# Replacement transformer cord question



## k2ldc10 (Nov 28, 2010)

Can anyone recommend what gauge wire I need to get for my 1033 transformer? I need to replace the power cord and want to get the right stuff. I'm assuming stranded wire is what I need. Any tips / precautions I need to be aware of? I took the cover off and it looks okay inside. Thanks.


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## SkyArcher (Oct 20, 2010)

When I replaced the cord on my LW, I just went to Walmart and bought an extension cord and cut the socket off. Worked for me and I think that I paid like $5 for it.


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## servoguy (Jul 10, 2010)

Go to Home Depot and buy an extension cord for $1 and cut the socket off. It is plenty heavy enough for a transformer. 90 watts at 120 volts is only 0.75 amps. The cord will probably be 16 gauge which is good for 15 amps in open air.

Bruce Baker


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## k2ldc10 (Nov 28, 2010)

Perfect. Thanks. Now I'm ready to delve into my first repair!


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## T-Man (May 16, 2008)

I usually save the cords from an appliance or computer for such an occasion.


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Not that I'm recommending this, but when I was at the Wilmington, MA train show a few weeks ago, I saw that the guys from East Coast Train Partsy were selling repro Lionel power cords with the "Lionel" emblem molded into the power plug. Around $5, I think.

They had the same cords, but without the Lionel emblem for around $3, I think!

I'm not sure about the 1033, but the cords usually have a knot-loop on them, just inside the transformer case, such that any pull on the cord won't put stress/fatigue on the soldered ends. Make sure you use a knot.

Cheers,

TJ


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## k2ldc10 (Nov 28, 2010)

I noticed the knot when I opened it up and planned to do the same. Thanks for making sure I do that. I think for now I just want it working and will just get a generic black cord. I'll keep an eye out for the repro ones that say lionel, though. I have two other transformers that need new ones.


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## k2ldc10 (Nov 28, 2010)

Just wanted to update this thread as well. I opened up the 1033 and replaced the cord. All went as planned. I tinned the ends of the new cord before soldering it in, which worked out well. It it made the wire firm enough to push it into place as the soldering iron began to melt the solder that was still in the hole in the board. I was a little disappointed with the performance of the transformer, though. The 2343 seemed to run a little better using the Tech II. I guess that shouldn't surprise me. The Tech II puts out 0 to 17 volts, while the 1033 only goes to 16 volts.


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## servoguy (Jul 10, 2010)

Sounds to me like you need to lube the 2343. Take off the shell and then remove the two screws that hold the motor to the truck. I seem to remember you have to remove a screw that holds the coupler on. A little fiddling, and you should be able to remove the truck and get at the gears and bearings. Usually, you will find the truck full of dried grease. Remove the dried grease using WD-40 and brake clean. Then oil everything with 5W-20 motor oil. I did this recently to a 2333 and it is the smoothest running engine ever. Oil the motors also. There should be an oil hole in the top of the motors. I oil the commutators on my engines because it reduces the friction and makes them run smoother. Your choice. Clean the commutator slots before you do this.

Bruce Baker


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Yep, the 1033 only puts out 16V, my KW cranks out almost 20. Makes a difference in top speed. 

I've picked up a number of 1033's and replaced the cord and the rectifier. When you get them for $7-8, it's hard to go wrong.


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## T-Man (May 16, 2008)

What size was that rectifier again?


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## servoguy (Jul 10, 2010)

In the past, I have paid too much for things. I have found the prices at swap meets to be the best. $7-8 for 1033s is a good price. 

Bruce Baker


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## servoguy (Jul 10, 2010)

a 5 amp diode will work just fine. The current rating is rms, so, since the diode is on only half the time, it will handle a 10 amp output from the transformer. 

Bruce Baker


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Actually, I happen to use 3 amp diodes. Hard to believe that I'm going to have more than a 6A load on a 1033 for any length of time.  So far the diodes have survived.


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## servoguy (Jul 10, 2010)

When the whistle controller is in the second position, there is a low ohm resister shunting the diode, so the current through the diode is much reduced.

