Hey thanks for all the great answers. Next few days I will mess with the switches and try some of the tips. If the rivets are the weak point that will be the section I will attack, plus looking closer I see a few other ideas that may work as well.
Cuda Ken
I hate Rust
Hi, Be sure to check that your wheels are correctly spaced. I was having all kinds of problems and sure enough the front wheels were out of gauge. It slips right through a bunch of switches now.
Good luck!
Tim in MN
gmcrail wrote: You can also use the extra contacts on the Tortoise to route power to the frog
You can also use the extra contacts on the Tortoise to route power to the frog
There us an additional problem with the Atals turnout - you can't solder to the frog. The metal it is made from will not take solder. The more you try, the more you melt the plastic under the frog.
The solution I have found is to drill & tap one of the holes in the side of the frog for a 2-56 thread (same as you would use for a Kadee coupler installation). Then cut the head off a 2-56 screw, thread it into the hole, and solder a wire to the bottom of it. Then connect to the Tortoise extra contacts. It helps if you slightly deform the threads before you install the screw so they hold tighter.
George In Midcoast Maine, 'bout halfway up the Rockland branch
No, those ar Atlas turnouts, the points are isolated by the plastic throwbar. Up closer to the frog are twp metal tabs connectign the closure rails to the outside stock rail. Power then gets to the points via those rivets where they hinge. If you balalsted, the water/glue likely got sucked intot here and is causing poor contact between the rivent and the base - not that it's particularly good anyway. The best way to wire around it is to connect wires to the closure rail, and use some fine flexible wire to bridge around the rivet area between the point and stock rail. Wiring the point directly to the adjacent stock rail is a litle tough because of the constant movement - plus adding the extra wires to the stock rails makes sure they get power too. Unless they've changed, that bar underneath connecting the closure and stock rails is also just a press fit contact, it is not soldered to the bottom of the rails. If it IS a soldered connection, then you cna get away with just bridging the rivets with short pieces of flexible wire.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Hi, Ken!
What you've got there is an Atlas Customline Mark III turnout, with the metal frog (frog=the part where the rails cross). The frog is NOT powered at any time, and so anything with a small wheelbase (like an 0-4-0 switcher) will stall on the frog. In addition, the points are notorious for losing power, even though the closure rails (the rails between the frog and the points) are tied to the outside stock rails with a connecting bar beneath the rails. The culprit here is the rivet that pivots the points. It's a lousy way to make an electrical connection, and if the points fail to make solid contact with the stock rails, you lose power on the point.
There are several ways to fix the problem. The easiest (though most expensive) way is to get a different brand of switch - say, Peco. Or, you can wire a jumper across the rivet, between the closure rail and the point - a bit tricky if you're not a good hand with a soldering iron. Third, and probably one of the two best ways, would be to use a stall-type switch motor (like the Tortoise) to throw the switch, giving a constant pressure on the points. You can also use the extra contacts on the Tortoise to route power to the frog, eliminating that problem area as well.
Good luck....
BTW, the points are NOT electrically connected. The throw bar is plastic, and the individual points are riveted to it.
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Gary M. Collins gmcrailgNOSPAM@gmail.com
===================================
"Common Sense, Ain't!" -- G. M. Collins
http://fhn.site90.net
Hey Ken,
Have you used a voltimeter to troubleshoot? I find this VERY helpful... if you use DCC, just put it onto AC reading and you will still get a pretty accurate number (+/-0.5-0.8V usually)... anyways, this will help you find dead spots/bad contact, etc. This can help with the discussion as well.... Also, if you jumper to the points, use a VERY fine wire (26-30 gauge), since the resistance/spring caused by these wires can cause secondary problems....
Brian
Ken, wiring a jumper between the point and its adjacent stock rail is certainly a fix if you can't reliably get the point to lie against the stock rail for contact. You don't even need to solder the jumper near the point; do it where it won't seem so obvious and in the way...nearer the frog.
However, what will you do to get the polarity right since both points are connected by a solid metal bar and will short each other as soon as you power up the first time? You are going to need something to ensure only one side of the power grid powers that point and bar set at a time. And, by doing that, any wheels that accidentally make contact with the point that is open will cause a short since that wheel is not meant to have that polarity at that time.
Not saying it isn't a good idea, just that there is more to it than wiring in jumpers on this set of points.
Edit - oops, on second look, I don't think the points are interconnected by any metal...at least, it isn't all that clear in the one picture. Agree, from comment below, that the rivets are poor, but soldering a jumper between the point and the adjacent stock rail is the way to go. What is by no means certain is whether that rivet will reliably power the rail down to the frog. I would give it a try, though...otherwise the entire turnout has to come out.
http://www.wiringfordcc.com/switches.htm
Heres a link to wiring turnouts for better operation. Depending on the turnout, you may not be able to get solder to stick to the point rails. I've seen older ones that where made of cheap crappy metal.
Sorry to bug again and I think I have a idea to the fix. But, being still a little dumb I want to make sure this is the right fix. My B line is running from toe to heal on the turn out.
When the engine comes on to the turn out from the top section it stalls here.
Guessing the blade is not making good contact thus the lack of power. Plus, on the straight section at the toe there are plactic joiners (toe is the Y section of the turn out) and is blocked so I can kill the section before the turnout.
This is what I think maybe a fix. Wire this section to make the blade hot.
I have cleaned the section as best as I can with 600 grit but still no help. Would removing the plactic joiners coming into the straight section of the turnout help? Odd thing is this section of track has been laided for a few months with no problems. But on a few of the long engines E-6's and BLI steamers the problem cropped up. B line is DCC.
Cuda Ken, dead spots again