ENGINE STALLS ON ONLY 1 OF THE 10 0-22 SWITCHES, WHY?

[Anonymous]

At 2 locations 2 0-22 switches are connected at their 'turnout' middle (hot) rails linked by a fiber insullated pin because the loops off of these 'paired' switches go to seperately powered blocks. It resembles a 'slow S'. It looks like this (the drawing may not come thru) //========
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My voltmeter registers power to the middle track on the switches but on one of these two sets of switches the engine stalls unless moving too quickly. I've cleaned the rails. I believe I ran the engine over the switches months ago without the fiber pin and there was no stalling. Any thoughts?

[lionelsoni]

This could explain it: The center rail in the diverging path of one switch has become disconnected internally. Before you put the insulating pin in, it was supplied through the center rail of the other switch; but now it's on its own and no longer connected to anything.

See whether you can light a lamp connected between a grounded outside rail and the center rail on each side of the problem junction (with track voltage turned up in both blocks). If the lamp fails to light on one side, the problem is what I described above.

One fix is just to put the metal pin back in, since the failed connection in the switch is already isolating the blocks for you, just a few inches from where you intended to isolate them. However, it is possible that the bad connection is intermittent, which would result in the two blocks occasionally being connected together. In that case, you could continue to use the insulating pin and solder a wire to the problem rail section to connect it to the center rail of its block outside of the switch. This would likely be much easier than repairing the switch.

[Anonymous]

Check the rollers on your loco. Maybe the tension is not as good
on one roller as the other (front/back). Do as 'lionelsoni' said and
check all joints and connections with a volt meter. As for the 022
switch, if you have to take track apart to insert a new pin, then I
would also take the switch apart and check the interior wiring and
possible find the bad connection/broken wire and repair it. These
switches are fairly 'bullet-proof' and easy to work on. Also, check
all of your other power connections to the faulty block. Maybe add
an extra power feeder wire.

Hope this helps.

[wrmcclellan]

You can use a lighted caboose (most have only one pickup roller) as a tester (assuming the problem is not with the pickup rollers on the loco in question).

Regards,
Roy

[Anonymous]

Feedback on the problem. Since voltmeter confirmed power I was stumped. I checked the switches with a straightedge and a level. Eureka! Switches just so slightly out of level one to another. Switches re-attached to base. Problem solved. but I learned a lot from the replies. thanks.