My layout is a couple decades old, I have mostly Atlas Custom-Line turnouts on my layout. The track was painted just after being laid down and everything worked as it should after that for about 10 years. All of a sudden and at random locations, I find that the points have gone dead!
My guess is that at the rivet there is some corrosion going on that is stopping the conductivity of juice to the point rails. This generally only happens to one of the two point rails in the turnout. I have attempted to clean the area where the stock rail and points meet together, hoping to increase conductivity from this end of the point rails. Sometimes this has worked and sometimes it has not.
Does anyone have a way of repairing this annoying problem?
NP 2626 "Northern Pacific, really terrific"
Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association: http://www.nprha.org/
http://www.pacificcoastairlinerr.com/atlas_switch_wipers/
I have never found the closure rails to be a problem, they always have power as they have contacts providing continuity between the stock and Closure rails. However, the suggestion about putting a dimple on the point rail is worth a try.
Take a piece of stranded wire. Strip off the insulation. Take two of the strands of the wire and after cleaning a spot on the stock rail and the point, solder the twisted strands to the outside of the point and the outside of the stock rail. I do this now before I install any switches.
I solder a thin flexible wire around the rivet on all my turnouts. Has solved the contact issue for years ....
Once the track is painted, it practically disappears ....
Mark.
¡ uʍop ǝpısdn sı ǝɹnʇɐuƃıs ʎɯ 'dlǝɥ
Mark R has a good suggestion.
I have installed jumper wires from underneath to correct the problem of "dead spots".
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
Just looked and many of my turnouts have white metal points. Dont't think I will be soldering anything to these.
Thank you to those who have replied!
You just might be able to solder the white metal points........some white metal contains lead..........just start with a low heat at first.
Just an idea.....
Dennis Blank Jr.
CEO,COO,CFO,CMO,Bossman,Slavedriver,Engineer,Trackforeman,Grunt. Birdsboro & Reading Railroad
Stevert http://www.pacificcoastairlinerr.com/atlas_switch_wipers/
Thanks for visiting
Harold
I have come upon a way of fixing this problem. It may not be a permanent fix; but, is easy enough to do that when/if the problem reoccurs the process can be repeated. What I did was fold a small piece of 80 grit sandpaper over on itself, so I had a double sided piece of sandpaper, then, while holding it between the point rail and stock rail and applying some pressure to the point, squeezing the sandpaper between the two and moved the sandpaper back and forth. This gives you bright metal where the two make contact allowing the points to pick up power from the stock rail. Every point rail that I found dead previous to this was live after it was done and I did it to 10 turnouts.
Pretty simple to do, no soldering, pretty much fool proof!