dc track has lack of power after addition of upper level

[Jack Herer]

 hello and thank you for reading this, i appreciate all eyes and thoughts

i am returning to the hobby after a long hiatus, i recently set up my trains and im having the time of my life reliving the past as well as enjoying my future with the hobby.

 i have a simple 5x8 loop working well, with only one gp40 engine. i am using one bachmann model # 6605 dc power supply, but do have second one uninstalled also if i need it.

 i recently added an upper level with a turnout , and it almost contains the same amount of track as on the lower level. i have not added any selectors or hooked up terminals to the track yet.

now when i put my working engines on the old  5x8 loop my engine will just crawl, like barely move and the interior cab lights do not come on.

is this lack of power now because i do not have the second power supply hooked up?

do i need more terminals with selectors and power supply?

 any ideas would be greatly apprectiated, as i am sure somebody has the answer, b4 i trouble shoot this into oblivion.

thanks

 Jack

[selector]

Hello, and welcome back!!

Yes, you need to feed voltage directly to the rails as you run longer lengths of them.  The track drops voltage the same way wires do in your home or when you run long extension cords.  Also, some of the metal joiners may not be making good contact.  Most of us solder most of the joiners, leaving some open for expansion and contraction due to humidity changes in the wood frames of layouts and benches.

It probably makes sense to gap just past the turnout leading to the upper level, and then power that upper level separately with its own terminal..

You might want to think seriously about DCC operations, too.  It seems to have caught on in a big way the past five years or so.

-Crandell

[CSX Robert]

It sounds like you have a short somewhere in the track that you added.

[Jack Herer]

i should of said earlier that  my upper level contains a  reversing loop with a wye connector. i have not hooked any wires up to it also yet.

 

i have controllers and selectors sitting in front of me, i have read how to hook them up. and it will be easy , but i just trying to figure this out one thing at a time.

could the wye connector with reverse loop not wired cause grief?

 

thnx jack

[CSX Robert]

Did you use insulated rail joiners or cut the rails to isolate the reverse loop? if not, then you have created a short circuit.

[Jack Herer]

 

i didn't do either, as i never seen that in any of my books or mags.

i only tried for 2 minutes last night, when it didnt work i quit trying,

thats likely what i have going on, ill disconnect rail,

cut the rail? sounds intriguing tell me more, i don't have insulated connectors and i live in the middle of nowhere.

thanx

Jack

[CSX Robert]

Jack Herer

...cut the rail? sounds intriguing tell me more, i don't have insulated connectors and i live in the middle of nowhere...

If you have a dremel with a cut off wheel, that works pretty good.

[Chips88]

Jack -

 

Read here:  http://www.nmra.org/beginner/wiring.html

Hope it helps,

Kimball

[DigitalGriffin]

CSX Robert

It sounds like you have a short somewhere in the track that you added.

+1.  Buy a cheap digital multimeter $10 harbor freight, or sears).  Take off all your trains, and disconnect your power supply.  Measure the Ohm reading (W) between the rails.  It should read infinite (or a very high mega ohm reading...usually marked 0L on some readouts)

The reverse loop is likely your issue.