# LGB 51070 Throttles



## Madman (Jan 5, 2008)

I posted this over on G Scale Central. I have a 51070 throttle that went bad the other day. First one ever to stop working. I have several, all powered by 51110 transformers. I had begun to suspect that something was going wrong about two weeks ago, when it started behaving oddly. I have the selector switch set to center position off on the speed dial. You can select this or by moving the slide switch, have extreme left for stop and then have 270 degrees of throttle movement, which gives a more precise throttle speed control. Anyway, when I removed the 51070 from the outdoor cabinet I have all of my controls in, water dripped out of the joint between the red upper housing and the black base. Not good. I dismantled it in my shop and found a small amount of water in the bottom. My cabinet is built to shed any rain, and has never had a problem with leakage. However, earlier in the season we had a few days that were very damp, with fine misty rain on and off. It was odd weather. It felt like a boiler room. The only thing I can think of is that the moist weather and warmth caused condensation to form on the inside of the throttle housing. I have placed a small fan in the cabinet to move air around, and am planning on drilling 1/4" holes in the throttle housings near the bottom. I figure that this will let air flow through and keep condensation from forming. LGB's outdoor throttles have ventilation slots, so why not ventilate these models. I also have a panel mount throttle that is mounted on a piece of plexiglass, that sits on a pedestal. That is only covered with a piece of rubber roofing. The workings of the throttle are open to the elements but are protected from rain. 
 Am I missing something. I don't see what harm venting the housings can do.


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## kormsen (Oct 27, 2009)

the only harm that comes to mind would be spiders and insects thanking you for the new housing.


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## Jerry McColgan (Feb 8, 2008)

Hi Dan,

Just as you do I have and like the LGB 52120 and 51070 throttles. In my case I had a 52120 fail rather than a 51070. I don't know what caused my 52120 to fail but it seems to me that they are pretty much the same throttle other than the housing. Your idea of venting your throttle (to drain water) makes sense to me and the caution about bugs is a possibility but it would seem that if the drain holes were on the bottom and the throttle was stored on top of a small piece of foam rubber, that would seal the holes (when stored) preventing anything from entering the throttle.

Perhaps your experience was a once in a lifetime coincidence of a sealed transformer collecting water through condensation?

Jerry


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110503001209AApBLOP


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## Garratt (Sep 15, 2012)

Greg,

The link you referred to has an answer that's 2 years old, Heavens forbid! That may be frowned upon too.









Andrew


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## Jerrys-RR (Jun 21, 2010)

*Why is forum thread resurrection frowned upon? *

A frequent problem I see mods and users complain about is when someone resurrects an old, long abandoned thread (ie. nobody has posted in it for an extended period of time). Usually it's a new poster cruising through old threads, looking for a solution or information to an issue or something the have or are experiencing; *sometimes they don't notice the date on the post to which he/she is responding*, but often they don't feel it to be an issue, as that mean the problem may still exist. 

My question is, why is it frowned upon to post in a thread that is old? If you are looking for that info, typically you use a search function that would result in the thread, so what is the big deal? Wouldn't it be easier to keep all the info in one thread anyway, instead of starting new ones every time someone new comes along? 

*Blah B Best Answer - Chosen by Voters *

I wholeheartedly agree with this! Even though i don't look up year old threads it still is possible that the person never found a solution and somebody years later had one that he wanted to share. I know i've benefited from a post that may have been 4 years old, and someone coming along 3 years later posting something that really helped me out.





Actually I had not noticed the age of the post I was replying to (old eyes syndrome). 

It's funny (to me anyway) but when I actually read the link (above) both comments strongly support forum thread resurrection. 

Jerry


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

It's frowned upon precisely for the reasons put forth, and you can find the reasons all over the Internet. 

Some people read the active topics, especially with the particular problem we are having with this forum. Now you bring up a conversation long gone, the author clearly has addressed the problem in some fashion, and there's little chance that he will respond. 

Also, with the search function not working well, the reasoning that keeping everything in one thread falls flat. 

Logic and courtesy to others is pretty clear, and documented across the Internet. 

Greg 

p.s. and the reason is finally admitted: "Actually I had not noticed the age of the post I was replying to[/b] "


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## Dwight Ennis (Jan 2, 2008)

Remember your agreement gentlemen. It still applies.


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

I've seen both sides of this arguement sometimes expressed by the same person at different times. ... No I can't prove it, don't ask. 

I like the revival, it's great to see the old names that I assume left because of a certain know it all.... Sheldon-like*... a smartie that talks down too often, without realising it and then pouts when called on it. 

Why should old threads be buried? Are the facts no longer relevant? 
How often are newbies scolded for not using previous threads? When the folks with the answers get tired of repeating themselves..... 

Why is this even an issue, it happens sometimes, so what? 
Shrug and let it go or play thread cop? 

Welcome back Jerry. 

John 
* Big Bang, TV show character.


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## Garratt (Sep 15, 2012)

"It's funny (to me anyway) but when I actually read the link (above) both comments strongly support forum thread resurrection. Jerry"

That's what I noticed too. The irony of only reading the title of what one links too.









A problem and a response to that problem is always possibly relevant and helpful to someone else. 
It's not like watching an episode of Gilligan's Island over and over again.









Andrew


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## Jerrys-RR (Jun 21, 2010)

Posted By Dwight Ennis on 15 Jun 2013 08:20 AM 
Remember your agreement gentlemen. It still applies. 
Hello Dwight,

I wholeheartedly support the "agreement" and always have. 

I would have thought that my banishment from MLS would at least have resulted in some level of limitation on the "other party's" willingness and ability to walk over anything and everything I happen to voice an opinion on.

When I comment that my old eyes may have not noticed a date and that results in it being described as some sort of "admission" (to I don't know what) I think the agreement was violated at that point but nothing was said to the offender.

To then get a lecture on logic and courtesy from someone who is discourteously violating the "agreement" should invite a response to the violator rather than to a person who had simply offered helpful assistance to a fellow MLSer.

Agreements have to be enforced on all parties to be of any value. I am absolutely willing to totally ignore the other party just as I have always been.

Regards,

Jerry


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## Curmudgeon (Jan 11, 2008)

Hey, Greg...who's this "Jerry" character? 127 posts, yet the writing style seems oddly (and darkly) familiar. 
I suppose if he's only got 127 posts, and only been around a couple of weeks, he can be excused for dragging up old posts....but geez, you have to dig back in the files to find old posts..... 
"I would have thought that my banishment from MLS would at least have resulted in some level of limitation on the "other party's" willingness and ability to walk over anything and everything I happen to voice an opinion on." 
Oh, dear. 
I think I answered my own question. 
TOC


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## Dwight Ennis (Jan 2, 2008)

Nice going gentlemen.


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