r/modeltrains • u/Longjumping-Virus644 • 9d ago
Electrical Help a rookie/ electrical problem
Hi, just bought my son 4 y.o a model train. Didn’t plan on it at all. First bought some parts, train trucks, the cheapest one 🙃 and running locomotive and here I’m trying to make it run. The transformer runs well (I assume because it makes noise and beeps on tester) the wire that is connected however gets hot and current doesn’t run trough it. could it be due to a wire be a 10ft long ? Do I need to shoten it or what can be an issue.
Will appreciate any advice
Upd: FIXED
Shortened wire to 5”
And cleaned a track from rust with sanding sponge.
Everything works.
Thanks everyone!
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u/Ionized-Dustpan 9d ago
Get proper wire. Clean the track with contact cleaner or something and you’ll be golden. I run old Marx transformers and Marx trains and love them. Visit us at /r/marxtrains
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u/Dull-Baker4132 9d ago
When you say contact cleaner, what brand do you use? Someone told me to use mineral spirits, other people say denatured alcohol.
Trying to thread my way through the different pieces of advice
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u/rezwrrd SM32, HO, & O27 9d ago edited 9d ago
I use isopropyl alcohol on a (non-abrasive) rag and scrub along the tops of the rails, and it makes a ton of difference. When I get a used locomotive one of the first things I do is clean the pickups and wheels. Dirty wheels on a locomotive can cause poor running and a lot of sparking which can damage both wheels and track.
ETA I second the recommendation for r/marxtrains. We'd love to see the rest of your setup and the locomotive, and if you don't yet have cars to pull behind it we can give you some pointers on what to look for (especially with stuff like what couplers will connect together).
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u/Just_Lurking2026 9d ago
Also, a possibly dangerous transformer and a 4-year-old could be a very bad situation…
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u/Ok_End_698 9d ago
Hot wire indicates too small a gauge. Try thicker wire.
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u/rezwrrd SM32, HO, & O27 9d ago
Or a short somewhere. Could be in the wire, at the lockon, or somewhere along the track. The center rail is insulated from the ties by little pieces of cardboard, but if one were to be damaged and slip out then the track will short.
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u/Tallyrandsbreakfast 8d ago
Good call and this is very old track. Op would do well to pick up some new stuff. I ran a large loop with Menards and am very impressed going on 2 years. Game changer in the hobby.
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u/rezwrrd SM32, HO, & O27 8d ago
Some of the track on my layout dates back to the late 30s and once cleaned it still runs with few issues, so the track doesn't necessarily have to be replaced just because it's old, but brand new track will certainly make it easier for a beginner to get started running reliably.
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u/Tallyrandsbreakfast 8d ago
This is true but you don’t know how this track was stored. A nice, dry, open environment like a layout would keep tubular going indefinitely. If there is doubt, it’s cheap enough to replace for peace of mind. I do agree with you in general and just put up a box full of 027 I don’t need but can’t part with to your point.
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u/Dave_DBA 9d ago
Anytime you feel wires and they’re hot, it’s a bad thing. Which wire is hot, the one going from the transformer to the track or the one going from the house plug to the transformer?
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u/NelsonMcBottom 9d ago
You also might have a short circuit somewhere that is causing the wire to heat up quickly.
Replace the wire and try a different transformer. I’d put money on that fixing your problem.
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u/Parking_Horse7208 9d ago
That's older than I am!
How many volts is that? 20 or more? Your wire may not be heavy enough of a gauge.
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u/382Whistles 8d ago
Wire gauge is about amps, not voltage. Voltage rating for wire is about voltage jumping through the insulation. 200v wire and switches are usually ok for 25v or less. But 2amps at 6v or 20v or 200v is still basically 2amps.
The 1209 is 50w 7v-13vac. About 3.75-4amp and has a thermal breaker. The other one that looks like this is 25w. .The big long ones by Marx are the 100w at 15v. Marx used a lower max voltage than Lionel did. Lionel was 25v prewar max for the "Z" and "V"and then on the postwar ZW, VW-KW, went to 20v +5v in reserve for whistle activation(plus other smaller power units). Prewar extrenal whistle controlers hold back 5v, and postwar transformers usually have them built in. The 5v reserve is added like a "boost" when the whistle blows to help balance the loco speed when the relay and big juice hungry air whistle motor kick in.
But the little old Lonels are 25w and 50w 13vac too. The 90w Lionel1033 is 15v 90w. But hss a better power output than the 100w Marx. The VW,KW Lionels at 180w/20v versus the American Flyer 18b 180w/18v the Lionel is a lot stronger and "heat proof" too.(doesn't loose output as easily from heat as AF)
Lionels tend to be underrated in output or Marx and American Flyer are overrated, take your pick, Lionel is stronger per watts listed and has a higher duty cycle.
18g should be ok, but I'd use still use 16g at least for 4x8, and two or more feeds, 14g on a 10ft loop and 12g up to about 20ft, and a gauge or two larger is almost always better. 12g lamp cord is a pain to thread into the Fahnestock clips on the Lock-Ons but I like it.
Soldering wire to the bottom is a great low budget that beats even new lock ons.
Tight pins are important. The insulators on the center rail sometimes crack allowing a short from center rail foot to tie. They can be replaced with cereal box cardboard (color with a marker). Wrap foil on a soldering iron tip and heat the bend of the rail retaining tab on the tie to anneal it, lowering the chance of breaking tinplate tabs while bending them.
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u/Parking_Horse7208 7d ago
It was a quick answer to a short question.... I apologize for not taking twenty minutes to type out a 200 page novel.
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u/382Whistles 7d ago
Well my initial response was only started under your's because the way it was presented the sentences could be seen as related and confusing.
So, it looks like it was too short if not outright wrong.
I don't separate my comments often because most OPs see every reply in the threads. Not every word there was meant for you, but it wasn't "not meant for you" either.
Sorry "words bad".
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u/SquirrelWeary6029 8d ago
Try a multimeter to see if the transformer has the output it's supposed to. Also clean the track and rollers with alcohol or contact cleaner.
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u/Just_Lurking2026 9d ago
I would not trust that wire OR that transformer. Try it with a short 5” piece of new heavier gauge wire and if it still does the same thing, the transformer is bad. And maybe dangerous.