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#Post#: 2552--------------------------------------------------
Auxiliary power to remote switches
By: hederj Date: November 16, 2020, 12:42 pm
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I put up and take down a complex Christmas layout each year.
The layout uses 6 remote switches. I have Lion Chief 0-8-0
engine. The track is powered by the 18 V DC power pack that
came with the set. I like to use aux power on the switches
because that way my controllers show both red and green signals.
I also have to use phone jacks and phone cords to allow me to
pass the controller through the platform and reach 7-10 ft to
the control position on my 13 ½ ft x 7 ½ ft layout. This year
three of the 6 switches would not respond to the the controller.
One of those that operates properly was new the year before and
had not operated properly last year out of the box. It was
under warranty, I sent it to Lionel, but it had not returned
before Christmas. It finally arrived during the summer. I sent
the three to our local Lionel service dealer who told me that he
would most likely not get to them and have them ready before
Christmas, so I bought 3 new RH O-36 remote switches. The
dealer had one on hand and ordered the other 2. The first one I
installed using aux power and it didn't work. No power to the
switch. I immediately sent it back to the dealer and the
serviceman said he'd get right to it. In the meantime my other
older and refurbished O-36 remote switches worked fine on aux
power and extended controllers. The other two switches arrived.
They were O-31 switches instead of the O-36 I use. I was able
to adapt them to the track, noted that they powered up on track
power and the controllers worked fine. So I installed them
using aux power (using an old Lionel 18 volt transformer which
was powering the 3 switches that were working fine) and cut the
controller cables to pass them through the platform and extend
them to my control station using phone jacks and 4 wire cable.
Everything worked fine that first evening except that one of the
new O-31 switches worked in one direction only. I checked my
connections and found a loose contact on one of the phone jacks,
repaired that and the controller then worked fine: all
controllers worked in both directions, showing both red and
green, the track had power with all the sounds and robust
action. I was elated and texted my contact at the Whistle Stop
train store in Portland, OR that the O-31 switches were working
fine. I went to dinner and returned to the layout an hour
later, powered up the track and switches and no power to the
track at all, but all the switches worked fine. Now I have tried
everything: Returned the O-31 to track power, eliminated the
controllers, switched the transformer from the DC power pack to
a Lionel AC transformer, returned all the switches to track
power, but nothing. Right now I have power (not consistent) to
the tracks using the DC power pack, I have all switches on track
power and all controllers are connected to their switches via
the phone cable. There are no lights on the controllers, the
three older switches work anyway, but the two new O-31 switches
don't work at all. What is the problem here and where do I go
from here? Are O-31 switches different than the O-36,? Are
newer switches different than ones I purchased 3-4 years ago?
Have I destroyed these new switches? Will I get the train
rolling robustly before Thanksgiving? The layout is a favorite
for my grandkids, neighborhood, etc. Will I have to resort to
replacing the remote switches with manual switches (there is one
in the middle of the layout that most can't even reach)? Help
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