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This Identification Guide for Lionel Electric Trains covers the "Post-war Era" only from 1945 until 1969. |
LIONEL TRAINS BLOCK CONTROL SIGNAL No. 253 |
The Block Control Signal No. 253 performed the same function as the No. 115 and No. 132 Stations in that it had the ability to stop a train for a limited amount of time usually in front of a station. This was accomplished with the use of a bimetallic strip that when current passed through it the heat generated would cause the these metal strips to separate thereby breaking the electrical connection. When hooked up to an insulated center rail block section of track the train would stop in this section until the heat dissipated and the connection was restored to the train. Although it is possible to stop the train without causing the directional unit on the engine to cycle (usually current must be maintained at about six volts), most operators just move the directional lever on the engine so that it only goes in the forward direction. |
First produced in 1956, the No. 253 would be the first accessory to use the new two pin lamps. The only voltage available for these lamps, No. L12(R) and No. L12(G), in 1956 was rated at 6 to 8 volts. To operate these lamps a resistor was needed to drop the normal track voltage from 12 to 16 volts. This is the only accessory that used these lamps. |
Concerning the replacement of lamps on those signals made in 1956 the Lionel Service Manual dated 3-58 relate that: "If 14 volt lamps are used the resistor can be bypassed or eliminated." Lionel would continue to produce this block signal with the 14 volt lamps until the end of production in 1959. |
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