Stalling on switches - any solutions?

[Anonymous]

I continue to have problems with a particular locomotive stalling on switches. The locomotive in question has four axles and does not stall anywhere except on switches.

My first question: does anyone else have this problem with a particular locmotive?

Second, does anyone have any practical solutions? Thanks.

[Big_Boy_4005]

Switches are electrically awkward, because the center rail has to pass through the running rail without shorting. The type of switches you have and the distance between the rollers on the locomotive, can make all the difference. Traction tires can also be a problem, since they reduce the ground rail contact which is already compromised by the dead segment over which the roller passes.

Solutions? More speed to get over the dead spot.

What brand of switches, and what engine?

[Anonymous]

These problems are generally caused by the shortcomings that Big_Boy_4005 has mentioned. It usually is the close spacing of roller pickups if the engine only has 2 of them. Sometimes the solution is as easy as running a wire to a power pickup in a steam locos tender, if said loco has one. Some tender power pickups are not connected to the locos motor even if a tether exists.
Spacing seems extremely close on individual diesels having 4 wheel trucks with their power pickups mounted on one truck . Adding a dummy unit with a tether connected to it's power pickup gives the spacing needed for smooth operation. I experimented with a PW 627 44 ton switcher intended to run alone by adding a power pickup "wiper" to it's unpowered truck. The spacing out of power collection made a smooth operater out of an engine that normally balked on Atlas #5 switches.

Bruce Webster

[Anonymous]

Jim Barrett has a video[Backshop Volume 8] showing the tender to engine fix Bruce mentions. Uses the K-Line B6 0-6-0 Switcher as a subject since its engine pickups were too close to cross a turnout. Not an expensive fix and for the B6 a solderless one.

[Anonymous]

Thanks everyone for the helpful comments. It sounds like this is actually a fairly common problem for any make of locomotives with relatively short distances over which they pick up power. Mine happens to be a Lionel powered F-3B unit which stalls whether its on MTH or Lionel 0-72 switches, especially when the powered A unit is pushing it backwards through the switch (I assume that the drawbar "push" transmitted through the couplers causes forces on the truck which is not in the dead zone of the switch which break electrical contact with one or more rails).

I sounds like I could install the diesel equivalent to a "tender to engine" fix - i.e., by connecting what sounds like a wire "jumper" between the powered F-3B and the unpowered dummy unit next to it. Short of getting a copy of the Backshop Vol. 8 video (which I will try to get if necessary), would I somehow need to jerry-rig a wire between the pickup rollers of both engines? Thanks again.

[Anonymous]

Frank
You need a Minatronics 2 Pin Micro Connector with paired wire pigtails which you can get at a Hobby Shop, probably in the HO section.
Part # 50-001-02.

This is a paired wire conductor with a two-pin female connector on the end of one paired conductor and male on the other. Two sets come in the package---you only need one set. This will become the supplementary connectable tether for both the Hot and Common between engine and tender [or dummy].

Using the 0-6-0 as example, the motor is in the engine and powered by its rollers and, the tender is sound components only with power from its rollers. The objective is to wire for extension of motive power (both a Hot and Common) from the engine back to the tender/dummy sound pickup rollers.

The Minatronics wire/connector is very small wire to carry one-two amps of engine power but keep in mind that the engine is only crossing the short trouble zone for a fraction of a second, so wire size is not a potential problem.

You need to remove the shells and identify the Hot and Common[ground] wires in the engine and tender. If lucky you will find connections made with mini-yellow wire nuts. [Remember, you are wiring both a Hot and Common tether].
If no wire nuts, find slack and be prepared to cut the appropriate conductors, strip and join the selected Mini conductor [they are color-marked, pick one for Hot,one for Comm] of the Micro pair and reconnect the two cut ends and tether wire with a yellow nut--for both Hot and Common.

You need to determine practical routing of the tether between the engine and tender/dummy and judge the slack required between the two.

On the center rail, place a piece of masking tape, slightly shorter than the distance between the front engine roller and newly powered rear roller, and see if the engine will run overr/thru it. If it runs thru this insulated section you should be able to handle bridging any turnout okay.
Hope this makes sense--from Backshop 8.

[Anonymous]

Leonard - thanks again. Sounds like a relatively simple solution - I'll be picking up one of those microconnectors tomorrow. Nice to see so many people on this forum who are willing to help out their fellow hobbyists!

[Anonymous]

You could rearange the track plan enough to either put a small piece of regular straight track between the switches, or completely move one of them all together.

[jimhaleyscomet]

I fixed my stalling problem by running a small copper wire beyond the middle rail connection into the switch (the part called the frog?). I used a soldering iron to melt the plastic a tad and the plastic then held the wire in place. I worked great for my Beeps but I did have to "modify" my 027 switches.

Jim H

[lionelsoni]

The frog is the casting where the outside rails cross.

[Roger Bielen]

Others have added a roller pick-up(s) to a boxcar an then tethered it to the engine. I have an A-B-A set that I converted to TMCC and when I installed the sound and motor wire tether I also included power and commons so that all units are tied together. No problems creeping across switches nor sound quiting for a second or two.

Sometimes its not just the switches, I have a few locations where I have an uncoupling section right next to the switch. On my GP's the roller spacing is just right that if if I'm creeping I loose power. I extended the center rail further onto the magnet holder (Gargraves) with metal tape, problem solved.