I have to throttles running two separate tracks. One track works great the other track does not work. I have tried both throttles on the track and I get no power. Bought a new electrical hook up and it still didn't work. But works with an 18inch curve I get power. I am having trouble understanding why the straight pieces won't work and run my trains. I am ver frustrated and would appreciate any help anyone could give me. If you have any questions or dont understand what I mean please tell me and I will try to explain my issue in a different way. thank you.
Gidday,, sounds like you still have the same problem that you posted here Last Week!!
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/t/226243.aspx
As previously mentioned by the bulk of respondants there , Yes MORE information would help as in the Brand and Type of track, please.
I would also suggest to save future frustration on Everyones behalf that the proper place to respond was in the original thread.
Further to some suggestions there regarding test equipment.....
http://www.walmart.com/ip/KD-Tools-Circuit-Tester-Low-Voltage-6V-12V/19257117#Item+Description
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Innova-3300-Equus-3300-Hands-free-Digital-Multimeter/14644665#Item+Description
As we don't have Walmart downunder I can't comment on the quality of the tools, but presume that the US has something equalivent to our Consumers Guarantee Act.
Cheers, the Bear
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
I ageree with Bear, the more details you can give us about what track you are running, your scale, type of power packs etc, the more we can help you. This is the same advice I gave in your previous post. There are a lot of folks like me that have been in the hobby for 30 to 50 years or more, we have lots of experience and can help if we have more specifics about your equipment.
George In Midcoast Maine, 'bout halfway up the Rockland branch
If you have what amounts to a simple oval, maybe a siding or whatever added, then trouble-shooting your tracks for continuity is as simple as a $12 digital multimeter with two probes and a battery installed. You select the 20 volt circuit, and also DC or AC, depending on whether your power to the rails is DC or DCC, and you touch the probes opposite each other all the way along the oval. At some point, you'll get intermittent results or an indication of low voltage, maybe even no voltage. That's about the place where you need to do some closer looking. Probably bad joiners, or improperly supported rails on iffy roadbed so that they sag or are torsioned....something's going on that is easily corrected.
Johnny666I have to throttles running two separate tracks. One track works great the other track does not work. I have tried both throttles on the track and I get no power. Bought a new electrical hook up and it still didn't work. But works with an 18inch curve I get power.
sound like you don't have much electrical experience and lack certain tools (-$$). (sorry your frustrated ... it's a learning opportunity).
track isn't that complicated. it's two pieces of metal on some ties. If it has a proper connection to the throttle, it should work, assuming it is clean enough (?).
i'm guessing that you are not running multiple wires from the throttle to different parts of the track and that you are using metal rail joiners to electrically connect one track to another.
I'm guessing that the throttle is connected on one side of the curved track and the straight track is on the other side of the curved track. It would be hard to believe that the throttle is connected to the straight track that doesn't work, yet the curved track does (dirty track?).
if what i've said is correct, is there a good electrical connection between the curved tracks that do work and the straight tracks that don't?
placing a screw driver on top of the rails across the joint can make a temporary electrical connections (press hard), but both connections may be bad (two screw drivers).
good luck
greg - Philadelphia & Reading / Reading
Thank you jabear!! the problem was I couldn't find the post I posted last week. I deleted the email. This time I kept the email. Thank you very much for posting twice. I appreciate the info.
The track is atlas, it's ho scale. today I used rail joiners with wires on them and it started working. Even the straight track that didn't work, works now.
I am am bran new to the hobby. And I appreciate all the help from everyone. I clicked on recieve email notifications but that seems to not have worked. I think it's something to do with being on the iPhone and PC at different times.
I love how knowledgeable everybody is about this stuff. I get confused sometimes. Thank you once again. And sorry about the mixup with posting this twice. I will not be deleting anymore emails.
Is like to thank you for your inFormation. I replied to bears post. Have a look. Once it's approved I mean.
