Electrial problem HELP!!!!

[jhoff310]

hey guys i just got all my track laid code 83 Atlas soldered my feeder wires and went to do a test run NOTHING [:(!] . Before I laid the track I test fit everything and did a test run everything was perfect. I unhooked my power supply from my terminal strips and held the wires directly to the track and nothing. So I then held the wires to the pickup wheels on my loco and it ran like a scared cat. I have checked all my rail joiners, I have done everything I can think of. This is NOT a good way to start off a new year. Help me out here guys.
Jeff

[Anonymous]

Sounds like you have a feeder wire or two crossed. Check all you wires going to the bus wires to make sure they haven't been crossed and not noticed.

[jwar]

Trying to read between the lines here. You tested the track before laying track? After installing track ...nothing? You removed the terminal wires and held them to the track ? nothing... but conecting to the locomotive it worked.

Perhaps being you tested (I Presume) before adding the feeders. Perhaps one or more of your feeders are crossed creating a short, tripping the built in circuit breaker when connected to the track.

Use a voltmeter to see if both tracks have the same potential, or try to isolate the feeders.

Hoping you used different colored wires to make this easier.

Good luck but let us know what or where it was, Dont let this flustrate you and it is an learning experience. One thing to remember in trouble shooting, isolate, and start from the source, dont take anything for granted as you TS from the source to the end....John

[SteelMonsters]

The best way to prevent shorts in wiring is to use a buzzer tester. Get a buzzer and a power supply that powers the buzzer. connect one lead of the power supply to the track, and the other to a lead on the buzzer. Connect the second lead on the buzzer to the other rail of the track. At any moment you have a short between the two rails, then the buzzer will go off untill the problem is corrected. This makes for very fast trouble identification and correction.

As of right now, I would backtrack all the wiring and make sure it is connected in parellel. If at any point the two bus wires connect, then rewireing will be nessesary. Also make sure you don't have reverse loops. (any track that you can reverse the direction of the train. Reverse loops require special wiring. If you don't already do it, make sure that one side of the track is one color and the other side is another. This will help a lot when adding future feeders and power routing as to which connects to what.

[jhoff310]

Still banging my head against the wall and trying to find it. I will keep you posted.Thanks for all the advice so far. OH by the way I only soldered 1 Set of feeder wires. I know I am making this problem more complex than what it is. Its something so simple that I am overlooking Anyways I'll keep you posted.
Jeff

[mwalther]

Do you have power routing type turnouts that you are unaware of and properly insulated gaps between turnouts whose diverging routes face each other? I diligently placed feeders every 3 feet or so including on the frog side of turnouts with only one pair of gaps between diverging routes only to find out that my power routing turnouts produced shorts either way the turnout was aligned. I am now contemplating that fix after diligently caulking all my trackwork to the road bed....

[mwalther]

Do you have power routing type turnouts that you are unaware of and properly insulated gaps between turnouts whose diverging routes face each other? I diligently placed feeders every 3 feet or so including on the frog side of turnouts with only one pair of gaps between diverging routes only to find out that my power routing turnouts produced shorts either way the turnout was aligned. I am now contemplating that fix after diligently caulking all my trackwork to the road bed....

[jhoff310]

I have tried a volt meter on my power pack and thats afine. I did manage to get a run of about 4 feet then it died. I have tried everything I can think of. I am almost to the piont of wiring feeders every 3 or 4 feet. The one set of feeders I soldered on still arent doing anything. I went straight from my power pack to the top of the rails just as a test and like I said I got about a 4 foot run. I am using 20 Gauge wire should I go to 18G? or should I just solder more feeders and see what happens.
Thanks for the advice
Jeff

[tstage]

Jeff,

Are you using different color wires for your feeders (e.g. red for right, black for left), so that you can - at a glance - tell whether or not you have crossed your feeders to the wrong rails? Even if that's not the problem, it's wise to do it that way so that you easily trace any wiring problems in the future.

Tom

[rrinker]

Does your volt meter also have a resistance setting? If so, try this. Put it on the highest resistance range it has (200k or 2m or something, not critical). Short the wires, you should see it read 0. With the leads NOT touching it should show infinite resistance or over range (mine puts a blnking 1 in the far left digit). Now, disconnect your power pack (VERY important!) and touch the leads to the track. With no locos on the track, it should continue to show infinite resistance. If it does not, you have a short, and this is your problem. If you only have ONE set of feeders, at the very least it should run fin in the area of the feeders, sputtering operation and/or dead stops is a sign that you need more feeders, but on the actual section where the feeders are soldered you shoudl have good solid operation.
Did you make up the track plan yourself, or copy it from a book or plan? Is there any way we can see what it is you built? You have have introduced a reverse loop or wye, which without additional gaps and wiring will cause a short and nothing will run.

--Randy