has anyone repair loinel electric switch machine for large scale. they held up pretty well for 3 yrs outside in 100 degrees and below freezing he in tucson. i havr vlean them all out amd. clean off the rod going into the solendiode gentle, it will only enage one way and. not go back. then i notice the copper of brass connects rubbing on the connect ribbon on circuit broad clean thise. off and very carefully place some solder on the tips and discovered i fix it. after discovering i found out how to fix these i started to repair the other 10 finding out alot of the circuit boards ribbons have burnt off or rubbed off completely after trying to use solder and wire that this isnt the best way to go. however will be replacing with piko machines soon. any ideas.
So Jim, what exactly is rubbing down the copper?
I’m not familiar with how these work.
Looks like you found a way to bring them back from the dead, good for you.
Greg
If the traces are burn’t off, perhaps you could replace them with some really thin brass strip material, of maybe brass wire/flattened brass wire.
Maybe you could superglue it into place after adding a small jumper wire between the brass strip/wire and what’s left of the burn’t out trace, or its nearest point of contact with another solder joint.
I would solder the jumper wire to the brass strip and point of contact before trying to glue it into place. You may even make a “channel” in the old board where the original trace was to help locate it and keep it in position.
I actually did stumble onto bringing back the dead Lionel switch machine, like Greg in an enviroment where electrical connection corrode and the heat really puts hits best, I did fix it. however it was done by accident. still having a little trouble due to the coil and figuring this part out. As many of others I can only afford used G scale stuff. I wish i could afford new. However when the moment hits i am replacing with new piko switch machines, they are reliable and if you connect them with plugs you can disconnect and take them inside when not running trains. I will be posting photos soon of the Fuzzy Puppy Southwestern R.R. soon. I just dont want to feel embarrased when i post them. I hand
made my own track with aluminum rods and ties made of vinyl fench composit fake wood, at first i used redwood with thompsons water seal however I ended up replacing all of the wood ties. Arizona is just too dry and hot for the wood. With the summer heat rails expend and contracts with the composite i found will also expend and conracts with them and works well together. I also run DC analog power track with currently 13 double insulidated blocks. with a 24 volt 15 amp transformer and 3 aristocraft controllers, along with 3 aristocraft trainmaster transformers, so as you see i actually have 6 trottles, my TE old recievers are old first generations, and then my 10 channel TE transmitter lite the four red light on the display screen and never worked again, and no the 15 amps didnt kill them. As Far as cleaning the track clean is a piece of cake if you have a cleaning car and run it around the layout a few times works wonders. and dry wall sanding stick with green pad. I saw people using lamp oil for conduct fluid once and used it three times, that is a major mistake, yes it works and then you clean everything including all your rolling stock engines and etc, my advice NEVER EVER USE IT. use all
metal wheels and no traction tires due to traction tires will leave black goo on the track in the summer.
Jim Weingart said:
However when the moment hits i am replacing with new piko switch machines, they are reliable and if you connect them with plugs you can disconnect and take them inside when not running trains.
Still a PITA.
You need to unscrew them from the ties and undo the throwbar while you wrangle it out, and over time, this will probably crack the tie and the foot for the machine if you do it often enough.