You are correct Sir. Thank you very much. I have replied to bears post with the info.
Johnny666 I have to throttles running two separate tracks. One track works great the other track does not work. I have tried both throttles on the track and I get no power. Bought a new electrical hook up and it still didn't work. But works with an 18inch curve I get power. I am having trouble understanding why the straight pieces won't work and run my trains. I am ver frustrated and would appreciate any help anyone could give me. If you have any questions or dont understand what I mean please tell me and I will try to explain my issue in a different way. thank you.
Let's see. Sounds like you have two separate loops of track, say a double track oval main line. One loop works (trains run properly) and the other loop doesn't work. You have separate DC power packs, one for each loop. You have switched power packs from one loop to the other and the bad loop stays bad. So you believe the power packs are OK and the problem lies in the trackwork?
Do you understand what a reversing loop is? and how a reversing loop creates a short circuit? Do you know that power packs have electronic protection circuits that turn off the output voltage when the track has a short circuit? The two problems you can have with track are short circuits (direct electrical connection across the rails) and open rail jointers. Open rail joiners prevent juice from running from one piece of sectional track to another.
You can get a multimeter to check for the presence of juice, but a simple test lamp works well, costs less and is easier to use. Get a 12 volt bulb from your hobby shop, or in a pinch, an auto supply store. Solder wires to the bulb and touch them to the track. If the bulb lights, you have juice, if it stays dark, you don't have juice. Test the power pack when it is disconnected from the track. Then repeat the test with the power pack connected to the track. If the power pack has juice running disconnected, and looses juice when connected to the track, you have a short circuit in the track and the power pack protection circuits are turning off the output to prevent the power pack from overheating.
David Starr www.newsnorthwoods.blogspot.com
Johnny666Bought a new electrical hook up and it still didn't work. But works with an 18inch curve I get power.
How are you connecting to the track?
Jim
Thanks. you are right with all your questions!! I have fixed it. I used electric rail joiners. Thanks for the info.
Gidday again, pleased to see you've sorted out your problem, .
Johnny666I am am bran new to the hobby.
It doesn't really matter how long a person has been in the hobby, no one knows everything and as George said,
"There are a lot of folks like me that have been in the hobby for 30 to 50 years or more, we have lots of experience and can help if we have more specifics about your equipment."
Feel free to ask on the forum, I do and find that, as you have done, a word of thanks goes along way.I should also point you to the good information available at our Hosts Shop.........
http://www.kalmbachstore.com/modeltrains-railroading-model-railroading-books.html
Hope you get as much enjoyment out of the hobby as I do, Have Fun.
Cheers, the Bear.
Gidday again, pleased to see you've sorted out your problem, . Johnny666 I am am bran new to the hobby. It doesn't really matter how long a person has been in the hobby, no one knows everything and as George said, "There are a lot of folks like me that have been in the hobby for 30 to 50 years or more, we have lots of experience and can help if we have more specifics about your equipment." Feel free to ask on the forum, I do and find that, as you have done, a word of thanks goes along way.I should also point you to the good information available at our Hosts Shop......... http://www.kalmbachstore.com/modeltrains-railroading-model-railroading-books.html Hope you get as much enjoyment out of the hobby as I do, Have Fun. Cheers, the Bear.
Johnny666 I am am bran new to the hobby.
im glad nobody knows everything but I'm glad people know some things. Thank you again.
Funny thing, the one is fixed and running smooth and now the inside loop won't work.
If I put electrical joiners on every piece of track. Would that help? Or a better throttle. My throttle is from a PC trainset and the other is a tyco from the 90's I believe.
Johnny666,
Would probably be a good idea to keep this site for reference, many helpful tips and explanations, not only wiring, but many other related info for model layout building:
http://www.wiringfordcc.com/track.htm
Frank
Electrical Gremlins are the biggest issue we all face!
3 simple rules!!!
