I have a lionel ZW 275 watt transformer and I started to smell and see smoke coming from the right side of the Unit,it still works ok do you have any suggestions. Thanks

Hi Harrison

Letting the smoke out of any electrical device is never a good symptom. It sounds very much to me as if your transformer is checking out. A usual suspect is a short circuit of the tracks.

Sorry I couldn't have given you better news.
-Steve

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.