I cannot seem to get these to work right. The cattle and horses just fall over when trying to get into the cars. Plus, when they do go into the car they get stuck. These 2 accessories are a pain. also, my green horse car does not wanna vibrate at all. I am not sure what is wrong with it. thanks.
What type of track are you using? have you connected/powered the OTC lockon or power rails?
Ralph
I have tried every idea ever printed and I still cannot get the horses to go up that ^%$#% ramp. I can’t understand why they are still making that thing. I have a second one new in the box that came with a set and I figure, why bother.
Are you using original horses or aftermarket replacements? Only originals work correctly.
Train rat
Because they get dumb dumbs to buy them basicly grits eating southerns[:-^] The grits clog there brain cells.
Those items have been pron to the cattle/horses falling over getting jammed from the start but there great lookers for train layout and getting them lined up right can be a real pain also. Thats the biggest complaint to all these has been over the years.
I am using O gauge track, not O27. I can get the cars to line up with correls, but the horses and cows flip over. Yes, they are 100% original accessories. All original horses and cows. Just cant get the horse car to vibrate. I think its hooked up wrong. But, when the horses or cows go into the car, i cant get them to come out. I end up taking off the shells to get them out. i dunno, what can you do. thanks
I have the C&NW car/corral from the 1997 catalog. As many who were at the TCA Convention back in June will attest: mine works great.
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If the horses or cattle are falling over, you must be putting a TON of voltage to the system!
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On mine I’ve installed a 1/2" X 1/4" piece of wood across the back of the corral under the feet. This 1/4" rise props up the corral making the grade that the cows have to climb less steep, and there’s enough “give” in the car doors to make a smooth transition.
I usually get seven cows around an through, although sometimes the last cow doesn’t want to make the climb without some prodding from my CAB-1 antenna!
Jon [8D]
I have multiple units of both the horse and stock cars/corals. original ownership of the pw items. they both work and have for 50 years.
The wiring is simple. accessory left clip and otc right clip to 364 controller switch. accessory right clip and switch to power source. Forget TMCC. be sure the wires work first. these come for o-27 tracks and need adapters for o track… there are adjustment pins that fit into the horse car otc lockon and a special o adapter for the stock corral. this gives it the right gap between the car floor and the track for the vibrating coils to work. If you are using the atlas track rails, be sure they are high enough for the car so it vibrates. you also need to use the horse corral brackets to attach the track and corral. The last item to check is pitch. the gromets may need to be removed or the proper pitch for the animals to enter the doorways. 10-12 volts or they jump around and not move forward.
Just one more thing. you did not say if it ever worked. If yours worked at one time and they have stopped/degraded over time, then the vibrator coils in the car/coral or both need replacement. If the car is aligned with the coral, and the doors drop and the car and coral vibrate, then both coils are working. if only the coral is vibrating, then the coil in the car may need be replaced.
Well, I got the cattle correl and car work just great. But, the horse correl does vibrate, the car does not. I have it lined up right. I know the horse car work because i put it on a UCS track and pushed the uncouple botton and the doors dropped down and it vibrated. There must be something wrong with the special lockon. Does just 1 wire go to that lockon? I tried to switch the wire from #1 to #2 nothing. My pickup shoe is good and is lined up on the lockon, but, does not virbate. The coils are still good cause i know it vibrates. Maybe i should try another special lockon. thanks.
check the lockon’s connection at the track. make sure it fits tight. this is the power source, like the ucs track. check also to verify that the track is not an isulated track and it is not part of an insulated block. if that fails, think about the atlas rails, they will cost about the same as a new lockon and are a very good upgrade. search the forum for info on it…jim barret[sp?] wrote about it a lot.
what did you do to fix the horse car?
ralph
Yeah, I am using 4 Big Transformers, but all my accessories are on variable voltage, 10-12V for each accessory. I mean the correl works great, but the car does not vibrate. I will try a new lockon, i think i have 3 more of them. thanks for the help.
Kooljock - I got this mental image of you singing, “rolling rolling rolling, keep them dawgies rolling,whoopshee, rawhide!”
Now let me finish sorry didn’t yesterday got torn away.
For the most part they work fine the above is normal problems that come about. first comment just being smart @#$ but as a whole I have had these and they work great ad have them and nothin but problems it seems that if there just a little out of sinc is all it takes I’ve even had milk cars that would jam and sometimes it just takes cleaning the trough or you have a cow/horse with a prong on the bottom or 2 that are missing or shorter
So doesn’t that make seven cows and one “goose”?
Earl
Good one, Earl [(-D]. Jon and RT obviously didn’t receive the optional cattle prod with their units. With regard to the falling or disoriented cattle, I would recommend they check the cattle’s water supply. You’re supposed to put water in there, not vodka. [swg]
Jack
No Vodka here I swear in fact on the outside of all my bottles of water (even thou there not the clearest ) they all say 151[:-^]
Carribean cattle version, I see. Or all female cattle that like those little colorful umbrellas in the trough. [swg]
Jack
Random thoughts:
The more specific the questions are, the greater the likelihood of getting an answer.
At least one of the cars, the Lionel # 3356 Railway Express Agency “Horse Express,” has an internal gate (called a “runway stop” 3356-21) that is operated by opening or closing the “rear” door – the one on the other side of the car from the loading ramps. In the closed position, the horses will not exit the car even if the car is vibrating correctly.
Protypical operation of the car is as follows. The horses “mill around” in the corral and make their way to the drop-down ramps. If the internal gate is closed, a few horses enter the car but do not exit because they are stoped by the internal gate. The action is stopped by remote controll, the train makes a few circuits of the layout, and is stopped again next to the corral. The internal gate is opened manually, and the action is resumed remotely and the horses exit the car back into the corral. The internal gate can be left either closed or opened, per operator choice, but the horses will not come out if it is closed. There should be no need to open the car to extract the horses, if the car will vibrate, and the internal gate is open.
These cars have to be oriented correctly on the track. If your layout has a reversing loop, the car will come back around facing the wrong way, and need to be sent around again to get the ramps on the correct side, facing the corral.
To work properly by remote control, certain cars need special “blades” or “clips” to contact the “shoes” underneath the trucks. The precise model numbers can be found here and must be installed correctly, depending which Lionel track is in use: 027, 031; or (in some cases) Super-0. Other brands or types of track may require custom solutions.
Among other cars (and corrals) are the 3356, 3366, 3656 ('49 and '50 versions) etc.
Spe
Ok, I have the horse car working now. But, it will only work when i use the track power. The correl i can switch off and on. The lockon on the track stays on. I want the car and correl to vibrate the same time on my accessory power not track power. Because when i switch the controller to on the correl will vibrate and the car will vibrate only if i apply track power when the car is on the lockon. When the engine and car go across the lockon the horse car would vibrate. How do i get that track power not to make the car vibrate when it goes over it. This all sounds confusing. thanks.
You have it wired wrong. The car and correl should only work through the on/off switch. The wire should run to the correl and from there to the controller under the car.