Solder all joints, don't use brass track and keep the track and wheels clean. wheel crud builds quickly and blocks electrical continuity.
Fergie
http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=5959
If one could roll back the hands of time... They would be waiting for the next train into the future. A. H. Francey 1921-2007
FergmiesterElectrical Gremlins are the biggest issue we all face!
Railroad of LION has 14 miles of track. Is DC. Is Automated with control points (stations), signals and all kinds of fancy stuff. Railroad of LION had more than 1000 conductors in cable bundles running around the entire layout.
GREMLINS ARE A NEMESIS that never go away. The more complicated you get the more gremlins you get, and the more difficult they are to find.
TEST EVERYTHING as you install it. Make it work perfectly before your go on to the next step.
YOU WILL STILL HAVE GREMLINS.
Dose not matter if layout of you is big or small, when huntting Gremlins you must use a tester and work from the problem backwards to the power source, one wire, one switch, one solder joint at a time. It may be necessary to disconnect a wire from both ends of a circuit. LION did that and still had power on the wire. Both ends in my hand, and it still had power. That is the power of Gremlins.
Here are things to look for.
1) Bad or cold solder joints.
2) A bead of solder or a strand of wire reaching out to an adjacent conductor.
3) A staple through a cable.
4) LION uses nails as binding posts : one pair of nails made contact inside of the board they were nailed to!
Work carefully, plan ahead, test everything, and be prepaired to tear things out and start again. If you use nails as binding posts, make sure you drive them straight in, and pull out any nail that bends. Put your binding posts far enough apart so that solder nor strands can cause cross connections, but do not put them too far appart, that only wastes space and wire.
5) You will still have Gremlins
ROAR
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
zstripe Johnny666, Would probably be a good idea to keep this site for reference, many helpful tips and explanations, not only wiring, but many other related info for model layout building: http://www.wiringfordcc.com/track.htm Frank
That link would be more helpful to someone wiring for DCC rather than wiring for DC.
Do we know whether the OP is running DC or DCC?
Rich
Alton Junction
It would really help to have a diagramme of the layout, where turnouts are, where wire feeds are, and whether the turnouts are power-routing.
selector It would really help to have a diagramme of the layout, where turnouts are, where wire feeds are, and whether the turnouts are power-routing.
i have age no wire feeders as of yet. New to it so I just want to run a train or two. I'm running dc! But would go to dcc in a second if it would fix some problems. Thanks for the info. I have a few brass track only because track can get pricy.
[quote user="BroadwayLion"]
Fergmiester Electrical Gremlins are the biggest issue we all face!
[/quote
i hate gremlins. thank you for your info. I will have to get a solder iron at some point. I hate how frustrating this can be. And I will upload a picture when I get home and when I can get one. I have an 8month old so it's hard unless he's sleeping.
Johnny666Funny thing, the one is fixed and running smooth and now the inside loop won't work. If I put electrical joiners on every piece of track. Would that help? Or a better throttle. My throttle is from a PC trainset and the other is a tyco from the 90's I believe.
Try the throttle swap first before considering electric joiners on every piece. However having said that, just putting NEW regular rail joiners on every piece might make a huge difference.
And yes, in general, those throttles from the Tyco train sets are notoriously poor quality. There is a brand called MRC that mades really good power supplies. At Christmas time I needed several more for my display so picked up some off eBay for between $10-$40. If you decide to go this route, look for the Tech II, Tech III, Tech 4, and newer models as the old gold ones from the 1970s are probably on their last legs.
