Lionel switch problem

Classic Toy Trains Forum
1

Hi everybody,

I recently found a pair of Lionel 022 switches that were not working. I did some basic maintenance as directed in the February Classic Toy Trains article. After I reassembled them and put them on my layout, they lit up and worked. One works great, it always snaps open and closed. The other seems to drag and sometimes lacks as much as 1/16 of an inch in fully opening or closing. I have been having to open and close it fully by hand, while the other one never needs any help. I have been running them on 14 volts, and higher voltage does not help at all. Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions to remedy this problem?

Thank you!

Steve

2

Look up my post “022/711 Switch Operating Pblms” on this forum. Use Google to search as it works better than the search engine of the forum. It takes you through a complete restoration. I did over a hundred switches and this is what I learned.

3

Here is a link to the start of the post: http://cs.trains.com/ctt/f/95/t/164691.aspx

4

Thank you very much, Mr. Servoguy. I went back through the switches today, lubing and cleaning as per your instructions. Now they work great on 14 volts, and they will actually work on 12 volts, but are slightly sluggish.

Thanks again!

Steve