I just recently got my old LGB train out of storage and setup in my new home. I lost my old power supply and went to a local hobby store to get one. I was sold a HO scale controller 7VA. It's putting out just under 20volts and 4amps but both my engines crawl on the track. I've been trying to find out how many volts they will need and opened them up last night to find they only have one motor. When the train is running the voltage drops to around 7 volts and the amps to about 1.5. So my question is do I need a 24v power supply or just a 12v with a higher amp rating.
power Not sure what the old locos needed voltage wise but it sound like they need more juice, 24volt sounds more like what they need, you didnt mention if they had lighting or if the rolling stock was lit as well, this can draw a lot of current and drop the voltage dramaticlly, I recently found that a rake of 7 Aristo streamliners draw almost 4 amps and the voltage dropped from 14.5v to under 10v the loco was struggling, after switching the lamps off all was fine. The motor could also need a service and the collectors cleaned
Older LGB Locomotives need 24volts minimum to work right. An HO Scale transformer won't do it. I have a Universal N/HO/G Transformer. My Aristocraft units respond well on the HO Setting and I do this to limit power if they are the only units on the track. My LGB Equipment is circa late 80s early 90s. They do not respond on the HO Scale power settings and have to be run on the G-Scale settings. My transformer is the Blue Hogger from now defunct Chicago Sky Models. Also Try to clean the motors and the power pickup shoes too. LGB Units are dirt magnets and they need a lot of constant care and maintance. To get your models Exploded parts diagram to see how to assemble/disassemble properly go here and download the PDF of the locomotive that matches your model number: http://www.gartenbahn.at/index.php?menuid=34&reporeid=58
