help

[tiggermommy]

I am trying to set up a train set that has been in my husbands grandparents attic for some time i have the track and trains and power supply but i can not figure out how to connect the power supply to the tracks.  I was trying to surprise my husband and children can anyone help me.  I am wondering if i am missing a piece of track that has the piece to connect to the power supply.

[Jim Banner]

Is the train H0 size with 2 rails about 5/8" apart?  Or is it possibly 0 size and has 3 rail track with the outer rails about 1-1/4" apart?  Or some other size?

Most H0 trains used one of three systems - a wire with a plug that plugged into a special piece of track; plain wire with bare ends that went under small screws on a special piece of track; and plain wires with bare ends that clipped into Fahnestock clips on a special piece of track.  (click on this link for a drawing of Fahnestock clips: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b6/Fahnestock_clip_designs.png/580px-Fahnestock_clip_designs.png

At the power pack end of the wires, most old sets used plain wire with bare ends that went under screws.  Often there were four screws, two for the two rails and two more for accessories.  Newer sets often use a wire with a plug on each end to plug into the track and plug into the power pack.

Old 0-scale trains (Lionel or MARX) used a connector clip that would connect to the center rail and one outer rail of their three rail track.  At the other end of the connector there were a pair of Fahnestock clips to connect wires.  The other ends of the wires went to thumb nuts on a transformer.  The connector clip, which I believe Lionel called a 'Lockon', was typically an inch by 1-1/2 inches and made of black Bakelite with shiny metal connections.

Jim