Lionel ZW Restoration Part I

First of 4 videos showing restoration of a Lionel postwar ZW transformer

[@whiterose7055]

I had one of these for my Lionel layout in the 1950's. Thanks for the walk down memory lane.

[@peterfenzel4742]

The postwar transformers, which predate solid circuitry and semi-conductors, are beautifully engineered. Preserve them whenever possible.

[@bsalightning69]

I love my zw transformer. I had a 027 set as a child, and run the wheels off of it. It had a buzz box for the transformer. Now my layout has 240 feet of track... Love the fun...

[@richardnelson-ux1zz]

Thanks for the video interesting and informative

[@dbtech7914]

Interesting. I was thinking about taking one of those apart. I'm sure you noticed some of the things you were talking about were not in camera view. That's ok, I'll watch the rest of the videos.

[@roberthayezz1971]

I'm having trouble when you plug the type-zw green light cones on and then clicks and goes out and after 5 sec it does it again

[@TheCreativeMind]

Without seeing and hearing what's happening in your ZW, I'm going to throw out some ideas out there on what might be the issue. The bulb may be the correct voltage but is it too tall? I did this once and screwed the green jewel lens and it pushed the bulb down slightly making it flash. This can also happen if the bulb is installed first and then the top piece of the ZW transformer. Check for loose solder joints. If there's a clicking sound, check your breaker. It may have to be replaced. Did you run your trains during this condition? If your train runs fine it may be the first condition I mentioned above. If your train moves only when the green light comes on, again it may be the breaker, bad solder joints or carbon dust on the coil pack. If there's dust clean with eraser and blow off the dust / shavings. Do not use alcohol, that can dissolve the insulation material on the magnetic wire. Worst case scenario (and haven't seen one yet) the coil pack may be going bad. Hope these ideas help.

[@peterfenzel4742]

Great question,and great response by TheCreativeMind. Please let me put in my 2 cents. You need to determine whether the problem is with the lamp or with the power to the unit. If your trains continue to run while the green lamp clicks on and off the problem probably is with the lamp. As with all repairs, make sure the unit is unplugged before you work on it. First I would look at the power cord closely. if the cord is old, gummy, or shows signs of cracking or fraying, you may have brief power interruptions from small breaks in the cord. While unlikely, it is a good idea to eliminate this possibility. When in doubt, replace the cord. Second, the clicking sound suggests either a spark or the curcuit breaker. Both potentially are dangerous. When in doubt, replace the circuit breaker. It's easy. (See the end of Part II). Sparks would occur from arcing. So it would be a good idea too to resolder the pilot lamp's connections. Third, while you are at it, replace the pilot bulb. If your ZW is an older model, it will have a 6V lamp (part # 51-300). If your ZW is the later ZW-R (made after 1957) you need an 18V lamp (part # L-1445). The ZW-R was an upgrade to reduce the vibrations and humming from the core. The newer riveted core was designed to address this annoyance. At the same time, Lionel removed the resistance wire to the pilot lamp and changed the bulb to an 18 volt bulb so the bulbs wouldn't burn out. Fourth, DO NOT TRY TO DIAGNOSETHE CAUSE WITH THE BAKELITE CASE REMOVED! You do not want to have the core exposed with the potential for a 110V mishap. Please let us know how you solved the problem. It will be good for all to learn. Good luck, Robert!

[@albertthorne2872]

I just replaced the rectifier in my barrel loader ramp, I bet they use the same parts pins and all.