OK, I found the battery, looked like a 1914 model, extremely corroded, etc. I cleaned all parts, check the continuity with a tester, and placed a new battery in the holder. No action. Also, the E-unit appears to not have a neutral position. Is this correct? Once greased and oiled, the thing runs like an animal, and nearly noiseless on the track. While power was on the engine, I pushed the contacts together that should have activated the horn I think but nothing. Is there a way to put voltage directly on the horn to check it or is this a wise thing to do? If it does not work, what could be wrong. Thanks to all replying, Jake
The 212 has a two-position e-unit–no neutral.
Closing the relay contacts manually should blow the horn. You don’t need to have it on the track to do that, since the horn is powered by the dry cell. You could connect the dry cell directly to the horn if you suspect that the wiring is bad; but there is nothing else in the circuit but the relay contact. It is likely that the horn itself is bad. Your horn may have an adjusting screw on the back. When you’re confident that the horn is the problem, you have nothing to lose by turning the screw with the dry cell connected. But keep track of how much you turn it and work in both directions from where you start, by increasing amounts. For example 1/4 turn clockwise, then back to the starting point, then 1/2 turn counterclockwise, then back, then 3/4 turn clockwise, then back, etc. If it doesn’t ever squawk (which is a fair description of the sound), then you need a new horn.
How should I hook the battery directly to the horn? It’s a squawk eh? I would suspect that! Thanks, Jake
There should be one wire coming out of it. The body of the horn is the other side of the circuit.