Fastrack Switch Lanterns and bulbs

Was it your cat up until now?

The lanterns are $2.75 each from Lionel.

AS for the bulbs....here's what the manual states.  Maybe somebody knows exactly what it takes.

Servicing the lamps

Your switch lamp and switch controller are illuminated by several light emitting diodes (LEDs). The LEDs are expected to last for the life of the switch and are not user serviceable. See your authorized Lionel Service Center if your LEDs require service.

Bulbs can be replaced-but tedious!  LED 3.5VDC 3mm  $3.oo #610-2045-300+ shpg.

Have plenty of both in stock, and have the leds prewired to the base. Drop and email if interested.

Chuck

I got the buld and lanterns from hennings

The LED lanterns are over-driven because the current limiting resistor is too small. That makes them have a short life. Calculate the resistor needed to drive them at something less than 20 milliamps and they will last.

If you want to try it yourself, see attachment

John H posted:

If you want to try it yourself, see attachment

With instructions like this, I think this rookie could do the work.

Thanks for posting

Brent

Gunrunnerjohn suggested to not remove the  led and just push it up through. I did one each way and his works better for putting it back together. Sometimes you can get the whole light stand for about $4; That's the easiest way

Purchasing the complete light stand makes the most sense to me. Where can I purchase the complete light stand. 

For $6.50 you can buy this whole switch stand from directly from Lionel or from one of the OGR Members like Chuck Sartor above.  Please note, it does not include the lantern.

STEIMS,

    Thanks much for the info on the full replacement switch stand part number, & full slide in unit, I will eventually order a couple from Chuck Sartor, and keep his information for the future.  

PCRR/Dave

FWIW, the instructions posted (excellent step by step BTW), specify the Lionel part number for the LED.  In truth, any white 3mm LED will work, and you can buy them for a few cents.  When I fixed all of my switches with the bad bulbs, I just took the LED's out of my parts box and installed them.

It was mentioned that the reason they're dying is over-current, but that's not the case, at least not with my switches.  I checked the current through the LED and it was around 12ma.  My feeling is there's something else that is causing the LED failure, perhaps voltage spikes.  I suspect that a snubbing capacitor across the LED would be more protection than changing a resistor.

Timely thread. I have just had my first Lionel Fastrack LED failure, which I will first test to be sure the LED is burned out, then replace as described in these well written instructions.

Guns,

   As I indicated before I do believe they are faulty LED's supplied to Lionel, from the over seas vendor.  I saw this happen to one of my friends who was building a different product, it is almost impossible to stop QC wise unless they inspect ever single item sold.  Similar to when we were kids when the they shorted a few nuts and bolts on every item sold, to make millions, same game different product line.

PCRR/Dave

Could be bad LED's, but I'm surprised that many would surface.  I've bought the cheapest " Chinese factory floor sweepings" as far as my LED collection, and I have only had a couple of failures in hundreds of installations, and those may well have not been the LED's fault.  Most of the time, if they work, they'll work forever.  There are occasional failures, but the number of LED failures with Fastrack switches suggests to me that something else is in play.

The last time this discussion came up, I put a Fastrack switch on the bench and went looking for voltage transients with a 100 MHz Tektronix scope. If you hit it just right, the switch will occasionally put about 30 volts on the center rail, but it is very narrow and doesn't happen often. Having said that, I have not checked to see what happens in real layout conditions; Pullmor motors and all that. But, I feel confident that the switches themselves are not creating any damaging transients.

FWIW, it is very easy to underestimate the amount of electrical noise created by PW locos and accessories. Some time ago I was repairing a 364 log loader, and wanted to see if DC operation would quiet it. Had a Heathkit battery eliminator, so used that. To make a long story short, the battery eliminator failed repeatedly. Turns out that the 364 motor was generating happy little transients of about 150 volts, which wiped out the regulator chip in the Heathkit. Now, Heathkit was not known for fine designs, but it serves to illustrate what PW motor and accessory designs can do to electrical systems.

Since that time my track power comes from a dedicated transformer, nothing on it except the center rail.

I've often wondered why Lionel didn't arrange to have the replacement LED with short clipped leads which simply fit into a socket....like Z-Stuff does on their DZ-1000 motors/control buttons.  Needle-nosed pliars are all you need to make the swap.

As far as the lanterns are concerned, we (LHS) found that a couple drops of tacky glue on the lantern base will keep them in place when actuated.  They've held up quite reliably on our store 4 X 8 figure 8 oval having four such switches. 

HOWEVER, nothing to offer here about obsessive puddy-tats.....except, maybe, a trebuchet or ballista!

(just kidding)

Gunrunnerjohn,          Quite a thread indeed! I have a switch- dead!  does nada! Lionel says boards" not available",so are these boards repairable? Also I have a second switch,reads 5VDC@ contacts LED tests good yet won't lite when connected. Am in frustration mode! Appreciate any imput you could render.

I don't have a clue about repairing them, I haven't faced that yet.  I suppose it would be dependent on what is dead.  Are you sure the LED isn't reverse polarity on the one with the apparently good reading?