Trains.com

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

Track crossing troubleshooting

744 views
4 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    December 2017
  • 3 posts
Track crossing troubleshooting
Posted by Michael6453 on Friday, December 8, 2017 5:22 PM

I’m fairly new to model railroading and have started a layout I found in one of the track layout books. It has a 25 degree crossing in the layout. When I run my locomotives over the crossing at prototypical speeds they will stall for a second but manage to get through the crossing. Is there anything that can be done short of running the locos at fast speeds through the crossing?

Any advice would be appreciated. 

  • Member since
    January 2017
  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
  • 18,255 posts
Posted by SeeYou190 on Thursday, December 14, 2017 12:05 PM

Michael,

.

Welcome. Your first few posts are moderated, so they might nor show quickly. Bear with us and you will be posting freely soon.

.

Your crossing probably has plastic frogs (where the rails cross), or metal frogs that are electrically insulated.

.

Your locomotive is losing electricicty to the motor when it crosses the frogs.

.

You can try a more expensive crossing with metal frogs, but they are tricky to wire. You can make sure your locomotive is picking up electrical power from all wheels.

.

You  might be better off with a higher quality locomotive. Better locomotives have electrical pickup on all wheels, and they have flywheels on the motor shafts to pull the locomotive through dead spots.

.

-Kevin

.

Living the dream.

  • Member since
    May 2012
  • 602 posts
Posted by NP01 on Thursday, December 14, 2017 2:24 PM

Welcome

Same thing as Kevin: what locomotive and what crossing are you using. That will allow us to quickly get to the source of the problem.

NP

  • Member since
    December 2001
  • From: Northern CA Bay Area
  • 4,387 posts
Posted by cuyama on Thursday, December 14, 2017 6:43 PM

This is a duplicate thread. The original poster received some suggestions and information on the other one:
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/t/266627.aspx

 

  • Member since
    December 2017
  • 3 posts
Posted by Michael6453 on Saturday, December 16, 2017 7:55 PM

 I am running an Athearn Genesis GP9.  Actually there are two of them. Both hesitate either individually or consisted. The 25° Crossing is made by Atlas. I had to pull the crossing up as I was replacing two turnouts, one on either side. So I installed the new turnouts And the new 25° Crossing. The locomotives still hesitate in One Direction but do not hesitate in the opposite direction. All connections are soldered and laid level. It’s only a very slight hesitation but it’s enough to knock out the sound decoder so that it has to restart. Annoying.

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

Users Online

There are no community member online

Search the Community

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Model Railroader Newsletter See all
Sign up for our FREE e-newsletter and get model railroad news in your inbox!