MYSTERIOUS TRACK ACTIVATOR

Classic Toy Trains Forum
1

A while back I purchased a Lionel #55 Tie Ejector from a flea market. It did not, however, come with track activators, so I purchased a pair of those from a parts dealer. Both bear the part number 54-126, but they are different. One is a simple all black device which attaches easily to the track and seems simple to use. The other, while it starts out as a duplicate of the first, also has a long silver-colored metal strip attached to the black unit with a spring. What is the difference between the two? I find both described in my Lionel Repair Manual but there’s no explanation as to how they should work.

John

2

Your “mysterious” one is a later version for use with “O”, “O-27”, & “Super O”. The long metal bar clamps on to the outside rail opposite the trip. The earlier version did not work with “Super O”.

Once clipped to the rails(one on each side), swing the lever and “paddle” into the path of the train to either activate/deactivate, swing out/away for no actuation of any feature.

3

Thanks, Rob. I appreciate your resolving this “mystery” for me.

John