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Reply to "Lionel PW Questions..."

Just saw this thread @laming  I would try a ZW-L (ZW-Legacy) or K-Line "power chief" transformer.  These put out a "chopped" waveform that looks like a shark's fin when viewed on an oscilloscope.  The resulting inductive "kick" will coax a little more out of those old 3-pole motors.  Brighter lights and better smoke too if that matters to you.  The trade-off is more buzzing and more noise.  The K-Line transformers start at less than 4 volts, but pretty much any postwar loco needs at least 5 volts to get moving so not a big deal.

Because the gears are back-drivable, two motors or two locos can actually "help" each other, giving a reasonable number of power pulses per inch.   A dual-motored diesel, or even two single-motored diesels in a consist will give near-scale speeds, at least when pulling a load.  My first MTH can-motored diesel (no speed control) was quickly relegated to the shelf because vintage Postwar power actually gave more realistic performance on our sharp curves.

Last edited by Ted S

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