I hate these problems!
DCC Layout, 3 EB1 CB's segrating the 2 Main Lines, Sorting Yard and Ferry Yard.
From time to time (without any understandable reason) the MainLine CB trips and stays shorted until I turn the layout off and wait a while then it all comes back.
It first occurred last week while runing three trains. Two on one Mainline and one on the other. No matter what I did it remained shorted. I ended up removing all the locomotives and rolling stock yet the short remained.
I shut down the System and visually checked the tracks. Nothing!
Turned it back on - ALL OK
A while later running one train on one of the mainline tracks a short occured and the mainline breaker tripped. Other two still working.
Shut off the system, waited about a minute and turned it back on. All working.
Any ideas?
Gary
Next time it happens, as a first step (unless there's obviously a loco derailed), try just turning the whole layout off then back on. If that clears it, I bet you have a flakey EB1. That it did not clear itself even after removing all trains from the track (so it's not one of the locos shorting, or an outright overload) yet immediately cleared up by cycling power makes me think the EB1 itself is to blame here.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
rrinker Next time it happens, as a first step (unless there's obviously a loco derailed), try just turning the whole layout off then back on. If that clears it, I bet you have a flakey EB1. That it did not clear itself even after removing all trains from the track (so it's not one of the locos shorting, or an outright overload) yet immediately cleared up by cycling power makes me think the EB1 itself is to blame here. --Randy
Rich
Alton Junction
Ah, the universal electrical troubleshooting move. Scary thing is, it usually works, and for a LOT of things.
- Adam
When all else fails, wing it!
I need to check but I think the trip current is set to 3.5 amps.
I did do the turn off and on thing the first time it happened but it stayed shorted. Maybe it was too short between the on off. I'll give it another try.
I'm guessing since I posted this now, it wont happen again.
Hi. I hate these problems too (!). I don't have that system but I would definitely make sure that the problem is not associated (caused) with a specific locomotive or car. So I would run each of my locos individually and see what happens. Then I would try the rolling stock.
Good luck!
Could this be more of a temperature problem? Is there a thermal safety circuit in those circuit breakers that might be popping for thermal reasons and not due to shorts?
If the trip current was set too low, the short should have cleared when everything was taken off the track - 0 current. Unless EB-1's don't auto reset.