Use an ohmmterer to test the continuity of each section of track. I can guarantee one of the sections is not getting power, or the lead to the power pack is not hooked up right.
richhotrain zstripe Johnny666, Would probably be a good idea to keep this site for reference, many helpful tips and explanations, not only wiring, but many other related info for model layout building: http://www.wiringfordcc.com/track.htm Frank That link would be more helpful to someone wiring for DCC rather than wiring for DC. Do we know whether the OP is running DC or DCC? Rich
Rich,
With all due respect:
If You look at that site, on the right of the page, the big red info page you will notice that it is for DC/DCC wiring and many other info about aspects of building a layout. The title wiring for DCC is misleading. My all DC wired layout, can be converted to DCC, by just changing the power supply. I don't know why you believe that DCC is so much different in wiring, than DC, just less wires.
zstripe richhotrain zstripe Johnny666, Would probably be a good idea to keep this site for reference, many helpful tips and explanations, not only wiring, but many other related info for model layout building: http://www.wiringfordcc.com/track.htm Frank That link would be more helpful to someone wiring for DCC rather than wiring for DC. Do we know whether the OP is running DC or DCC? Rich Rich, With all due respect: If You look at that site, on the right of the page, the big red info page you will notice that it is for DC/DCC wiring and many other info about aspects of building a layout. The title wiring for DCC is misleading. My all DC wired layout, can be converted to DCC, by just changing the power supply. I don't know why you believe that DCC is so much different in wiring, than DC, just less wires. Frank
Frank, I am surprised that you took exception to my comments.
When I saw the link that you provided it raised the question of whether we knew for sure whether the OP was running in DC or DCC, although it seemed clear from his comments that he was running in DC. You will note that I asked if we knew whether the OP was running in DC or DCC, and he later confirmed that it was DC. I also noted that the link would be more helpful to someone wiring in DCC rather than wiring for DC, and indeed it would.
From a reading of the OP's posts, he is new to all of this, running very old equipment, and his problems are clearly related to poor track and faulty wiring. The last thing he needs is a reference to one of the most complex DCC web sites on the Internet. Why not just offer advice to the OP relevant to his problem?
Incidentally, regarding that link, you indicated that the web site is for DC/DCC wiring. I did a quick count of the term DC on that link. There are 88 references to DC on that page, 86 of which are DCC, one is for IDC and one is for DCS. Trust me, Frank, Allan Gartner developed that web site for DCC users. Most DC wired layouts cannot be converted to DCC by simply replacing a power pack with a command station. And a DCC layout cannot necessarily be converted to DC by simply plugging in a DC power pack.
richhotrainAnd a DCC layout cannot necessarily be converted to DC by simply plugging in a DC power pack. Rich
I never made that statement. Just the oposite. And there is a lot more to that site, then just DC/DCC wiring. You are entitled to your opinion and I would hope I am entitled to mine. As to the use of that site. It really should be the OP's descision whether or not the site would be useful to him or not. Who know's, maybe it could be useful, to someone else viewing this thread, It's not like it's off topic. The Forum heading, afterall, says Electronics and DCC.
FrANK
Frank, we could go on like this all day. You can post that link or any other link you want. The forum is open to discussion, it is intended for dialog. That is all that I was doing, You posted a link to a DCC web site. That got me to thinking, do we know whether the OP is running DC or DCC? Plain and simple. It is not me who is trying to discourage discussion, it seems to be you. Go back and read my original reply that you continue to object to. Here it is, verbatim.
I fail to see what you are all riled up about. Wouldn't the site be more helpful to someone wiring for DCC rather than wiring for DC? That's all that I am saying.
No feeder wire3s (power droppers) there in lies your problem I would think.
Relying on rail joiners to carry current (lectricity) is a definate no no.
Wires soldered to rail joiners is still relying on the joiner to carry the current.
Sure,joiners will work for a while but ultimately they will fail.
It is a lot of work,sometimes frustrating, but wether op DC or DCC power feeders should be soldered to each piece of track on your layout including points.
I know there will be those that will dispute me and say their layout has been op for yrs with no,or very few, power feeders.
Good luck to them and you if you want to try your luck.
After 36+ yrs in this great hobby I have learnt the more you can do to bullet proof layout the less frustrations you will experience and the more enjoyment you will have.
Cheers
Iansa