Hey guys
does anyone know why my Sante fe GP45 sound loco loses power over a turnout?
i run DCC and i have never had any trouble before with this problem or with this loco. when the train passes over it the sound drops out and comes back on but the engine doesnt come to a complete stop. it does slow down a bit but seems to have enough power to keep going. ive cleaned the wheels and the turnout i just dont know why its only happeneing occasionally. there is 2 turnouts its happening on where before there was no problem
What do you suggest
What brand of turnout is it? Is it a manual turnout or a remote-control one, and what are you using to drive it?
If you have a meter, check the continuity between all the wheels on each side. If one truck isn't connected to the other, there's a loose wire inside the engine and you aren't getting power from one truck.
If you don't have a meter, get a meter and repeat step 2. They are much cheaper than hair transplants or Rogaine.
Do you have a power feeder going directly to the turnout, or are you relying on the rail joiners to get power to the turnout? You may just have loose rail joiners, or, if you've ballasted the track, glue may have gotten into the joiner and is causing a marginal connection.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Ah, this may be something completely different.
Put another engine in the same power district of your layout, and turn the headlight on. Just leave that engine sitting there and watch its headlight as the problem engine crosses the turnout. If the other headlight blinks, you are getting a momentary short, not a loss of power.
This can be an issue with Peco turnouts. The frog itself is plastic, but the rails coming into the frog are metal. If you look closely at the frog, you'll see that the metal rails are very close, but not quite touching. These rails are of opposite polarity. Sometimes, the wheels of an engine will "bridge" the gap and cause a mometary short.
The solution is to go into Miss Kitty's cosmetics (well, what else do you call Tomcat's significant other?) and get some clear nail polish. Paint it over that close gap. A quarter-inch should do. That will insulate the bit of rail where the wheels are bridging and prevent the short.
ok my friend, thanks for your help I will try that ,
i havent been to my hobby shop to pick up the circuit breaker to fix the problem with my 2 QSI locos
As soon as i do i will let you know the outcome. i havent forgotten to post and thank all the wonderful feedback from all in the model train world.
I love you guys
HI Tomcat,
2 things, you say a Geep 45? Is this a Bo-Bo or a C0-Co or a miss-print
2nd have you pinned the point down? is the central one in front of the frog a bit tight, twisting the point? I never use that hole, I have been known to be a it heavy handed in the past causing all sorts of problems.
Be in touch.
pick.