I recently moved around some of my transformers and ended up with a Lionel CW-80 on my test track. The particular CW-80 was one I purchased a while ago from an acquaintance who got it in a set. It was new in the box. I've used it to power various locomotives with no problems.
While fooling around today I unboxed one of my Flyonel Docksiders (I have 7 of them - don't ask...) and decided to give it a spin. It seemed to run OK but for one problem: I could not get it to reverse. It was the first time I'd run it, so I was disappointed that I had not tried it when I bought it. I decided to try some of my other Docksiders (most of them have never been run) and found that none of them would cycle into reverse.
I did some checking on this forum and noticed that this problem occurs with some other locomotives. A quick check of my CW-80 showed that it did not have a "G" prefix before the date code. Apparently (you guys probably already know this) there have been multiple "revisions" to the CW-80. Some (like mine) have simply a 4-digit date code. Newer ones have the "G" prefix. Still others have a "QC50") stamp (some with the "G" prefix, some without).
After reading a few more articles I discovered that the easiest "no reverse" problem fix is to simply add a small light bulb to the track circuit. I tried it and all my Docksiders worked again. Another user suggested adding a lighted caboose or floodlight car to a Docksider consist so I tried that with good results.
So, while I'm a bit disappointed that my CW-80 isn't current, I'm glad I found a workaround. Actually, I'll probably never run the Docksiders with the CW-80 anyway.
Questions: Has anyone found any other locomotives that won't cycle the reverse unit with a CW-80 or other power supply? Does anyone have a "G" prefix CW-80 that works properly with the Docksider?
Inquiring minds want to know...
P.S.: I double-checked the Docksiders with the Powermax-30 that comes with the inexpensive sets and found the reverse units do cycle just fine.
EDIT: I just tested a few more of my still-in-the-box Flyonel locomotives. The SD-9s don't reverse with the CW-80. The GP-7s seem to work OK.
