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A customer stopped by this morning with a prewar AF Talking Station (yellow instead of white walls) that was not working.  Below are a few observations that I made, followed by some questions that I would very much appreciate your help with.

Observations:

  1. Internally there are two cam followers, instead of three (see photo)
  2. The brushless motor has three lead wires extending from it, instead of two
  3. The horn or voice cone/tube is short and faces in toward the motor instead of outward toward the end wall of the station
  4. The reproducer is shaped like a hockey puck without a conical shaped back end
  5. The voice horn is a short cardboard tube, not as long a tube as a postwar unit

Questions:

  1. What is the product number of this unit -- 755, like the postwar version?
  2. Do you have an external wiring diagram for this unit  -- postwar 755 wiring per page 47 of the Gilbert AF Instruction Book did not work  
  3. Do you have an internal wiring diagram for this unit  -- which color wires go to which cam-unit posts, motor leads (of which there are 3) and the chassis/structure ground/base connection point?
  4. Should it operate just like a postwar 755 -- momentarily push down the control button, the train in front of the station stops, the message plays, the needle lifts from the record, the station motor stops, the engine gets power again and is either in neutral or forward (if previously locked in forward, there is no 10 ohm ceramic resistor as in a 755A)?
  5. Why only 2 fingers or cam followers instead of 3? (second photo is of a postwar unit)
  6. Why 3 lead wires from the motor instead of 2?  

This unit is original and in cosmetically EX condition, but someone rewired it with more recent rainbow wire at some point.  Initially it ran slowly and the record was wavy.  We got the motor running faster, the record leveled out, and sounding really good.   However, I could only get it to work if you hold the button down, not with  just with a momentary press and the cams take it from there.  I'd never seen one this old before.  It may not have been wire correctly, or I don't know how to correctly wire it up.  Your help will be greatly appreciated.  Thanks.

IMG_6018IMG_2287

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Images (2)
  • IMG_6018: Pre war AF Talking Station internal wiring view (correct?)
  • IMG_2287: Post war AF Talking Station internal wiring view
Last edited by Sgaugian
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I repaired and rewired this unit thanks to some help from Bob Hannon and Joe Mania (who had a prewar 595 talking toolshed to refer to).  Click here to see a YouTube video of this 597 in action.  The Yellow wire goes to 15V, Black to Base, Green to the control button, the other lead from the button also goes to Base, and the Red wire goes to the Base rail of the isolated section of track in front of the station.   

Last edited by Sgaugian

Look in the Doyle AF book in the 'O' Gauge section (towards the back section) to find #595 tool shed listing and correct record replacement part number 598.  Tool Shed was made from 1939-1942.

JUST found one of the yellow talking Tool Sheds and trying to find the correct record.

Those who have an operating example, how is the recording different from the other  AF taking stations? Many thanks in advance for your reply!

Have a Happy & SAFE 4th of July!

Wes

Last edited by afml

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OGR Publishing, Inc., 1310 Eastside Centre Ct, Suite 6, Mountain Home, AR 72653
800-980-OGRR (6477)
www.ogaugerr.com

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