I have the NCE Power Cab and I've been rebuilding my layout. My DCC locos have sound and all run great. I have a number of sidings and I can run a loco on the mainline but when I throw a switch I lose all power.I havw all the sidings wired so I should have power to everything.There is one switch that when I connect the red wire The red light goes out on the power panel.The reds are all on the same rail and the blacks are also on the same rail so I am stumped why it's shorting out.
Are they DCC friendly turnouts?
If you bought say older Peco or Atlas turnouts, they have models which are power by the points. If this is the case, you need to gap the inside rails just beyond the frog.
A pic of the turnout would be worth a 1000 words.
Don - Specializing in layout DC->DCC conversions
Modeling C&O transition era and steel industries There's Nothing Like Big Steam!
I have used these turnouts before but I can't remember where I soldered the wires. Was it ahead of the points or was it after the points.These are Peco #8 insulated frogscode 80 and I am running N scale.Should the power be after the frog or ahead of the frog.
This link should help you isolate the issue.
http://www.wiringfordcc.com/switches_peco.htm
I see what I did wrong was I wired the track ahead of the points when the wires should had been soldered to the track past the frog.I'll try that and see if the trouble is over.My other layout worked fine, My sidings we'er dead except when I threw the swich then I had power to the siding.
Those are power-routing turnouts, and will work the same way in DC or DCC. So if you line one to put a loco in a siding, then change it back ot the main, the siding will be dead. To have the sidings always powered you need to put feeders past the frog, and will probably also need insulated joiners or gaps in the diverging frog rails.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
I am having the same problem and am at my witts end with this.I did go to the Hobby store yesturday, the guy behind the train counter only buys locomotives to add to his collection.His wife keeps telling him to put them on a shelf.He told me that a guy works there that belongs to the local trail club 30 miles from me.All they deal with at the club is DCC.I am excited to go to the next meeting.I didn't file the frogs on any other one.If I posted a pic on this could someone take a close look and tell me what to try?Also, when do you know when you need to buy a booster?
froggy Also, when do you know when you need to buy a booster?
Also, when do you know when you need to buy a booster?
When you have so many trains on your layout at the same time you begin to overload the system, which causes it to turn off and on continually as the circuit breaker trips and resets. Unless you're experiencing this, you don't need another booster.
For your other problem, when I install a Peco or Shinohara turnout, I always insulate both rails that diverge from the frog and then provide separate feeder wires to the rails beyond the frog. This prevents any problems with the turnout being power routing or not.
Go ahead and post the pic froggy. Also show a pic of your layout where it's going if you can.
Springfield PA
What do you mean insulate both rails? I know how to put feeders on the rails after the frog I will see if someone here can post my pics.
posting a pic is pretty easy. Go to photobucket.com. There you can start a free account and upload pictures to it. From there you follow a few quick steps to share the pics on forums etc. If you decide to start an account, start a forum in the general section and we'll walk you through it. You can also share pics with family over distance with it.