shinora turnout question....

[Anonymous]

hello everyone, i just got some shinora turnouts and decided to try one out. everytime the locomotive starts over the turnout, it stalls out. then, if you pu***he blades down with your finger or slide it back and forth a little, it will pick up and go again, until i take my finger off of the blades. im useing DCC on my layout, but i tested it with a DC power pack. ive read a couple of different places about power routing these, and was wondering if this may be part of the problem with them? is there a way to un assemble a shinora turnout and clean it? the turnouts are not brand new, but they look it. thanks for any advice!

[EL PARRo]

I'm having a similar problem with my Walthers (Shinohara) code 83 turnouts. I'm running on DC, so I figured out a way to make it work right (after I ruined one turnout with a "bright idea" that I had) by having the power on for only one leg on the turnout. I'm not sure how you can make it work with DCC, though.

[dknelson]

I am having a hard time envisioning exactly what is going on here BUT if you are relying on the turnout points to conduct electricity -- there is a chance that as the train moves over them the points are no longer firmly touching the stock rail. That would cut power and cause a stall. The solution might be some sort of spring mechanism to firmly flip the points one way or the other. Some switch machines leave the points too loose -- others are very firm. If you have no switch machines but the throw rod is simply allowed to move loosely this could be the problem
Years ago MR showed a super cheap way to make such a spring using maybe a paperclip. IT was in one or the other of the project railroads so might not be an index topic. It was simple and cost pennies (or less to make). Sorry I cannot be of more help
dave nelson

[Anonymous]

There was an article in June issue of MR about DCC and wiring turnouts. Do not remember if they addrressed Shinohara but the write up made it sound like shorts could be fairly common without some tuning of the turnout. The write up was under the DCC article heading.

[wp8thsub]

Shinohara/Walthers turnouts MUST have some kind of mechanism installed (ground throw, switch machine, manually actuated linkage) to hold the points against the stock rails unless you plan to rework them. I haven't worked with their new "DCC friendly" versions to know if their points stay powered if not held against the stock rails, but even then you need something to keep the points aligned to prevent derailments. Many modelers don't rely on the stock rail-to-point contact and add supplementary wiring, but I've managed to get by without it.

[Anonymous]

thanks rob and everyone else for the ideas and suggestions, now its makeing sense to me. does anyone know if caboose industries manual switch's will work on shinora? thanks!

[Anonymous]

Yes they should. The newer version of their manual switch actually comes with an assortment of couplings to connect up with various switch manufacturers switches. I just used them on my double crossover Shinora switch. A nice strong connection between the rail and point is what you are lacking. The manual ground throw switch should to the trick.

[cwclark]

I would put a circutron tortoise switch machine in...since it is a motor drive throw, it will hold the point firmly against the rail so that you don't lose electrical contact to the points...if you are using a coil type turnout control (or none at all) then that is why you are losing connection...the coil type turnout controls don't hold the points securely to the rail....Chuck[:D]

[cacole]

If the turnout is near the edge of your layout where you can easily reach it, a Caboose Industries ground throw will work with it, but be sure you use the sprung ground throw so there is continual tension against the points. For electrically controlled turnouts, use a Tortoise or SwitchMaster stall-motor switch machine. I agree with cwclark, don't use a twin coil machine.

Something else you can check -- under the outer rails near the ends of the points, there should be a small bronze electrical contact spring that is suppoed to make contact with the points as they move from one position to the other. If these contacts have been removed, are bent, or are dirty, you don't get good electrical contact through the points to the frog. The frog, by the way, is a "hot" frog that changes polarity as the points are moved, so you must insulate both rails leading away from the frog to prevent electrical shorts.