The whistle on either side of my 1966 lionel zw transformer does not work

Hello, Don -

I hope I am correct you are asking about a Lionel ZW transformer for electric model trains.

I am personally not familiar with the transformer. However, I have found some information on the internet which may prove informative to you.

See:
https://dfarq.homeip.net/all-about-the-lionel-zw/

Plus, I found 3 PDF documents which are a series about repairing Lionel ZW transformers:
http://www.agtta.com/Tech-Tips/Tech-tip-ZW-repairs1.pdf
http://www.agtta.com/Tech-Tips/Tech-tip-ZW-repairs2.pdf
http://www.agtta.com/Tech-Tips/Tech-tip-ZW-repairs3.pdf

For the 3 PDF documents you will need Adobe Reader software (free) to open, download, save to your Documents folder, and print.

Assuming I am correct that you mean a Lionel ZW transformer, you may find more (and better) information on a forum for model train enthusiasts. This is a link to one such forum:
http://www.modeltrainforum.com/
If you are not familiar with that forum, you will need to first register to post on it. Registration is free.

Best wishes.

you need to adjust the trim throttle , this is usually near the bottom of transformer , (screw looking thing) this should only need a little bit , no big changes should be needed

On a postwar LIONEL ZW TRANSFORMER, Yes the red light will come on if a short is present with the throttle on. As soon as the throttle lever is in the off position the red light will go off. Shortly followed by the automatic circuit breaker clicking, as it cools and resets. The short on the track may still be present but with the lever in the off position the red light will stay off. There are several variations of the ZW 275 Watt transformer, early and late "type R" models. Both work the same but are wired slightly different the early ZW uses two 6 volt bulbs and the "Type R" uses two 18 volt bulbs. Internally if there is a resister connected to the base of the red light it will use the 6 volt bulbs.

Hi,
Not everyone will agree with me on all of this, because many people are very cautious about electrical stuff, so do proceed with caution. But, I would start unplugging it. Then unscrew and open the top. You will probably need to remove the light bulbs under the green and red caps to get the top to lift off.

• I would first look for anything looking burnt. You didn't say what kind of smell it was and whether it was running trains or accessories at the time. Ocassionally, under load, things get warm in one spot or another and just bending a wire away from a hot spot solves the problem. Over the nearly 50-65 years since these things were made there are a couple of things that can get moved around.
• I would, really double check what you were running when the thing started smoking. Make sure there are no shorts or derailed trucks or pilot wheels. The original circuit breakers on the ZW's are not very good, and even less so after 50 years. They don't always do what they should when there is a short. Many people who use these ZWs want to protect their trains and they change the circuit breaker to something more reliable. Look up "Lionel ZW circuit breaker" on Ebay and sort by Price + shipping. $11 is the lowest I found and a pretty good deal. Most sellers send you instructions on how to install. What I'm saying is be sure your transformer isn't burning because of a short on the train table. If it is, then you probably need to change the circuit breaker.
• The last thing I would do is, VERY CAREFULLY, with the top off, plug it back in and operate it like you did before when it started smoking, and then watch for sparks, smoke etc. Unplug it again before doing anything else.
• There are service manuals and repair instructions out there on the internet. Go to this site linked below and scroll to the bottom of the page for complete repair manuals for the ZW and ZW-R. The pages are .pdf and you can download them individually. I have done that and then printed them and made a repair folder. Search their Library while there. There is a ton of great information.

Lionel Toy Trains Service and Repair Information Library from OTTP...

Good Luck, Dave

contact the manufacturer

See illustration on page 9 of attached Manual.
http://www.lionel.com/media/servicedocuments/6420737921250ZWLManual.pdf

IfIam correct, the basic Polar Express came with just a whistle. There is an optional coal tender that has a better sound system in it...Whistle bell and steam sound also try reversing the power wires at the transformer or track

Make sure the A or D terminal is connected to the center rail. U terminal to the outer rail. First do this without the sound activation button. Horn should sound this way. Once this works correctly, add the sound button in on the center rail lead (A or D) If the sound activation button activates the horn, reverse the connections to the sound activation button.
This should solve your difficulties

There are 5 terminals on the bridge number them from outside to inside 1,2,3,4,5
Terminal 1 gets connected to the outside rails on a V,Z,VW,orZW transformer terminal U. The control button a #96 push button gets connected between terminals 2 and 3. Terminal 3 also gets a wire from A or B on a V or Z or Bor C on a VW/ZW. Terminal 4 gets connected to the transformer terminal D. Terminal 5 gets a wire to the lockon on the black bridge frame. The bridge needs 3 sections of track on each end seperated from the rest of the track as a stopping section remove the center rail pin on this section, This forms the stopping sections at each end of the bridge.

This does not appear to be a problem with the ZW. The XFMR does not know anything about train location on the track. It appears to be a track connection problem on the center or outside tracks or both. One way to identify a bad connection is to take a parallel wire from the common and hot terminal of the ZW and connect directly to the area of track where the train stops and slows down. If this cures the problem then I recommend checking the tightness of the three track connections. For both FasTrack and Tubular, crimp slightly the pin receiving holes in the end of the track.

Note: For both tubular and Fasrtrack it is recommended that common track power for any one section be input to the track at more than one point. In this way one bad outter or center conductor won't cause the train to slow up or stop.

If FasTrack, you can solder directly to the tabs on the track underside for a permanent connection.