up. it is a cw80, the wires are red to center, black to outside, im using fast track . i only have the one MTH engine so far, rest are williams and postwar lionel and a newer lionel. i have other transformers but the cw80 is the only one i have with horn or bell. the mth engine has worked fine with the cw80 for 4 or 5 months. its just been this week that its been doing it.

maybe i better hurry up and get the rest of my 275 watt transformer paid off so i can get it out of my lhs...lol, got to love a train shop that lets you make payments on bigger items.....lol have to double my weekly payment to get it faster!!!!!,

[ozzy]

here is something i forgot to add.... when i pull the passenger cars (lighted), or even have them setting on a siding the engines works fine, has none of the things go wrong,,,,,

could it be that the lighted cars use up enough power that not all of it go to the engine? i think even with just one of the lighted cars on the track stops the problems

[wong_raymond]

I have the same problem with my MTH PCC Electric Streetcar running on Fastrack and a CW-80. The problem goes away immedately when I add on another passenger car or a caboose (ones with a single light bulb). I tried reversing the wires but that did not help.

[pgandw]

Originally Posted by ozzy

here is something i forgot to add.... when i pull the passenger cars (lighted), or even have them setting on a siding the engines works fine, has none of the things go wrong,,,,,

could it be that the lighted cars use up enough power that not all of it go to the engine? i think even with just one of the lighted cars on the track stops the problems

The CW80 needs a load for the electronics to correctly zero the voltage, reverse directions, and the like. A light bulb is usually sufficient load to make it work correctly. That is why your problems go away when using a lighted car. Often, a lighted lock-on is recommended, and will do the trick.

yours in wiring

[N Gauger]

Originally Posted by pgandw

The CW80 needs a load for the electronics to correctly zero the voltage, reverse directions, and the like. A light bulb is usually sufficient load to make it work correctly. That is why your problems go away when using a lighted car. Often, a lighted lock-on is recommended, and will do the trick.

yours in wiring

So....if you had a siding... with a lighted bumper...

that would make it work correctly too.... Right??????

[pgandw]

Originally Posted by N Gauger

So....if you had a siding... with a lighted bumper...

that would make it work correctly too.... Right??????

Yes, it should. Try it and see.

[Brutus]

Right, I ran my power through a lighted accessory as a test on one of these and it worked too. You just need that steady power drain for some reason!

[Dave Farquhar]

I've seen a similar problem when trying to use computer power supplies to power something other than computers, particularly the old-style XT power supplies. Just hooking up to a +5 or +12 V lead and throwing the switch sometimes isn't enough; sometimes they need a certain amount of load on them before they'll power on.