I have a little cheapie diesel made by the old K-Line that I’m really fond of but it runs eratically.I Have a section of track with an oval that I just use for a test area. I set up an HO power back to the test track & ran the engine off that. The engine runs great with the dc power pack. here’s the question.If I hook up the DC power pack to the regurlar layout,just to run this engine,do I have to wire my track system to handle a reverse loop on the layout because I’m using DC power??? Thank you
not a direct answer to your question, but you could hook batteries up and a dpdt switch and run it that way. For speed control, you’d need a speed controller, but plain ole batteries would make it run continuously without need for fancy wiring and rechargable batteries would save $
I’m planning on converting a Lionel Scout and a Williams GP-9; one batteries only and one batteries, esc and r/c transmitter. I’ve already done a Lionel and 2 other Williams.
Need just a little more info about the engine. Does it use a center rail pick-up or insulated wheels like “S” & “HO” does?? If your “layout” has any whistle or horn relays, they will “sound off” continously unless insulated from the DC power. Also check how the center rail receives it’s power in your reverse loop switch. Don’t want to burn out either the switch machine coil or your transformer.
Good luck!
Wes
No hopper, you don’t need to do anything but just either disconnect the wires from your AC transformer when using the DC power pack, or wire up a DPDT switch.
Now you are aware K-Line did make one DC only loco that came with a train set called the “Range Runner” which was a Southern Pacific S-2 with only one motorized truck. Basically outside of the single motor, the only difference between this loco and all the other K-Line diesels of this type (Alco FA, MP-15, S-2, Budd RDC) is the lack of the circuit board reverse with the recifier.
Part of your erratic operation with whatever K-Line diesel you have (which I find to be absolutely reliable locos and very good for the money) could be one of two reasons:
-Dirty wheels: clean the loco wheels without the traction tires with 91% isopropyl alcohol.
-Check the wires. As is from the factory, the wires often had twist ties around them to keep them neat. This also can make them tight, which can cause a slit or break in the wires where they run through the hole in the sheet metal frame. This could explain erratic running, as when the loco is going around a curve, it changes the tension in the wire, thus cause a momentary short or loss of power where the break is.
It is also possible that one of the wires has broken loose from the main connection where the wires are soldered together and then wrapped with masking tape. You have the black and red wires plus one blue and one yellow in each soldered group. You may have to resolder the group.
-Also, try turning the loco upside down and connect wires to the pickup and the either the wheels or the copper piece off to the side of the pickups and watch the wheels turn. The Mabuchi brand motor used in all these locos (incl. those from Lionel) are reliable motors, but not precision running. So it is possible one motor runs much faster than the other, which could cause some erratic running.
wow! lots of info here.The engine is a little s-2 with a can motor. picks up the current with the rollers from that invisible 3rd rail. As far as the dpdt switch, where does that go? Are we talking about the same setup for wiring the reverse loop??? Thank you guys.
“wow! lots of info here.The engine is a little s-2 with a can motor. picks up the current with the rollers from that invisible 3rd rail. As far as the dpdt switch, where does that go? Are we talking about the same setup for wiring the reverse loop??? Thank you guys.”
You gave me an unintented laugh hopper! It’s hardly an invisible 3rd rail… a point the HO guys have long made fun of and still do, even with the increased scale realism of some 3-rail trains, there’s STILL the middle 3rd rail.
OK, getting back on track. Your K-Line loco, if it is the DC version made is the SP #2326 with no words in the bottom orange stripe. K-Line later reissued this loco in other sets and as separate sale, only as an AC operating version (with the circuit board inside), with the words “San Francisco” printed in the orange stripe on the cab below the loco number.
Any of the newer DC can motored locos will run on either DC or AC current. Though if they have horns or whistles (many Lionel locos and the early K-Line locos from the early 1990’s do not) the horn/whistle may sound constantly on DC current. I have a Lionel 4-4-2 modern-era steamer from the starter sets, and with the circuit board intact, runs on DC current fine and the whistle only blows when I change the direction switch.
Hopper, I have altered my locos and my layout and I run it on DC current. I find the lesser expensive locos with DC can motors run much better with circuit board reverse units removed and on DC current. I use my old reliable Lionel 1033 and a full bridge rectifier to change the AC current to DC.
You do not need to worry about reverse loop wiring with 3-rail track, even on DC current. The positive current stays in the inside 3rd rail, unlike 2-rail track, where it is either on the left rail or right rail depending on your direction switch. The HO guys may laugh at our 3-rail track, but the inside 3rd rail does eliminate any complicated wiring for a rev
If running with DC,could a DPDT be used for reversing as is done in HO?
rogruth, yes that’s how you’d do it. But you need to wire in a full wave bridge rectifier between the transformer and the DPDT switch. I also have a bridge rectifier wired off my accessory tap votage that goes to the track for controling things like grossing gates, etc.
The only real issues I’ve had running off DC current is the loss of the neutral position on locos that have had circuit baords removed… but I’ve dealt with that and have many insulated blocks with allow operation of track powered operating cars, which I have modified to now work anywhere on the layout. You also do not get the normal “buzz” sound on solenoid based operating cars with DC current, like the Milk Car.
I also find I have to clean my track more frequently. DC current leaves a small charge remaining in the track, so this is the cause of that. It also can affect magnetic, mechanical e-units, but of all my locos like this, only one is a touch sticky operating with DC current. Even that one works fine if I bring up the track currently slowly enough to trip the e-unit. All others work just fine.
You can also purchase a Lionel AC/DC box, made during the late 1980’s/early 1990’s for running the Lionel “G” scale trains off a normal Lionel AC transformer. They pop up on eBay… look for “Lionel DC.”
On a personal note, I had considered buying some kind of MRC DC power pack. But really the only ones that have the amperage to run 3-rail trains are the ones made for G scale. Considering the added cost, I decided to make use of what I already had.