help with simple wiring

[Anonymous]

Is there anything unique or special about the atlas 205 connector? I am wiring my first layout and have little electric background. Here is what I have and my problem.
I have a 4x8 Lionel o gauge layout with a passing siding and another siding which dead-ends. I am trying to create 4 insulated blocks.
I wired from the transformer to a distribution strip. I wired from the strip to Lockon #1 with a splitter going to an atlas 205. I brought the wire in to the left terminal of the pair on the left side. I then wired from each left terminal of the three pairs of outgoing strips to the #1 terminal on 3 lockons in blocks. The insulated pins are in place.
The train will run the whole layout but the blocks do not respond to the on-off switches on the atlas. There is power at all the lockons but I am not sure if that is as a result of lockon #1 conducting the power to the others. I don't see how the lockons could have power and the atlas not function. I am obviously not doing or understanding something electrically. The ground for the whole system according to the plan I am following is from the transformer to the terminal strip and then out to the #2 terminal on lockon 1. Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks.

[spankybird]

Do you have the center rail insulated by a fiber pin between the blocks [?]

[Anonymous]

There is a fiber pin in the center rail at the beginning and end of the blocks.

[wrmcclellan]

Bob,

I do not have any of these Atlas switches and their web site does not give a clear description of how the 205 is wired internally. Forgive me if I ask you obvious questions, but I will try to help you with this.

From what I can see about the 205 - it is set up to take power and common into the left hand (left side) terminals. This means that power (should go to left hand terminal either upper or lower) should connect via the switch to the top terminals and that common should connect to the top terminals without going through the switch.

The part of your explanation I did not understand was the "splitter" comment.

I am posting a web link to a drawing of how this should be wired. Since I do not have an internal diagram of the 205, I made an assumption. If my assumption is wrong, you can adjust which terminals you wire to accordingly.

http://home.comcast.net/~roy.mcclellan/Photos/Atlas_205_Wiring.htm

Regards,
Roy

[Anonymous]

Roy
Thanks for your reply. I did not get the diagram and that may be because I am using a Mac and Safari.
The splitter I mentioned is actually a wire nut. I joined the hot lead from the terminal strip with a lead going to the first lockon, with another lead going to the Atlas.
Actually the problem has been solved. I had a friend who understands electricity better than I look at it and he was also stumped. We had power coming into the Atlas and going out but not responding to the on=off switch.
I had been following a book about building your first Lionel layout. The author stated to bring the power into the atlas on the left side. Since there are two terminals there, I assumed he meant to attatch it to the left terminal(upper one actually) We went to the hobby shop and he tested the terminal. He found that you need to attatch the incoming wire to the lower terminal and the outgoing wires to the right terminal of each pait.
I suppose with a little more patience and perserverence, we could have figured it out.
Thanks for the help.

[wrmcclellan]

Bob,

That is good news. Based on your reply I have modified the drawing I posted and I made a JPEG of it for posting here so you could see what I tried to send you.



Regards,
Roy