BB


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Yep, I knew that.


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## servoguy (Jul 10, 2010)

I am sure you did, but there may be a few that don't know.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

servoguy said:


> I am sure you did, but there may be a few that don't know.


This is very true.


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

servoguy said:


> When the whistle controller is in the second position, there is a low ohm resister shunting the diode, so the current through the diode is much reduced.
> 
> BB


Bruce,

I was reading/writing about that the other day, but in the specific case of a 167 stand-alone whistle controller. There, the internal relay contacts rout the circuit through the shunt as the button gets pushed down to its full extent. (Spec sheets said the pre-shunt DC output would be higher to close an onboard whistle relay, and that the post-shunt lower DC output would be enough to hold it there.)

Does that same sort of setup (with mechanic relay contacts) exist in something like a 1033 transformer with a built in whistle control?

Thanks,

TJ


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## servoguy (Jul 10, 2010)

Yes it does. The first position of the controller pulls the relay in, and the 2nd position reduces the DC level but still has enough DC to hold the relay after it is pulled in. The 2nd position also raises the track voltage to allow the engine to keep running with the additional load of the whistle motor. 

With a horn on a diesel that is powered by a battery, there is no need to raise the track voltage so the engine is going to speed up significantly.

BB


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

The 1033 transformer has two positions for the whistle control. When the control starts moving, it contacts the diode boost and puts out about 2-3 volts DC boost with the A/C. When you go farther, a resistor of 1.6 ohms is paralleled across the diode to drop the DC to about 1/2 volt or so (dependent on current draw at the time).


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Thanks, for the quick response, guys ... much appreciated. I didn't know about the 2-positions of the 1033, but it makes perfect sense ... accomplishing the same 2-stepped output that I read/learned about with the 167 stand-alone controller.

Shockingly ... this is all beginning (and I mean just barely beginning!) to make sense!

OK ... here's a related quiz question for you. Via an inquiry in another thread today, I was prompted to put a multimeter on my modern CW80 trasformer and watch the DC output when I hit the whistle button. To my expectation, it was around 2.4 V DC at the outset, but to my surprise it stayed at 2.4 V DC as long as I kept pushing the button. Based upon what I had learned about the old-school 167, I would have expected that the new-school CW80 would have synthesized (via new magic internal solid state technology) the same 2-step output, i.e., a jump down to about 1 volt DC. I didn't, though ...

What gives there?

Thanks!

TJ


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I observed the same thing, I can only assume that since they probably don't boost the voltage, they just leave the DC constant.


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## servoguy (Jul 10, 2010)

The trains with electronic whistles or horns don't need a voltage boost because the amount of power the electronics draw is quite small. If you use a PW transformer with new trains, you will get a speed increase when you operate the whistle. 
BB


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## T-Man (May 16, 2008)

The electronics don't need a boost. One signal and they whistle. The boost is to trigger the mechanical relay. Once done the start up voltage isn't needed so they had it drop for the horn to continue.


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## k2ldc10 (Nov 28, 2010)

servoguy said:


> Sounds to me like you need to lube the 2343. Take off the shell and then remove the two screws that hold the motor to the truck. I seem to remember you have to remove a screw that holds the coupler on. A little fiddling, and you should be able to remove the truck and get at the gears and bearings. Usually, you will find the truck full of dried grease. Remove the dried grease using WD-40 and brake clean. Then oil everything with 5W-20 motor oil. I did this recently to a 2333 and it is the smoothest running engine ever. Oil the motors also. There should be an oil hole in the top of the motors. I oil the commutators on my engines because it reduces the friction and makes them run smoother. Your choice. Clean the commutator slots before you do this.
> 
> Bruce Baker


Yeah, it looks like this is my next step. The engine is running, but does seem to be a little inconsistent. Thanks for the recommendation and guidance.


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Thanks for the clarification of the "modern" transformer whistle button output, guys. Makes sense.

