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 Posted - January 02 2015 : 5:55:23 PM
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I have several dozen red box era Tyco passenger cars that I got at a garage sale. I have not looked into this deeply yet, but I noticed the lights do not work in any of these cars. They have been in a box for 40 years or so. Aside from plain old burned out light bulbs (which is possible, but unlikely, given we're talking sixty or so cars here), is there an issue common to cars of these era? The trucks appear to be riveted on, and it appears there are two bulbs per car.
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Posted - January 02 2015 : 6:06:00 PM
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Are the wheels and pickups clean? After so many years, the brass is probably oxidized.
Here's a thread discussing cleaning wheels: http://www.tycoforums.com/tyco/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=15690
Tim
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Posted - January 02 2015 : 6:26:47 PM
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I've had a little experience lately with these cars - the only issue I've had has been dirty wheels.
http://tycodepot.com/
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Posted - January 02 2015 : 6:43:39 PM
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| they should pop apart by removing the screws at both ends
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Posted - January 03 2015 : 09:21:51 AM
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Most lighting issues comes down to electrical contact, either dirty or corroded. The wheels on the axles (brass) oxidize and create an insulating barrier, so clean those first .Then, the rub bar contacts on the bottom of the trucks get dirt and crude on them, so you need to polish those, AND they may be bent so they don't touch anymore , it can be a delicate balance to get enough contact without too much drag. But those are the two common areas, other than touching the bulbs directly themselves with 12v power to ensure they're still good, that cause lack of lighting.
Jerry
" When life throws you bananas...it's easy to slip up"
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Posted - January 04 2015 : 4:00:08 PM
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quote:I have several dozen red box era Tyco passenger cars that I got at a garage sale. I have not looked into this deeply yet, but I noticed the lights do not work in any of these cars. They have been in a box for 40 years or so. Aside from plain old burned out light bulbs (which is possible, but unlikely, given we're talking sixty or so cars here), is there an issue common to cars of these era? The trucks appear to be riveted on, and it appears there are two bulbs per car.
Originally posted by a6m5zerosen - January 02 2015 : 5:55:23 PM
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It seems strange that out of 60 cars none work. I've seen some old Tyco streamliners where previous owners have removed the lighting. Also make sure that the metal wheels on each truck are oriented properly. Those are the obvious problems. Beyond that, clean the wheels, oil the axles, and test the bulbs.
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