Transformers! More than Meets the Eye!

Well, maybe not in this case.  It is exactly what it looks like, a toy train transformer. 

I picked this up at an estate sale for a $1 last week. The seller cautioned me, "Don't plug it in!" Of course I did, but I used a really long extension cord. As it turns out, it works fine.  The label on the transformer describes the various voltages you can achieve (all ac/dc, by the way) by connecting to different combinations of the 4 contacts.  Funny thing is, it's wrong.  It states that 1 and R achieve 17 1/2 to 22 1/2 volts while 3 and R result in 5 1/2 to 10 1/2 volts.  It actually opposite of this.  Not sure if the label was wrong or it's just my particular tranformer that was wired incorrectly.  Here's a 1928 ad for the transformer:



When Christmas comes, I'll be trying out this transformer on my Lionel train.