TJ


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## Millstonemike (Aug 9, 2018)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Yep, the 1033 only puts out 16V, my KW cranks out almost 20. Makes a difference in top speed.
> 
> I've picked up a number of 1033's and replaced the cord and the rectifier. When you get them for $7-8, it's hard to go wrong.


I'm embarrassed by this question as I've been soldering for some 55 years, have a BSEE and have repaired/modified many items as a hobbyist.

I'm replacing the power cord on the on a 1033 transformer.

I can't see how to route the power cord from the transformer's primary connections (on the fiber board with eyelets) out to the vertical slot on the side. There doesn't seem to be any way to get underneath the metal "platform" holding the winding block


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I don't remember any specific issue replacing the power cord, but I haven't done it for a number of years, don't remember the exact specifics.

Is there any reason you aren't routing the cord the same as the existing cord?


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Now I'm even more confused! It can just run around the side to the slot, nothing to stop it. What am I missing?


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## Millstonemike (Aug 9, 2018)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Now I'm even more confused! It can just run around the side to the slot, nothing to stop it. What am I missing?
> 
> View attachment 465254


The slot is at the very bottom - meets the bottom plate. How do you get the cord past the intermediate plate as shown by the red arrows. There isn't any clearance between the Bakelite(?) housing and that plate.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Not sure what you're seeing, but this transformer goes together without a hitch, and as you can clearly see, the cord is not pinched or abraded in any way where it goes out the slot. There seems to be sufficient clearance for the cord to go out or I couldn't get this one back together. 

In the worst case, if for some reason yours is different, you can just grind/file a notch to let the cord by. I've never needed to do that in the half dozen I put cords on. I had to take this one apart to remember what you were talking about.


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## Millstonemike (Aug 9, 2018)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Not sure what you're seeing, but this transformer goes together without a hitch, and as you can clearly see, the cord is not pinched or abraded in any way where it goes out the slot. There seems to be sufficient clearance for the cord to go out or I couldn't get this one back together.
> 
> In the worst case, if for some reason yours is different, you can just grind/file a notch to let the cord by. I've never needed to do that in the half dozen I put cords on. I had to take this one apart to remember what you were talking about.


Well I could certainly grind a slot. But it's perplexing. How did Lionel do it?

In the pic below, the intermediate plate is snug against the housing all the way around. Not even enough room to squash the cord in (much less the metal plate is biting into the cord). 

When I soldered the cord, I thought I could use the cutout in the corner to get under the plate; forgetting the housing has the same shape.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

The case doesn't go below that top piece, at least on my 1033 examples. The bottom plate is below the plastic case, and the case is fully on in the picture.


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## Millstonemike (Aug 9, 2018)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> The case doesn't go below that top piece, at least on my 1033 examples. The bottom plate is below the plastic case, and the case is fully on in the picture.
> 
> View attachment 465320
> 
> ...


Duh, me. That explains it. Many thanks.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Makes it pretty easy to install if you take that into consideration!


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## Millstonemike (Aug 9, 2018)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Makes it pretty easy to install if you take that into consideration!


The 1033 is already buttoned up and working ... next is the 1034.

Thanks again.


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## Millstonemike (Aug 9, 2018)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Makes it pretty easy to install if you take that into consideration!


Back to the 1033. 

The pic is showing the 1033's breaker contacts. "They no touchy".

Any tips?


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## TrainLarry (Jan 15, 2012)

Replace the circuit breaker. Solder wires to the circuit breaker connections, and then to a replacement. You can use a 5 amp automotive circuit breaker, or one like this.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Quick-Trip...=item3d6df0cc3d:g:KUQAAOSwnKdbWRfX:rk:11:pf:0

Insulate the original breakers' points, so they can't close.


Larry


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

The automotive ones are cheap, and you can also get a socket to plug them in. That way any future replacements are just PnP.


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## Millstonemike (Aug 9, 2018)

Thanks guys. I ordered this breaker.


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## Millstonemike (Aug 9, 2018)

The 1033 is back in operation. Thanks guys.


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