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Lost power at Turnout

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  • Member since
    January 2010
  • From: Chi-Town
  • 7,712 posts
Posted by zstripe on Thursday, February 20, 2014 2:44 PM

Sure are, a lot of chef's in the kitchen, trying to make this simple layer cake! Big Smile

Stripe

  • Member since
    September 2004
  • From: Dearborn Station
  • 24,281 posts
Posted by richhotrain on Thursday, February 20, 2014 8:39 PM

richhotrain

This is all kind of pointless with the OP feeding us little or no information.

I hate threads like this one.   

Rich

 

That was 48 hours ago.   It bears repeating.

Rich

Alton Junction

  • Member since
    September 2006
  • 411 posts
Posted by wobblinwheel on Friday, February 21, 2014 12:33 AM

Sometimes there is a VERY EASY way to fix this! On Atlas turnouts, usually it's an inside diverging rail that loses power underside the turnout, near where it hinges. If this is the case, on the topside (no need to remove turnout) make a small "V" shaped spring out of stiff, springy wire, and wedge it between the dead rail and the adjacent rail that has power. The spring will be on the outside of one rail, but the inside of the other, so it must be small wire. Paper clip, wire bristles from a stiff wire brush, and sometimes a "hairpin" or "bobby pin" will work. No solder, no drilling, done in minutes. TIP! Do you have any old VHS video tapes you don't want? TAKE THEM APART! There are SPRINGS, SCREWS, SPACERS, and all kinds of stuff in there that can be used to fabricate stuff!!

Mike C.

  • Member since
    August 2003
  • From: Alabama
  • 1,077 posts
Posted by cjcrescent on Saturday, February 22, 2014 4:24 AM

We used to take rail joiners that were in bad shape and cut wedges out of them and slide them into place on the turnouts. Then we would solder the far ends to the rails so there was a connection between the stock rails and the closure rails. Some of these tabs have been in place for over 25 years on the club's layout and they still work!

Carey

Keep it between the Rails

Alabama Central Homepage

Nara member #128

NMRA &SER Life member

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