Rail Zip Archives - The Silicon Underground

The low-effort fix for a Marx motor

Dave Farquhar — Tue, 15 Mar 2016 11:00:02 +0000

I had a Marx motor that wouldn’t run, and I fixed it with almost no effort. If you need to get a Marx motor running again but can’t put a lot of time and effort into it, I’ve developed a quick

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Fixing track that gets hot at the track joints

Dave Farquhar — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 02:51:02 +0000

I saw a question about a Fastrack layout getting hot at a track joint. That’s a conductivity issue causing voltage drop, which in turn causes the heat. While not likely to be dangerous, it’s a sign of inefficiency and can

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Fixing Lionel locomotives that run erratically and have flickering lights

Dave Farquhar — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 18:08:58 +0000

If you have a Lionel electric train whose lights flicker and (possibly) runs erratically, I have an easy fix. I’ve owned at least two locomotives–a modern-era Lionel diesel and an American Flyer model 3110 steeple-cab electric made in 1929–that exhibited

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Fix or restore Lionel track

Dave Farquhar — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 12:32:52 +0000

It’s that time of year again. Time to get that old Lionel (or Marx or American Flyer) electric train running before the holidays sneak up. More often than not, the track isn’t in the best of shape. Fortunately, it’s not all

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