I have been working on my layout the last few days, note, working on layout, terra forming and laying some ground scenery and not running any trains.
Last night as I was cleaning up the layout I decided to run a few locomotives and test out the new yard.
When I went to turn the power on I my layout immediately shorted out. Well trying to find that short had me carefully vacumming the mainline, delibertily undoing some power leads to the layout on the bus.
I called it quits around 1:30. This morning I ran out and bought some more wiring for the bus and also the leads. I thought I would try running the layout in DC just to see if it would. Well, ran like a charm, reinstalled the DCC supply and the layout was indeed running fine.
I do not know what I did that cured the layout from shorting out but I certainly learned a lesson, I cut the electrical feeding the layout into six segments, each segment being isolated, So next time it they is any shorting out it will be so much easier to locate the trouble area.
How many electrical districts do you have your layout divided into?
I have six districts, each of which can be switched to DCC from a PSX circuit breaker (one is a PSX-AR), or to DC throttles A or B. My DC throttles are protected by Lenz LT100 modules. The districts are further divided into five blocks each with A/off/B switches. As you say, this kind of subdivision certainly makes finding a problem easier.
Ran across an interesting problem a friend had using Peco Electrofrog N gauge switches when he wanted to power the frogs thru his Tortoise machine contacts. Due to the Peco N's having no provision for isolating the frog so the point and closure rails can be jumpered to the stock rails, this didn't work, and causes frequent shorts when moving the points. The N switches could be modified to be like the HO Electrofrogs, but it would take some careful work cutting gaps and adding jumpers. So he is changing to Atlas.
Hal
don7 I have been working on my layout the last few days, note, working on layout, terra forming and laying some ground scenery and not running any trains. Last night as I was cleaning up the layout I decided to run a few locomotives and test out the new yard. When I went to turn the power on I my layout immediately shorted out. Well trying to find that short had me carefully vacumming the mainline, delibertily undoing some power leads to the layout on the bus. I called it quits around 1:30. This morning I ran out and bought some more wiring for the bus and also the leads. I thought I would try running the layout in DC just to see if it would. Well, ran like a charm, reinstalled the DCC supply and the layout was indeed running fine. I do not know what I did that cured the layout from shorting out but I certainly learned a lesson, I cut the electrical feeding the layout into six segments, each segment being isolated, So next time it they is any shorting out it will be so much easier to locate the trouble area. How many electrical districts do you have your layout divided into?
My layout is 25' x 42' and I only have one "electrical district" as you call it.
What I would be concerned about if I were you would be not locating the source of the short. That is not supposed to happen, "working on layout, terra forming and laying some ground scenery and not running any trains" and still having a short. Whatever caused the short may still exist.
If a short occurs and it cannot be immediately located, the best advice, which has been given on this forum often, is to work backwards. What is the last thing you did before the short occurred? I will agree that separate power districts for different parts of the layout may be helpful, but even then you still need to identify the source of the short and what you did to correct it.
You say that you ran out and bought some more wiring for the bus and also the leads. Then, you tried running the layout in DC just to see if it would. It ran like a charm, you reinstalled the DCC supply and the layout was indeed running fine. Not good enough. What caused the short? What specifically did you do to correct it? I would want to know. Chances are, if there is an electrical problem in the wiring or the equipment, it will occur again. Let us know.
Rich
Alton Junction
I've got 5 zones. 3 are normal ones, protected by PSX breakers, and 2 are reverse loops controlled by older PS-REV units, which also function as breakers. I've got a 4th PSX zone reserved for Phase 3 of my layout, which exists in the computer only.
I'm pretty careful about short build-and-test cycles, so I never get into a situation where I've done a lot of work without running trains. And, when I'm doing non-dusty scenery, I often run trains in a loop to keep me company.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
I have two - one is the original portion of the layout which I know is pretty bullet proof and the other is the large reversing section which is handled by a Digitrax AR1. I have the wires going to that device on a plug so if I do get a short, I can at least isolate one section or the other. That said, any short that I have had came from the new loop section as it was being built and I managed to get all those resolved. The only condition I have now that may cause a short is running a train into a turnout that isn't properly thrown. I have a plan to address that issue but right now I have standing rules that state that a visual inspection must be made before a train goes through a turnout to insure it is thrown properly and, the operator is to be sure the turnout is set for the main and not any branch or siding once the train has passed. And, since I am the only operator right now, if it doesn't happen, it's my own darn fault.
There's never time to do it right, but always time to do it over.....