One of my first few model train purchases was (of course) a small junk lot in a Bismarck antique store. In this junk lot there was a severely abused tanker, a small blue transformer (I forget the number), a lot of rusty track (an inconveniently large amount of which was clockwork), and a beat-up 1033. The blue transformer worked quite well and is now running the 397 coal loader on my layout. The 1033, on the other hand, did exactly nothing and had a bad split in the cord. Thus, it was relegated (with the tanker) to my junk box and then my junk drawer and has sat there for a couple of years.
The other day, however, I was starting to become annoyed with the overall condition of my transformer supply. In other words, I have become tired of having to disconnect half the power plant for my railroad every time I set up a display for the railroad club. So I dug the old 1033 out of my junk box and decided to fix it. Okay, itâs probably the cord. Thatâs what was wrong with my other 1033. The cord seemed fine aside from that split, so I cut it apart at the split and then spliced it back together with an unusually neat soldering job. I plugged it in⌠and no power. I checked with my meter, there was good continuity through my solder joint. So, where was the issue? I didnât yet know and therefore hooked it up to a little 24v LED so that I had a handy indicator. All the posts were dead. So, I turned it off⌠and the LED flashed for just a second. It followed this pattern consistently: when I turned off the power at my power strip, the LED would flash for a split-second. However, while that transformer was receiving power, I could do nothing to coax volties out of the terminals. I visually inspected the transformer, and checked it against my other 1033. Everything seemed to matchâno loose wires or anything like that. So Iâm puzzled. Iâm going to see if the circuit breaker is bad, but if anyone else has some ideasâŚ
Hello,
my gut feeling is it is a dead transformer. Better to find another one. I have picked up some transformers for cheap that turned out to have failed. You can save the handles, and the post nuts.
Paul
Well, I could save the handles, but it was missing the post nuts. But, Iâm a cheapskate, and I paid a good $20 for that junk box! I want to get my moneyâs worth out of it! Plus, there was something mighty interesting that I found: measuring between the A and B posts produces the 5VAC that it ought to. So methinks that at least part of the coil is good, and more likely something is wrong with the U post.
As an aside, that mechanical track can be used for storage shelves or even spurs on the layout for car storage.
I did actually use it for shelves, in the end.
Yes, A to B should be 5v. A to C should be 16 v. These are the fixed posts. A to U is variable, 5-16 v. Iâve had at least 3 DC transformers that the variable voltage failed, but fixed posts ok. I use these to power switch machines and such. If this is the case with yours, you may be able to use it for accessories.
Paul
Thatâs the backup plan (Iâve got a coal loader just screaming for some real wattage), but Iâm thinking that maybe the circuit breaker decided to die in which case I can just bypass it and use an external circuit breakerâwhich I do anyways.
Personally, I wouldnât put too much effort into trying to fix it. Transformers come and go, and they do fail. There is a fire risk to consider as well. Hopefully the fixed posts can be useful. Just be careful, whatever you decide.
Paul
I will be careful, but, from my perspective, working fixed posts with an unknown issue with the variable ones are a worse fire hazard than fiddling with it.
If the circuit breaker were bad you probably wouldnât get a momentary pulse of power when turning it off. Could check the transformer coil. If it were me, Iâd look at the on-off switch right away. Check out this link which will give you the Lionel repair manual including the wiring diagram. LIONEL 1033 RepairInfo | PDF . Itâs a pretty simple device. Take it apart, use your meter. Youâll find the problem. Probably best to unplug it first.
If you have access to a Variac or a low-voltage AC source like another transformer, it may make âsafety senseâ to do some of your transformer-tap testing with reduced voltage (and perhaps more sensitive meter range selection). RF continuity testing (or even TDR analysis if youâre set up for it) ought to work well enough for these devices.
If youâre testing some devices, like SCRs, or if you are worried about insulation integrity, you might want to find and use something like a megger. But that would not be used with the primary âplugged inâ to line powerâŚ
I donât, unfortunately, have another suitable transformer (my meter is probably too insensitive for me just to hook it up to another Lionel transformer). I am not, fortunately, afraid of working around 120VACâjust cautious. It does seem like the transformer coil is sound, just that thereâs a bad connection someplace.
Iâve gotten weird-o voltage pulses from many of my transformers when turning them off, especially if I really spam the switch. Anyway, thereâs no on-off switch to check; I plugged it into a power strip (nothing should be wrong with it that I know of) so that I could turn it on and off easily. Thanks for posting that repair manualâIâve been forgetting to find one.
I do much prefer repairing the little 25 watt transformers; the wiring scheme in this one is horrendous!
Welcome Superchief! And thanks for the link!
Welcome aboard Superchief! 
Hope it helps!
Hi! 
Good newsâI fixed it!
It turns out that the circuit breaker was, indeed, faulty. Fortunately, it was easy to bypass (aside from me being an idiot and soldering the wire to the A post instead of the B post at first), so now it outputs all the voltages it shouldâvariable and fixed. I also had to bend the wiper slightly to get it to properly go through its voltage range. I did notice that there were a few cracks on the casing, so I covered them up with electrical tape âjust to keep the elephants outâ, as my grandfather likes to say. The whistle diode appears to be shot, and while I could try to replace it, itâs probably not worth the effort. I usually donât use the whistle anyway outside of my RCC system. Yes, it no longer has a built-in circuit breaker, but I prefer an external breaker anyway and have a big bag of suitable ones.
Well done! Well done indeed! 
Thanks!