My son was quite proud of the Lionel FT diesel (No. 2334110) he purchased for me as a birthday gift. Unfortunately, the newer locomotive is LionChief, which needs a constant 18 volts of DC (Direct Current), with the center rail being positive. My layout was exclusively AC (Alternating Current).
Here’s what I did to be able to run this model on my layout.
I visited a friend who runs LionChief locomotives, and got educated on the power supply and control system. Then I downloaded the LionChief app for my smartphone. I also purchased a Lionel 120VAC to 18V DC power supply (No. 37111). In my junk box, I found a Double Pole Triple Throw (DPTT) switch and mounting case.
I wired the switch according to the schematic and used nut- and- bolt sets to make the six terminals. I made sure to wire the DPTT so that the center rail was positive and the polarity was correct for both horn and bell functions to work. The middle position of the throw is set to “off.”
The only change I would make is labeling one switch position. I would label the switch “A/C” instead of “Postwar.”
Notes: This arrangement does not allow using A/C controlled items when the switch is in “LionChief mode.,” The No. 154 Railroad Crossing Flasher did not perform., but aren’t damaged by the 18V DC. Lights in the crossbucks and vehicles work well using both D/C and A/C. It would be interesting to experiment and determine if an AC track switch, using an auxiliary power source, would function properly in “LionChief mode.”
