Gregg, not sure about the pickups for the loco on the frog (it was a Walthers Mainline EMD SD50) and the one crossing the power district was a Walthers Proto EMD GP35.
I'm also not sure if one or both circuit breakers tripped. I actually didn't check the circuit breaker and just went to the loco on the frog and removed it and the other train then powered up and kept moving. I'm not familiar yet with what I should see on the circuit breaker to tell me its showing its tripped and because my hearing is really bad I cannot hear anything like beeps, etc. associated with the circuit breaker.
Locos were probably moving at the default step speed between 3-6 so pretty slow.
There are no other turnouts in that power district. I actually tried to replicate what happened and it didn't occur again, but then again I can't say for sure what trained touched the frog or the boundary between the districts first and if the shorter engine wheels in the front of the loco crossing the districts with the turnout were touching both district A and B as I do have the 3/4" gap between the two rails as the PSX manual recommended.
Tried to test other parts of the layout also and again didn't experience the problem, but again not sure if I truely replicated the exact circumstances.
Greg, again I appreicate your help.
Thanks
Gary (Coastie71)
my understanding is there is a problem when a loco has wheels (with pickups) on a turnout frog in district A and a loco straddles the boundary between districts A & B.
presumably the problem is one of the circuit breakers trip? or do both trip?
does this happen when the locos speed setting zero? (not drawing much power)
with the problem occuring, does pushing the loco off the turnout frog or off the boundary clears the "problem"? And pushing the loco back causes the problem?
and the problem only occurs with a specific turnout frog? (none of the others in that district? are there others?)
greg - Philadelphia & Reading / Reading
Ed, I'm not experiencing any problem with trains going over the gapped rails between the PSX connected to the command station and the other to the booster or for that matter any of the 7 power districts. It only happened when one train was passing over a frog powered by the Tortoise when another train passing over the 2 power districts (one of which was the power district with the turnout) happened at the same time. Both of these power districts are connected to the PSXs connected to the command station.
Both PSX4s and the DCS210+ and DB210 were purchased late last year and just recently did I get the layout wired.
Going to continue to test the entire layout to see if I experience this problem anywhere else.
Thanks Ed for your input and help.
That could be possible, although the out of phase issue generally results in a short every single time you cross between a power district connected to the command stationa dn one connected to the booster. Same with getting a telephone wire instead of a data wire used between the command station and booster Loconet (telephone wire is crossed over so reverses the phase of the Railsync lines). So I'd think if the booster and command station are experiencing the phase issue, there would be a short every time a loco crossed the gaps between sections if one is powered via a PSX from the command station and one is powered from a PSX connected to the booster.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Coastie71When I test using the light up continuity tester I get continuity reading between the two insulted gaped power district rails on one side, but not on the other. That is consistent with all power districts, excepts for the 2 power districts that come from the PX4 connected to the command station and the other connected to the booster.
This reminds me of a very similar situation I had years ago. Also using two early version PS4 (Power Shield) breakers each wired one to a command station and the other to a booster.
After many hours of trying to diagnose the problem it finally turned out to be the fact that Digitrax labeled the DCS200 Rail A and B in one phase and the DB150 was out of phase with the output Rail A and B.
What really confused things was that one of the boosters was set as auto-reversing so I would get the problem "sometimes" but not always, like you, it only gave me problems when a powered loco or car was bridging both power district gaps simultaneously.
At the time I was dealing with this (2002 or so) Digitrax hadn't acknowledged the reversed outputs:
https://www.digitrax.com/tsd/KB534/short-circuit-when-adding-a-db100-or-db150-booster/
Hope that helps, Ed
Randy, appreciate the quick response and help. All my wire connections on the PSX are the same for each as well as the command station and booster feeds as shown in the PSX manual. I think you're saying that it appears I got this wired right and that one rail will have continuity between districts and one will not, but should not have continuity on diagonally gaped rails. Not sure why that's not the case for those 2 power districts that are fed from the one PSX connected to the command station and the other the separate booster. Those two gaped connections there is no continuity between either of the gaped rails.
I used 14 gauge solid insulated wire, like I did for my rail buses, for the ground connection between the command station and the booster.
The area where it shorted the turnout and rails leading to the turnout in every direction are wired within the same power district. The separate power district gaped rails are probably about 8 feet or so from the turnout when the other train passed over the gapped area. I have not tested the rest of my 23 turnouts to see if I experience this problem throughout the layout, but will do this next.
Again, I really appreciate your help as you have been with all my issues.
Gary
The PSX only cuts one side of the circuit - so you should probably be consistent on which rail throughout the layout gets connected to which output terminal of the PSX. Same with feedign the inputs from the booster(s). It sounds like you have this, based on one rail having continuity across the insulated joiners - as long as that is always directly across the gap - not diagonally one rail on one side to the other rail on the opposite side.
Do you also have a heavy wire between the Ground terminals of the booster and command station?
And the feeds to the Tortoise for the frog power - are they all coming off the same PSX section that the turnout is in, at least, the side of the turnout that is being fed power? For example, if you have the two diverging legs of a turnout insulated because they are two further power districts, is the feed for the Tortoise contacts coming from the point side of the turnout and not one of the two power districts past is?
I've created 7 power districts using Digitrax Command station and separate booster. The command stattion and booster are connected separately to DCC Specialties PSX4 circuit breakers on each side of the layout. I used Atlas insulated rail joiners to separate each power district. Based on the PSX4 manual I made 3/4" separation between the right and left gaped rails. My longest bus is 30' but most are probably 25' or so feet in length. I have feeders about every 42" and sometimes a little less, but never more than 52. "When I test using the light up continuity tester I get continuity reading between the two insulted gaped power district rails on one side, but not on the other. That is consistent with all power districts, excepts for the 2 power districts that come from the PX4 connected to the command station and the other connected to the booster.
I powered all my frogs using the Tortoise's, I checked all my wiring and continuity on the frog rails and everything appears to be correct. I believe I was getting continuity readings on the one side gaped rails before I wired the frogs.
The trains run fine, however, when I had one train loco touching the frog rail at the same time as another train on the same track was crossing that power district where there is continuity on the one rail separating the two power districts it shorted. As soon as I removed the loco touching the frog the power came back on and the train crossing the power districts continued on. The points on the turn track where properly set for that direction.
Has anybody experienced anything like this or is there any fix to this. If not I can live with the issue, but will have to be more careful in where trains are at any given time.
Thanks and appreciate any input and help.