baldtbirdr

This Lionel set up uses their own style of Lock-on and there is no good way for two adapters/power sources to be connected to one lock-on. Not unless I cut and splice some of the power supply wires. The Lionel uses DC to the track. I checked the power to the track as follows: First I checked the power to my two section (total 24" of track) test track and got the following readings. One of my A/C adapters was delivering 11.89 DC volts to the test track. My other A/C adapter was delivering 11.92 DC volts. That is pretty close to the 12 volts that the adapters rated at, but it is still not 12 DC volts. I then checked the voltage on my 26" track set up. Using just one of the A/C adapters, I got a reading of 11.35 DC volts at a point on the track furthest from the A/C adapter. I then added the second A/C adapter and got a reading of 11.58 DC volts at a point midway between the two installed adapters. So, I purchased a third A/C adapter. The first two that I had used were Lionel adapters but the new one is a standard 12V 2.5 amp adapter that I bought from Amazon. I tested the new adapter on the test track and it reads 12.8V right out of the box. I hooked it up to my track layout and took a reading at the half way point on the oval. I got a reading of 11.98V. But, the train still won't move. It tries, but just can't get going. And, I'm only have the tender and the engine on the track. So, I have to assume that the Lionel adapters are a little on the weak side when it comes to 12V adapters, and I have a voltage drop because of the length of the track.. I've since ordered a second adapter from Amazon, and should be getting it early this week I'll hook that one up to my second lock-on and see if that will get the train moving. I'm thinking that I'm either losing voltage along the track or I'm losing amperage. This is really weird. The engine runs strong on the test track, but it appears that it doesn't get enough power to run on the layout. The next thing I'll have to check out is to find out if I'm getting a drop in amperage.

This is a Lionel "G" gauge set. The A/C power adapter that comes with this set is a 12V 2.5 amp power supply. Is it possible that I need more voltage rather than more amps?

I have a Lionel HolidayTradition Express. The train came with enough track to make a 12' oval track layout. I extended the layout to a 23' oval layout. Here is a description of my problem followed by a question: After I setup my 23' layout, with the lockon track power connection attached to one of the end curved pieces, and the power on, I had a problem getting the train to run in either forward or reverse. All other commands to the engine worked fine. Someone suggested to me that I could solve my problem by adding another power lockon to mt setup, so I added the additional power lockon to a curved piece at the opposite end of the oval from my original power lockon. That gave me two 12V 2.5 amp power supplies providing power to the track. In addition, I cleaned the track to make sure the tender was getting good contact. I turned the set on, making sure both power lockons were on and both were supplying power to the track. THe train worked just fine with this setup. However, for some reason or another, after having run the train a couple of times over the chistmas Holiday, and having it sit idle for three days, I'm back to getting no forward or reverse to the engine. I cleaned the track again, but that did not solve the problem. I've checked the tender and engine on a test track (made up of two track sections, a lockon track power connection, and an original lionel 12V 2.5 amp A/C adapter) and I get plenty of power to the engine, both forward and reverse, and all of the other commands work as well, so I know, or have to assume, that the tender and engine electronics are fine. I also have to assume that the problem seems to be in getting enough amps to power the train when it is sitting on the 23' layout. So, here is the question. Could my problem be that I need to boost the amps to the track layout, and could I achieve that goal by adding yet another 12V 2.5 amp power supply to the layout giving me a total of three 12V 2.5 amp power supplies connectd to the tracks?