While operating my layout at times the trains will not operate on certain sections of track; they will stop when reaching a certain track section, but at times wil operate OK - I am using 2 power sources - a MRC 220 and a MRC 260 along with Atlas Controllers and Atlas Selectors. The trains, when running OK are on the A Cab; if I switch to the B Cab the power source goes on overload. Any ideas what is going on? Thank you very much for any help
You probably have a pair of feeders to the affected section that are backwards in the B cab. Try switching that pair at its feed from the switch that selects A or B cab and see if that cures it. That should fix the short caused when switching to B.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
Another possibility if you use stranded rather than solid wire where it meets the Atlas components, is that a stray isolated stand of wire is making contact at the other terminal for the B cab. That may seem obvious but it happens easily and is not always seen at a glance.
Dave Nelson
Thank you Dave and Mike - it has been some time since I have worked on my layout and am more than a bit rusty - will look into your suggestions
Usually we blame rail joiners when power gremlins occur like this. It may be that one transformer has the capacity to bridge a wonky joiner, where as the other one does not.
Make sure that the polarity is correct. ALSO that both cabs are set to operate in the same direction.
The LION, of course, cou.d fix it. Him can fix anything...
See..
But then again, maybe solutions of LION do not appeal to you.
BTW:
BTW: The LION eats at noon, just in case you want to drop by for lunch.
ROAR
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
1butlerhawk!
Make sure that nothing is bridging contacts on the B cab, and that all the selectors are correct direction.
LION eats him wildebeesties, so a butlerhawk should be safe to eat lunch with him.
Do wildebeesties taste more like beef, or chicken?
Ricky W.
HO scale Proto-freelancer.
My Railroad rules:
1: It's my railroad, my rules.
2: It's for having fun and enjoyment.
3: Any objections, consult above rules.
1butlerhawk While operating my layout at times the trains will not operate on certain sections of track; they will stop when reaching a certain track section, but at times wil operate OK - I am using 2 power sources - a MRC 220 and a MRC 260 along with Atlas Controllers and Atlas Selectors. The trains, when running OK are on the A Cab; if I switch to the B Cab the power source goes on overload. Any ideas what is going on? Thank you very much for any help
Sounds like you have two problems, some times the trains just stop, usually (always?) at the same place on the layout. And your B-cab is inoperative. B-cab power pack signals overload (or cuts off). I call these two separate malfunctions.
Trains just stop mostly will be juice stops getting to your train. Double check, look at locomotive headlights, the headlight will go out when the train looses juice. If you have a stopped train and the headlight is still on, you got something unusual happening, which might not be electrical.
Usually, the train stops 'cause it looses power. The most likely suspect is a rail joiner somewhere. Rail joiners don't fit that tightly, and the brass starts to corrode from contact with the air, inside the joiner where you can't see it. Sooner or later, the corrosion gets so bad it stops conducting electricity.
Traditional fix for this is to run a power bus of good heavy wire around the layout, and then run light weight feeder wires from the bus wire up to the track. You solder the feeder wires to the rail. Run feeders to every single piece of track and it will always work. In actual fact, running feeders to every other, or every third, or even every fourth piece of track will do the trick.
Alternate fix; solder all the rail joiners. This may cause trouble as your wooden bench work swells or shrinks with hunidity changes. To allow for swelling and shrinking, leave a few strategic joiners un soldered and solder jumpers around them.
As far as your B-cab. You have a short circuit somewhere. The tried and true method of finding a short, is to disconnect the wires bit by bit until the short goes away. Then you go to work on the bit that made the short go away, i.e. the bit with the short in it. Divide and conquer.
David Starr www.newsnorthwoods.blogspot.com