Morning all,
I am looking for a solution for the following issue.
I have a DC layout.
I have attached two photobucket image url to help describe my issue.
I have a layout using (I believe) block wiring from the book Wiring Your Layout - Paul Mallery.I have different brands of locomotives, but only Tyco has this issue. Presumably from the way the loco wheels are wired. See images.
Is there anyway I can either rewire the block sections or the loco wheels to keep the loco from stopping when going from one section to the other.
http://i935.photobucket.com/albums/ad200/gmckenzie444cplmckenzie/tycogp20_zps2e5r1eeq.jpg
http://i935.photobucket.com/albums/ad200/gmckenzie444cplmckenzie/StallSections_zpsege3ol2r.jpg
Please, pardon the artwork, I can't draw water from a well!
Thanks
cplmckenzie
Create jumpers between the sections. Problem solved.
I am very new at this and don't understand "jumpers" but wouldn't that make the two sections one big section?
You are maybe confusing us. Do you use one power supply for one oval and another power supply fro the next oval, or are you using BLOCK CONTROL using several blocks assigned to one or the other power supply.
In the first instance you need a dead section of track that is powered either by oval 1 or oval 2 by the position of the switches (gaps and special wiring required). The train must stop on this dead section and wait fro the tower man to close the back switch and ope the front switch. It is very prototypical that crains moving from one railroad to another should have to stop and wait for dispatch to let them in.
IF ON THE OTHER HAND you are using real block control, make each block fully gapped and assign the block ahead to the correct cab as the train advances across the layout. IN THIS SITUATION, LION would make the LEFT RAIL (in the direction of normal travel) be GROUND (A hard ground to the building ground) and then you only need selector switches to apply power to the right rail, either from CAB 1 or from CAB B. Positive power moves the train in the forward direction and negative power moves the train in the reverse direction.
Each CAB must connect one side of the track output to GROUND and the other to the bus that feeds the block control switches.
It really is quite simple, unless you have a LION trying to describe it. But afore we can further advise, you must tell us if you are tryuing to use block control, or are trying to have two different loops with crossovers between them.;
ROAR
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
I don't understand the drawing. Part of that is my visual dyslexia.
Is that a crossing above the word 'Begin'?
You call it sections, are we talking about two separate electrical blocks that are isolated by insulated joiners? Is so where do they start and end?
Is the loss of power happening between the white dots?
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
cplmckenzieI am very new at this and don't understand "jumpers" but wouldn't that make the two sections one big section?
I agree, a jumper is a wire from the track here to the track there, and putting one from one side of a plastic rail joiner to the other would definitely make both sides the same block.
I would suggest picking up the loco right were it stalled, and then using a meter, check voltages there and else where, you MIGHT have a inch or two of track with no voltage, and longer locos, or all wheel pick up locos might make it past the problem spot.
Dave
Between the ovals (1 power supply for each oval) I have gapped both rails.
But within each oval there is another power supply controling yard tracks (1 oval) and crossovers to different tracks (sidings), with those I have gapped the positive rail and am using on\off toggle switches to control power to them or not.
Does that help?
No, that is not a crossing there. The tracks there go over and under.
Thanks for responding.
Between the ovals (1 power supply for each oval) I have gapped both rails at the places marked "Begin" and "End".
But within each oval there is another power supply (in each oval) controling yard tracks (1 oval containing Yard) and crossovers to different tracks - (2nd oval with sidings), with those I have gapped the positive rail and am using on\off toggle switches to control power to them or not.
You don't say what type Tyco loco you have.
Sounds easier to rewire the loco pickups like the loco's that do run ok.
Rich
If you ever fall over in public, pick yourself up and say “sorry it’s been a while since I inhabited a body.” And just walk away.
I think this is what you are saying:
Both rails are gapped at the red marks. The right oval is indicated by the blue and the left by the green.The Tyco, but not other engines, stall when going from blue to green and green to blue.
If the two loops were wired backward, there would be a short when any loco hit those areas.
If the forward/reverse direction switches on the controlers were set forward for one and reverse on the other, any loco going through would short. Maybe it was set that way for the Tyco but not the others.
Or it was both wired backwards and the switches were set forward/reverse and everything ran fine until you changed one switch (wired backward switches forward/forward) and put the Tyco thru the gapped tracks.
Some steam engines get power from one track via the engine and the other track via the tender and if the tender trucks get turned 180 degrees the loco doesn't run. If the tyco diesel was wired wrong, it wouldn't run on either oval.
BigDaddy Some steam engines get power from one track via the engine and the other track via the tender and if the tender trucks get turned 180 degrees the loco doesn't run. If the tyco diesel was wired wrong, it wouldn't run on either oval.
