Hello well I got it right now. The turnout is fine I added a jumper to the left point and left rail.I added the though line and put the gap in.So now it has power all the time. Witch is what I need. So now it has power to the yard when backing in. I have a Sperry DM-210A meter. To be honest I didn't even think to look for it I was using a light with 2 alligator clips. The meter worked much better. Thanks for help Frank
For starters, to properly check this turnout for shorts, you need a decent volt/ohmmeter, that will check for continuity, as well as check voltages and polarity. You can get one at Radio Shack for a fairly trivial amount. Once you have one, and have read the instructions, here's the procedure to follow:
First, with the turnout disconnected from power, and removed from the layout, use the continuity (ohmmeter) function to check if the connection between the point and the stock rail on each side is good (you should read 0 ohms on the meter). Do this for both points.
If good, place one test lead on a closure rail (the rail leading up to the frog, where the rails actually cross) and the other on the point which is connected to it. Again you should read 0 ohms. Do this for both points.
Throw the points to the side at which it "shorts". Place the test leads on each of the rails leading into the turnout at the point end. If you again read a solid connection, you have a short. Otherwise (as I suspect) you have an open circuit.
You didn't say where the power leads are that feed this turnout. It is a Peco Insulfrog which means it is "power routing." That is, if you feed power into the point end of the turnout, it will route power to the route that it's set for, leaving the other route unpowered. If you have a gap in the frog rail (the rail coming out of the frog on the diverging or through route), you will not feed power to that route from the turnout. If you wish the route to have power regardless of which way the turnout is thrown, you need a gap after the frog, and a jumper from the stock rail to the corresponding rail beyond the gap.
Get that meter - it'll be worth its weight in gold to you in the hobby.
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Gary M. Collins gmcrailgNOSPAM@gmail.com
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"Common Sense, Ain't!" -- G. M. Collins
http://fhn.site90.net
the tab should only touch the rail the point is against. It helps to bring conductivity to the point on the side that touches the stock or main rail. Only one tab touching on only the side the point is touching the stock rail.
Where the two closure rails come together to form the frog, there is usually a spot (on the frog) where the wheel can touch both (rails) sides of the polarity and short. This is all too common on Peco switches. If this is the case then you have to use a dremel tool and cut a gap just behind the frog isolating the frog so the wheel can't touch both rails and short, otherwise your best bet is to install an Atlas switch and be done with it. :-)
Our club built the club layout using Peco switches and have had nothing but trouble with the switches shorting so I've went through and gapped all the frogs and then jumpered the wing rails to the mail rail and no more problems. :-)
Bob
I am not certain, never having looked for it or at it, but I believe you are referring to the over-center spring that Peco uses. It is a nice feature that positively keeps the point rail against the stock rail.
If nothing looks out of place, and it is clean, then I must conclude you have some other problem. Maybe a pair of feeders to the segment will help. Maybe, if there is a turnout at the far end, it is routed such that it sends the wrong polarity down the rails that your Peco is trying to power at the same time.
You'll figure it out by disconnecting things until you don't get the short.
-Crandell
Hello Well I brought the turnout to work with me today and gave it a good cleaning and I looked at the jumpers and they look fine they are stuck in place where the should be. There are only to jumpers right? I don't have any other Peco turnouts to compare to and can't fine a good pic of one. The siding doest have power to it yet but it will. It go's to a yard and coaling tower and will have a through line to dump coal for the tower. Will this help or not? The only thing I think that may be missing on the points there is a tab on the bottom it hits the rail one side at a time looks like it helps hold the point to one side or the other. Should that tab have something touching the rail all the time ? Because it does not. When I get home I am going to test it with some jumpers. Thanks Frank
~G4
19 Years old, modeling the Cowlitz, Chehalis, and Cascade Railroad of Western Washington in 1927 in 6X6 feet.
From your testing, it's not a short. Sounds like you have lost conductivity within the turnout. Look for any separated molded or built in jumpers under the turnout. Try using jumpers to eliminate the possibility of it actually being a short. This may be happening through the frog itself.
Modeling B&O- Chessie Bob K. www.ssmrc.org
Hello I just got done working with this turnout and the gaps have space just past the pivot point. I looked all over for any stray metal. And could not fine any. I put my test leads on the single end and power it up put my test light on the other end it will light but not the siding filp the points and it goes out. And the sideing wont light. If there is any metal it would have to be in some left over polish so I will give it one more good cleaning and hope it works. The line is clear it does this on the layout or off. If it's inside how do I open this thing up to get it out? Thanks Frank
Could you have left a very fine trail of metal filings someplace that bridges two rails? If the turnout didn't get wobbly, and you displaced a rail completely (I am assuming you were careful not to damage that costly turnout...?), about all that could have changed is that some electrically conductive object or material is now bridging two conduits of opposite polarity. You have left something behind, whether filings, a track nail......something. You'll have to inspect the entire line now, and it the line is clear, then you have metal inside the works of the turnout where it was not meant to be.
Did you check the gaps? Any aggressive action while gleaming the rails may have closed a gap causing the short. I doubt that any damage to the turnout itself happened unless you were extremely rough cleaning it.
Hello I have a peco turnout not sure on the spelling. It shorts out when I switch to the inside. It work fine for 8 months or so then I gleamed my track and now it shorts when switched. I pulled it off the layout and looked it over and it look like everything is where it should be? I gave it a good cleaning with alcohol. This is the only peco turnout I have. What should I be looking for to fix this? It shorts out off the layout to. Here is a pic of the turnout.Thanks Frank.