Aquired a Lionel Z transformer and wish to use it with my PW trains. I’m going to get some 167 controllers for whistle and reverse function but was wondering how one could go about enhancing the circuit breaker protection? Should I just get a Lionel 92 CB on ebay or is there a better method of incorporating a breaker in the circuit by using a purchased part from Radio Shack or such? What do most of you do to protect your more sensitive electronics on the newer engines when using these old transformers? Thank you for your input and advice.
Mickey
Lionel #92 circuit breakers are fixed value, thermal breakers. They should be very inexpensive. I have used them when they were the only thing I had on hand.
I think a better choice would be a postwar Lionel #91 circcuit breaker. These are adjustable, electromagnetic breakers. They trip instantly. When they trip, the handle lights up.
Both breakers are manual reset.
I put a #92 breaker on each non-common post of my ZW transformer (posts A-D). If you put just one on the common, you can have an unprotected circuit across any two of the four posts listed above. This circuit is also unprotected by the transformer’'s internal breaker.
Lots of folks like to use breakers purchased from places like Radio Shack or from Online sources. I expect there will be folks posting specific items to use.
Circuit breakers are not likely to protect your locomotives. A short circuit outside your locomotive carries current around the locomotive; a short circuit inside the locomotive is just a symptom of damage that has already happened. Locomotive electronics are damaged by overvoltage (voltage spikes), which can be stopped dead by a transient-voltage suppressor (TVS) in parallel with the transformer. It can be at the transformer, at the lockon, or even inside the locomotive. An appropriate bidirectional TVS is 1.5KE36CA, which you can get from Mouser, for example. They’re very cheap.
Circuit breakers are for protecting your wiring and transformer. There is no harm in using fast magnetic or electronic ones, or even fuses. But these have the disadvantage of nuisance tripping, that is, tripping on momentary overloads that are no danger to wiring and transformer. Thermal circuit breakers, like the 15-ampere breaker in your Z, do a good job of modeling the heating in the wiring and trip only when the cumulative temperature rise from that heating is excessive. A handy source of automatically-resetting breakers is automobile parts stores. Get current ratings no higher than 15 amperes for a Z and also no higher than your wiring can stand, that is, 15 amperes for 14 AWG or larger, 10 amperes for 16 AWG or larger, 7 or 8 amperes for 18 AWG or larger, and 5 amperes for 20 AWG or larger.