Starting when they were installed, some of my HO code 83 (both straight and curved) Walthers/Shinohara insulfrog turnouts seem to allow many of my locomotives to stall when transiting them. We are talking everything from a Bachmann Spectrum 0-6-0t (no surprise there with a very short wheelbase) to a Bachmann Spectrum 3 truck Shay and an Intermountain AC-12. It's not every time, but frequently and consistently enough to be clear who or what the culprit is. Perhaps I was naive in thinking that DCC friendly (I'm using a Digitrax Super Chief Extra system) would result in trouble-free operation. I've heard of adding jumpers on the underside of the turnouts and installing switches and using switch motor contacts and such (I operate the turnouts using ground throws). Do I need to tear the turnouts out and modify them, or is there a brand of turnouts that work consistently right out of the box? Any input would be appreciated.
Where are you seeing the stalling? Is it at the frog or somewhere else?
If at the frog, you can rectify that with something like the Tam Valley Frog Juicer http://www.tamvalleydepot.com/, which is a light-duty auto-reversing circuit that can power a frog and switch polarity. I have a couple of these to power frogs in #8 crossovers and really like them.
If stalling is occurring somewhere besides the frog, you could have loose connections to the point rails, or a jumper making intermittent contact (the turnouts you're using should have jumpers installed under the ties to supply power between the stock rails and the closure rails, as well as the rails leading away from the frog). Sometimes these jumpers don't work properly and additional wiring must be installed.
You may also have some vertical misalignment that is preventing locos from picking up power if all the necessary wheels aren't making contact with the rails. This is much less of a problem with Shinohara/Walthers track as with other brands, so it's not the first thing I'd suspect, but still a possibility.
If in doubt as to where you might have a lack of current, use a multi-tester and check voltage to isolate the dead spot before attampting to cure with additional feeder wire or a Frog Juicer. Removing the turnouts isn't something I'd advise, and there isn't much difference in reliability of DCC friendly turnouts between brands. Each one has its quirks and once you start fine-tuning you'll get used to diagnosing and repairing.
Rob Spangler
Sorry for the lack of description in my original post. The stalling seems confined to the area of the frogs. The worst offender of all the turnouts is a right hand curved turnout with radii of 28" inside and 32" outside. The frog is 2" long, and of course is insulated and not powered. Since the turnouts were installed and the problem began to manifest itself, I have heard of the frog juicer. I was just hoping to not have to remove the turnouts and add an enhancement. Any additional information would be appreciated.
I ran into the same problem. Since I use Tortoises to drive my turnouts, I already had the solution in the contacts that are built into the switch machines.
I don't use ground throws, but I think somebody makes them with contacts for this purpose. Or, you can try the Frog Juicers.
I drilled a small hole next to the frogs of the turnouts which I'd already glued down to get a wire to them. I chose the location so it wouldn't interfere with any wheels, and would be least visible to anyone looking at the turnout. Then I just ran a wire and soldered it to the side of the frog. The connections are all made beneath the layout.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
oregon shayThe stalling seems confined to the area of the frogs. The worst offender of all the turnouts is a right hand curved turnout with radii of 28" inside and 32" outside. The frog is 2" long, and of course is insulated and not powered. Since the turnouts were installed and the problem began to manifest itself, I have heard of the frog juicer. I was just hoping to not have to remove the turnouts and add an enhancement. Any additional information would be appreciated.
Yup - a dead frog issue. Since you're using ground throws, you could try the ones with contacts, but they're (in my opinion at least) even bigger and uglier than the normal ones I use. I'd recommend trying some Frog Juicers. They are very easy to install and reliable. Add a feeder to the side of the frog somewhere, being careful not to melt anything but the solder, and run that to the juicer (which of course has to get track power from someplace). The process should be simple without having to remove any track, as I juiced frogs after the track was in when I installed mine.