Whistling Tender Help!!!

Classic Toy Trains Forum
1

I need some advice on whistling tenders from you experts out there. I am relatively new with the postwar equipment. I have a 2046w, a 6026w and a 6066w.

This is the problem-

6026w had bare wires from the trucks to the inside of tender where it solders on. I replaces the wires with superflex. The impeller also chattered slightly so aI gave it a very small shot of WD 40. I tested it and it worked great.

6066w had the same problem. Bare wires.

2046 whistled great, but only 90% of the time. I opened it up, found no bad wires or solders.

2046 and 6026 chirp with my kw-that is, the motor bumps but impeller wont spin, causing tender to whistle. Old 6066 does nothing-not even a motor bump.

The rectifier disk in the kw is a new repro, so I ruled that out. I think the soldering is ok-

What should I do next? Help?

Thanks
Tom

2

Hello Tom! Other than the bare wires the problem might be the whistle relay that is inside of the tenders & they can be tricky at times.Spray some T.V. Tuner cleaner on the contacts of the whistle relays & see if this helps. (Radio Shack should have the T.V. Tuner cleaner) Let us know what happens. Good Luck.

3

I don’t have a whistling tender, but I have a transformer that hums! (Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.)

I wouldn’t rule out the KW as the source of your problem just yet. Try using another transformer to activate the whistle. If they work okay, you still have issues with the KW. If you still have problems, at least you know it is related to the tenders.

4

Hi Keith,
What does the spray do? Is it a cleaner? If I get some on the coil will that hurt anything?
Thanks
Tom

5

Hello Tom! The spray is a cleaner that will dissolve buildup on the copper contacts of the relay. If you get some on the coil; Let it dry first. It should be okay after that.

6

I checked on TV tuner spray. It is almost $10 for a can at Radio Shack. How about WD40?

7

You can use Electrical Contact Cleaner from Menard’s or Walmart also. I have had good results using it. It costs around $4.
Mike

8

Don’t use WD40.

The contacts are not likely to be copper, probably some silver alloy.

Here is a Potter and Brumfield application note with a lot of good relay advice:
http://relays.tycoelectronics.com/app_pdfs/13c3236.pdf

9

The Radio Shack spray may be expensive, but it’s safe, non-flammable and won’t harm your trains any. In my mind, this makes it worth it as compared to a cheaper spray(like WD-40) that may damage your plastic or even catch on fire. Chances are you have a lot invested in your trains; it’s not worth saving a few bucks at the risk of burning your house down.

This may be a long shot, but you might try reversing the wires to the track. I personally have never seen it happen, although I’ve heard of postwar whistle relays developing a bias after several years of being activated at one polarity. It could be worth a try.

10

I will second or third the Radio Shack tv tuner spray. Expensive but safe and works well.
It has saved many a relay and eunit for me.

Mike S.

11

Thanks for the help, guys. I put the tv tuner cleaner on the contacts. They spark when I pull the kw whistle lever, but nothing happens. On a hunch, I closed the contacts w/a screwdriver and they blew perfect-sloud and clear. I noticed that the kw whistle lever interups the trains e unit-I replaced the disk w/a new repro a couple of months ago. I also reversed the wires to check for polarity as mentioned-no change. Is it the transformer rectifier disk gone bad? The kw signal does not seem to be enough to hold the contacts closed to blow the whistle. What should I try next?-by the way-I cant thanks you guys enough-I think I am getting someplace narrowing this down.
Tom

12

If you have acess to a voltmeter, it’s pretty easy to check whether or not the rectifier is bad.

Set the meter to read DC volts, and connect it to the KW. With the power turned on some(12 volts is good), you should get zero or pretty darn near it.

Now, move the whistle lever slowly. At some point, the meter should abruptly jump up over 5.5 volts. Continue moving the lever, and the voltage should then go to a little under one volt. The whistle controller is okay if the voltage are equal to or greater than those give, but probably not if it’s less.

13

Is there a way to visually inspect a desk to see if it is bad?

14

Generally not. I’ve seen really cruddy looking ones that worked great, and almost new looking ones not work at all. An electrical test is about the only way to tell.

15

Trying another known to be in good working order transformer would really help you narrow it down.

Mike S.

16

Thanks everyone for all of the help. Ben-you were right. I got the voltmeter-a Fluke voltmeter from work and checked. DC output was not there. I cracked the transformer open. The disk was tight but the contacts looked really dirty. I sprayed contact cleaner and wiped it down. Tested again-7.5v on dc b side and 5.9 on a side. Whistles work great. Thanks again guys-this forum is my best tool to fix the old trains!