This is WHY!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I've cooked my last switch machine plus an Atlas Relay about a month ago for the last time. This is the 4th switch I've cooked because of stuck slide switch's in 4 years. I have replaced most with tortoise but still a number of solenoid switch's both Atlas and Peco. I have 48 switch's in all. The far right is my new Capacitive Discharge Unit I purchased and is capable of throwing 10 switch's at once. That's a lot of power, and no more worry's. Jim
PS..I wouldn't know about this unless I joined this forum. Thanks and sincerely!
Here's where I bought my unit and delivered in 3 days. The unit is less than $35.00.
http://www.miniatronics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=M&Product_Code=PDC-1&Category_Code=B_4&Product_Count=1
Atlas slide switch controllers, I presume? I'd get rid of those, too, while you're at it.
Even with nothing but miniature toggles, I had the same problem. Toggle stuck in the on position rather than springing back to center. The difference was that I'd put in the CD circuit a couple of years earlier.
No pain. Run trains.
Has anyone ever tried sending the slide switch and burned out solenoids back to Atlas for replacement? They might just send you new ones, since it was there switch that caused the problem. You don't have much to lose, right?
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
I never had a problem with Atlas HO controls, although they probably were made a lot better 35 years ago. Never burned up an HO Atlas switch motor. Then I went to N scale for a while, about 30 years ago, and started melting switch motors left and right, even the ones with the metal cases. I built a CD supply and never fried another one after that.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.