When I saw Tyco, the first thing I thought of was a steamer. I have some.
Some who have converted them to DCC added pickups to the driver's side of the loco and wipers to the fireman's side of the tender.
As was previusly said, get your multimeter and and do some continuity checks on the loco since other locos are ok.
You know I was thinking that also. It is a Tyco GP20.
2 powered (positive) wheels on the front left. 2 negative wheels on rear right.
The rear wheels have wire leading to locomotive light, which in turn has two wires leading to the front truck with 2 connections. I will probably have to get a used one from ebay and tinker with it to determine how to accomplish rewiring.
Yes, that is exactly the layout setup and what is happening.
I have set the power units for both ovals to forward\forward, reverse\reverse, forward\reverse and reverse\forward and it will stop every time when crossing the red marks.
Hello,
This would be a Tyco GP20 diesel and the way the loco is wired is...
Truck with motor is front end of shell, has 2 wheels (front left) getting positive current.
Truck at rear of loco has 2 wheels (rear right) getting negative current.
Whenever the front wheels cross from one block into another, the loco stops.
Loco is stopped with front (positive) wheels in one block, rear (negative) wheels in the block loco just exited out of.
The loco stops straddling 2 blocks.
Front and rear trucks should get positive on right wheels and negative on left wheels for forward direction. Both trucks. All the wheels should pickup.
Normal trouble shooting procedure would to be pull the shell, look for both points to put the voltmeter probes, run loco up to where it stops and probe with meter to see where the current stops flowing.
Sure sounds like you are losing power at that junction on one ot the other rail in one of the blocks.
Another possibility. Since each truck picks up on one side only, if the track is not level at that point, the loco could twist just enough to lift a truck that is needed for power. or a pickup wire loses contact if not firmly connected to the wiper.
How about dirty wheels?
OK, like Rich says, in his post, with both rails gaped, when the loco gets to that point, it crosses the gap, but suddenly you have only one truck picking up power from the left, and no truck picking up power on the right, so the loco stalls. It doesn't matter how many power packs are hooked to it, if you have a gap in both rails, and only one side of one truck is picking up power, you still need a connection the other rail.
You need to have both trucks picking up power, right and left, OR you need to do common rail wiring, where only one track is gapped.
Mike.
EDIT: Or, you can use common rail wiring, so only one track is gapped.
My You Tube
Well,
thanks Mike. Just went and tested your suggestion and common rail solved the stopping problem.
Thanks again
OK, good. I don't why I added that edit in my post, as like I told you twice! .
Anyway, glad it worked. Locos with all wheel pick up will handle both rails gapped.
Yes it would be one big section, but that would stop the problem.
cplmckenzie Morning all, I am looking for a solution for the following issue. I have a DC layout. I have attached two photobucket image url to help describe my issue. I have a layout using (I believe) block wiring from the book Wiring Your Layout - Paul Mallery.I have different brands of locomotives, but only Tyco has this issue. Presumably from the way the loco wheels are wired. See images. Is there anyway I can either rewire the block sections or the loco wheels to keep the loco from stopping when going from one section to the other. http://i935.photobucket.com/albums/ad200/gmckenzie444cplmckenzie/tycogp20_zps2e5r1eeq.jpg http://i935.photobucket.com/albums/ad200/gmckenzie444cplmckenzie/StallSections_zpsege3ol2r.jpg Please, pardon the artwork, I can't draw water from a well! Thanks cplmckenzie
If you use the fourth option, IMG, your photo will show up immediately.
Photo Bucket allows you to resize a photo and reorient it for easier viewing by others.
Since you are using two separate power supplies, with only one gap between them (on each route) an incompatable reversing switch position can be your problem. The other problem is, while power trucks are across the gap you could be doubling your power (like two batteries in series).
LION would make the long legs between the ovals, with gaps at both ends. The dead track gets its power from oval 1 when the switch allows passage of the train into that section. STOP YOUR TRAIN AT THE RED SIGNAL, and WAIT for the dispatcher of oval 1 to restore his switch to normal, and the dispatcher of oval 2 to reverse his switch to give you the iron and a GREEN signal.
It is 100% prototypical to do it this way.
LION on the other hand, has one 10 amp regulated power supply for the entire layout of him. Him has no throttles or reversing switches, Him runs 10 trains at once, all attending to signals and station stops. Little plastic motormen in each cab drive the trains according to the automation system of the layout.
LION can then hob-nob with visitors. Trains leave the 242nd street station every 3 to five minutes. Each train takes 20 minutes to make the run to South Ferry and Back again. LION smiles. Nice layout Mr. LION