My name is Robert and this is my first post, been lurking awhile and found this to be a very helpful place. I am new to model railroading. I have five 5 gallon buckets of American Flyer trains, rolling stock, track, 8b transformer, etc. that my dad packed away many years ago. Around Thanksgiving 2008, I thought I would bring them down to run around the Christmas tree. Turns out Christmas came and went, and the trains ended up on a table in my den. I’ve been repairing the engines and have them running now. I have what looks like a homemade control panel with a transformer, 2 rheostats, DPST switch?, resistor?
Here is a few pictures of what I have. My questions are… This thing I am calling a resistor? Is it? and, could anyone tell me if its wire correctly? I am including a hand drawn picture for wiring puposes only. P.S. This ( control panel ) will run HO trains but not my Flyer. Any and all feedback is appreciated. Thank you
P.S.S I will turn this over to my daughter for the pictures
This is the underside of the Resistor? The 2 rheostats, and DPST switch?
This is the Transformer
This is the Resisitor, 2 rheostats and DPST switch?
If I’m not mistaken I think HO trains run on a different current than your Flyers (AC?DC) I get the two mixed up. Maybe thats why it will run the HO’s and not the Flyers. But your guess it as good as mine on what it is. Try hooking it up to your car maybe its the Flux Capacitor form BACK TO THE FUTURE[(-D]
Robert my friend, as much as this old transformer/collection/contraption is sentimental being from your dad, there’s no way on God’s green earth I’d trust classic collectable trains to that thing, Calling Dr. Frankenstein! Bite the bullet, go out and get NEW transformers.
Well, it does work i was hoping to get it to work my Flyer Trains as a backup for now. This “Contraption” which is a good name for it, is a little sentimental to me. Remembering as a kid my dad never used this controler and i was wondering if this was like an experiment for him years ago. That thing i call a resistor i took it all apart and was curious if it was hooked up properly. I do have the 8B Transformers for my Flyers which works fine. So for now i will wait and see if any others will post.
What you’re calling a “resistor” is a bridge rectifier, probably selenium. So you’ve got a DC power supply. But that’s not why it won’t run your American Flyer trains. Some were designed for DC and some will, like Lionel, run on either AC or DC. Perhaps the voltage is too low; or that doorbell transformer is being overloaded.
Hopefully our resident FLYER experts, Northwoods Flyer and Sturgeon Phish can chime in and help you out soon. Lionelsoni is our electronics wizard though.
Bob’s right on both counts. Your resister is really a rectifier, and that doorbell transformer is likely 20 watts or less, which is too small for your AF trains. It’s a pretty neat contraption though. If you do think you might use it, I’d look real close at the line side of that transformer and ensure the insulation is in usable condition. It doesn’t look like there’s any fuse on either the primary or secondary side. I’d guess the thing would burn before it tripped your house’s circuit breaker.
Thanks for clarifying, it’s a bridge rectifier. The doorbell transformer (thanks for clarifying that too) has different outputs depending on which wires i use. Does that make a difference? I hooked up the 16W from the transformer straight to the track and the train took off, i just can’t control the speed. Is this rectifier neccesary? Can i just bypass it from the rheostats to the DPST Switch? Forgive me for being ignorant, but selenium? meaning?
Thank you for the welcome, I’m glad to be here. Looking forward to any and all responses.
[quote user=“jwse30”]
Bob’s right on both counts. Your resister is really a rectifier, and that doorbell transformer is likely 20 watts or less, which is too small for your AF trains. It’s a pretty neat contraption though. If you do think you might use it, I’d look real close at the line side of that transformer and ensure the insulation is in usable condition. It doesn’t look like there’s any fuse on either the primary or secondary side. I’d guess the thing would burn before it tripped your house’s
Thanks for the compliment fife. And ditto on the [#welcome]
Only here am I thought of as an expert on anything. I may be able to help out with history but when it comes to the electronics I am at a loss. There is a reason my friends call me “Sparky” [;)] I’d put my money on Lionelsoni’s advice anyday. Now if I can just get him to change his handle to AmericanFlyersoni. [:O]
If your American Flyer trains run on AC (not all do), you should be able to control the train speed by leaving the rheostats in series with the 16-volt (not watt) transformer output, but bypassing the rectifier and switch entirely. The rectifier was meant to convert the AC to DC and the switch to reverse the polarity of the DC, for reversing the (DC powered) train.
Why there are two rheostats in series, I don’t understand. Perhaps one is a coarse adjustment and the other fine. Or maybe he didn’t have a single rheostat with enough resistance range, but two that together could slow the trains adequately.
Selenium is the element that was commonly used to make rectifiers in the days before germanium and silicon semiconductors came along. Copper-oxide was also used, as in the Lionel whistle-control circuits.
The best advice I can give you about using older electrical stuff is this; if you don’t know 100% what something does Don’t use it!! The electrical device looks like some form of a homemade slide resistor or reostat. Looks like he was trying to use three kinds of variable resistors, why? I don’t know! The transformer in one of the photos looks like an old doorbell transformer and like another person mentioned it won’t power anything in American Flyer or Lionel O gauge trains.
Break down and buy some newer transformers to run your trains with. The AF 8B transformer should work well with a little clean up.
No, Lee, it’s not a resistor; it’s a rectifier. He tried the transformer directly on the track; and the trains ran. With the two rheostats only, he should be able to control the trains. I do recommend about a 3-ampere fuse on that 16-volt secondary, to limit the power to about 50 watts. (A circuit breaker would be better; but I think it will be hard to find one that low.) Another possibility is a 1/2 ampere fuse on the primary.
Hey Bob, sorry it took so long to respond. I did what you said and bypassed the rectifier switch and it worked like a charm! I have a Lionel type 4044 transformer that i use just for testing purposes and now that i have this “homemade” working it has a whole lot more power. I use the 16 volt wires also. Lee thanks for the welcome, the 8B transformer i have works fine. Thank you both for the replies.
