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 Posted - May 23 2010 : 9:53:23 PM
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Hi folks. My wife just picked me up a Lionel Trainmaster transformer Type Z 250 watts at a local yard sale. I plan to give a look inside and check things out before I hook it to the layout. Which leads me to the question of this post. Am I gonna blow up my little MU-2's with this thing? After all, they are getting up in years. Right now I'm using a little Tyco 40va which is a long way from 250 watts! I believe this xfmr can put out 25 volts and some serious amps. I will put the Fluke to it after the cleaning to find out. Soooooooooooo, are my little babies going to die a fiery death? Are they going to fly across the room and kill the dog? Am I being paranoid? Anybody ever use this xfmr, please let me know. Thanks!
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Posted - May 23 2010 : 10:17:31 PM
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Amps is not the problem. the little TYCO will only draw the amps it needs at a certain voltage.
If that transformer puts out 25 volts you will have authentic smoking locomotives.
Unspoken expectations are premeditated failures.
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Posted - May 23 2010 : 11:00:45 PM
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quote: Am I gonna blow up my little MU-2's with this thing? I believe this xfmr can put out 25 volts and some serious amps. Are they going to fly across the room and kill the dog? Am I being paranoid? let me know. Thanks!
Originally posted by telling - May 23 2010 : 9:53:23 PM
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Uh,I doubt this is specifically FOR Lionel HO scale trains? Because it's not the amps, its the voltage type that will fry your lil MU-2's ! LIonel is AC based voltage, not DC. You hook that up, it's see ya in the scrapyard HO engines! Now Lionel DID make HO scale DC trains, but I've never seen one of their (DC voltage) transformers before...but I can tell you you DON'T need that much amperage for DC as you do for AC to operate multiple trains. SO what you have is an AC unit, with which will produce copious smoke, no movement of your engine ( I have used a small Lionel throttle years ago on a flakey DC engine, to see what would happen - smoke and burned wires, mostly, does NOT like it! ).
So, bottom line, either start buying some 0-gauge lionel, or put it on a shelf somewhere. You'll have no use for it in HO , other than that oddball Marklin that I think used AC years ago? Not sure.
BTW, I may have some MU-2's for sale , if you need any soon. LOL.
Jerry
" When life throws you bananas...it's easy to slip up"
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Posted - May 24 2010 : 06:43:51 AM
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You got a steal on that transformer, I was searching and found several on Ebay, starting around $30 or more. A very nice one is starting at $70. Unfortunately, none of the ads list the voltage, but I'm 99% sure they're all AC only operating voltage. Your wife got you a good deal for a non-HO usable item!
Jerry
" When life throws you bananas...it's easy to slip up"
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Posted - May 24 2010 : 10:10:19 AM
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The Lionel type Z transformer was the top of the line power supply for O gauge trains until the ZW came out in the late 40's.
Like others have said you cannot use this transformer for HO scale trains as it WILL burn up motors in a very short time.
Carl T.
President of the Cape James Terminal RR.
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