Hi all,
I have my layout built with Atlas code 83 flex track and all Atlas #6 turnouts with all turnouts operated with Caboose ground throws.
I have also connected to all 6 rails of all the turnouts feeder wires to my main buss wire.
All track joints that I have throughout my layout are also connected to my main buss wire too.
I operate with DCC and run 4 axle Genesis F units with Tsumani sound locomotives. I cannot seem to get away from stalling on just about half the turnouts. I have ten turnouts on my mainline.
I have several sound equipped steam locomotives and all non sound locomotives operating and I have not noticed this stall.
Just looking to find out if there are options to remedy this. I have been to all the sites about powering frogs etc. but that only seems to pertain to turnouts with switch motors etc.
Thanks for any advice to this,
Barry
Wow, you do a lot more than I do to wire the Atlas turnouts. Maybe put in some electrofrogs? Assuming all is clean and well connected on the loco try the following:
I've found that on locos with my Tsnunami's if I just add a larger keep alive capacitor, say 400 plus, the problems go away. You can get these from places like DCC Installs and Sales or directly from electronic supply stores. The stock capacitors are I think 220s.
I don't have stalling problems anywhere now.
Richard
If you have a meter, use it to see if the points themselves are receiving power. If the ground throws aren't pulling the points tight enough against the stock rail, they may not be getting power. The points hinge area can be notorious at times for not being a good contact point.
To correct the problem myself, I soldered a fine flexible wire jumping around the hinge point .... haven't had any problems since.
Mark.
¡ uʍop ǝpısdn sı ǝɹnʇɐuƃıs ʎɯ 'dlǝɥ
My goodness, the way you have those turnouts wired up, it is hard to believe that you are not getting power to any one of the six rail connections.
Plus, if all of your steamers and all of your non-sound diesels make it through the turnout with no problems, then you have to suspect the 4 axle Genesis F unit with Tsumani sound.
Try Train Modeler's suggestion on the capacitor.
If you still suspect the turnout, then observe where on the turnout the loco is stalling and test that spot for loss of power. What I do is use a 12 volt automotive light bulb with wires soldered to the side and base of the bulb. I just lay the bulb on the layout and touch the bare wires to the the rail. If the bulb lights you have power. I use this crude device to test every rail on a turnout or other track device such as a double crossover. You could also use a meter to test for power, but I like the immediate visual results of the light bulb.
Rich
Alton Junction
These turnouts have metal frogs, but they are not powered. Since they're #6 turnouts, the frogs are relatively long, and as it is they are dead spots. You can provide power to them by connecting a wire, but the other end needs to be routed to a feeder of the right polarity, depending on which way the turnout is thrown.
Normally, that would be the job of either a relay wired in parallel with the switch machine, or, in the case of a Tortoise, the switch machine itself. But, you're using Caboose throws, so you need another option. Before doing anything drastic, you might want to take one or two of these and wire them up to a manual toggle, which you'll have to remember to throw whenever you operate the ground throw. See how well the engines perform with this option. If this fixes the problem, then you need to do something else once the toggle switch starts to get on your nerves.
After deciding that you need to power those frogs, take a look at this marvel of modern model railroading electronics, the Hex Frog Juicer:
http://www.tamvalleydepot.com/support/frogjuicers.html
It's a set of 6 mini auto-reverser units packaged on to one circuit board, and it will control 6 turnouts independently. The same company also makes single-frog and dual-frog juicers.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
I'd suspect power pickup before anything else. Take one truck of the problem loco off the rails on ordinary straight track. The ound shouldn't stop. Then try the other truck. If the sound stops with oen truck or the other off the rails, you've found the problem. I had no problems with 4 axle units on Atlas #6's without powered frogs. My new layout is #4's, and even though I provided wires to power the frogs, none are hooked up yet - because nothing stalls on them, not even the little 44-tonner.
--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 have a couple of Atlas #6s where I have stalling problems. It doesn't happen very often, so I haven't bothered to worry about powering the frogs. It's the same kind of problem, short, 4-axle units only. I wonder if I've got issues with the point rails, too, because as Randy pointed out, there should be 4 contact points on each rail, and even with a dead frog, there should still be at least 2 wheels on that side getting power.
Still, it's not going to hurt anything but your piggy bank to power the frogs, and it might solve the problem.
Have your tried giving both the track and the engine wheels a really good cleaning, by the way? That's another possible cause of stalling.
Thanks to all of you wonderful people that have responded to this problem.
I want all of you to know that before I made this post I had done and checked all the electrical situations posted and all is working well there. I even have moved my points of the turnouts to center with my ground throw so neither point is touching a rail and I have 14 volts to both points on all my turnouts. A short time ago I did the locomotive lifting up of the front or rear when on the track and I still have sound front and rear.
I am making this quick post to inform all that I haven't forgot you and am still working on finding a solution.I will need to get other locomotives running to see if I can see or hear them stall too.
Sure is frustrating tho.
Another possibility, although less likely, is that you're not stalling, but rather shorting momentarily as you pass through the turnout. A good way to test this is to put a sound engine elsewhere on the layout, idling with its headlight on. Run the engine that has a problem over the turnout, and watch and listen to the idling engine. If it's a short, both engines will cut out, and the headlight will go out momentarily, too. If it's a stall, then the idling engine will not miss a beat.
You can also use the headlight test to see if a non-sound engine is seeing a brief dropout as it passes the turnout.
I agree, it's just as likely a short. They look the Same as a stall.
Springfield PA
Im with mr Beasley, Ive had that (a intermitent short ) take place on my atlas turnouts but never hunted down the exact cause locco 0r turnout ... one of theas days ..Jerry
Here's the most common place for the short. Sometimes a wheel flange will short at this gap. A little filing usually does the trick.
I have just spent the last couple hours running locomotives. I have run a Stewart S-12 no sound, two Proto 1000 RSC2 no sound, Bachmann 2-8-0 with sound, BLI 2-8-2 with sound, Bachmann 4-8-2 with sound, Athearn BB F7 with sound, Intermountain F7B powered no sound and I do not have any issues with stalling or shorting of these locomotives.
As some have mentioned about shorts, I know there are no shorts as I was running 6 locomotives at one time and nothing stopped but the Genesis units stalling a couple seconds at the frogs.
I am presuming that my problem is with the Genesis F7 units with the Tsunami sound locomotives.
Funny thing about these locomotive's is I replaced the MRC sound decoders with the Tsumani's and used to run them at the train club I belonged to and never had a problem there. I moved away and I build my new layout and after 18 month in boxes I decide to get them out and run on my new layout and have this problem. The club layout was all Peco track and electro frog turnouts by the way.
As Train Modeler posted I may need to do something with the capacitors.
Thanks for all the responses.
You should start a new thread since it's an entirely different issue.