Just wondering, and it's a total newbie question.
Are Lionel accessories AC or DC powered?
All my HO and N stuff was DC.
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Since Lionel transformers are AC all their accessories work on AC power. Most new ones actually us DC to run can motors but they have rectifiers that convert the AC to DC inside the unit.
Neil
No wonder my santa pylon only works with an HO transformer. I bought a beater at a train show and wondered why it only worked with DC.
Most Lionel accessories,even post war will work on DC with the exception of those with vibrator motors. For those they actually work better on half waved pulsed DC accomplished by a single diode in series to it . If running other type PW on DC such as the semaphore reduce the voltage until the accessory just works,then add a few volts. Too much DC voltage can overheat them,
For more modern accessories with bridge rectifiers in them,it does not matter if DC is applied.
Dale H
