I has a basic loop w/4 sidings, but it's so much track that it overloads the power pack so I fiured out that if I disconect the sidings it doesn't overload. Problem is i can't get from the sidings to the main line and visa versa if the tracks aren't conected, so how do I insoulate the rails so I can conect the track between the main and sidings? BTW: I have the sidings wired sepratly on a difrent power pack and puting the two sets of wires together on the same power pack overlaods the power pack even more.
Been Nothing Since Frisco (BNSF) BTW: I have the sidings wired sepratly on a different power pack and putting the two sets of wires together on the same power pack overloads the power pack even more.
If I am reading this right, you are using two power packs and they are not insulated from each other? If that is the case, that is your problem. When runing two power packs thay must be blocked from each other. Before I went DCC one MRC 2400 power pack would power 150 feet of track with feeders every 6 foot.
Are you running feeder wires? Few more details but lack of power will not over laod a power pack. Two many engines can, a short will every time and all the time.
Cuda Ken
I hate Rust
With due respect...First a basic loop with 4 sidings shouldn't overload a power pack even one that comes with a train set on a 4x8 foot layout-remember basic model railroading 101..
So,whats the real problem?
Sounds more like a short from this statement "BTW: I have the sidings wired sepratly on a difrent power pack and puting the two sets of wires together on the same power pack overlaods the power pack even more."
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
I can say for sure that you are not overloading your pack with the amount of track you have. It's the motors in your locos and other accessories on the layout that create the load for the pack. If you have lots of accessories maybe they are contributing to your problems? Often modelers use a separate power supply for accessories to avoid taking power away from running trains.
If you are only feeding your main track in one location and do not have soldered rail connections, your problem may be bad electrical conductivity. It might help to run feeders to various sections of your oval and make sure each piece of track is well connected and clean. Bad electrical conductivity equals resistance and resistance means increased load.
Having two packs without isolating them from one another is a bad mix. You can buy plastic rail joiners that insulate rails from the next piece of track. You can also cut gaps in the rail with a dremel tool or a razor saw and glue small pieces of styrene plastic in the gaps. Once dry they can be filed flush with the rails.
If I remember correctly you have EZ Track or one of it's competitors. I am not sure if gapping the rails is as simple with that product as with regular track, or not.
Disconnect one of the power packs and see if the problem goes away. Sounds to me like you have a short between the packs. If you want to use two cab control, you will need to cut insulating blocks into the rails and use either common rail SPST switches or both rail DPDT to select which power cab you want to use on the selected power block. There are many books in print (available at your public library) that detail how to do this.
This is part of the learning process.
The Dixie D Short Line "Lux Lucet In Tenebris Nihil Igitur Mors Est Ad Nos 2001"
BRAKIESounds more like a short from this statement "BTW: I have the sidings wired sepratly on a difrent power pack and puting the two sets of wires together on the same power pack overlaods the power pack even more."
BlueHillsCPRIf I remember correctly you have EZ Track or one of it's competitors. I am not sure if gapping the rails is as simple with that product as with regular track, or not.
Dr. Frankendiesel aka Scott Running BearSpace Mouse for president!15 year veteran fire fighterCollector of Apple //e'sRunning Bear EnterprisesHistory Channel Club life member.beatus homo qui invenit sapientiam
HAY MAN, STOP WASTING TIME. GO TO A HOBBY SHOP AND PICK A COPY OF " EASY MODEL RAILROAD WIRING ". BELIEVE ME IT WILL BECOME YUR BIBLE FOR MANY YEARS.
GOOG LUCK
You don't have an "overload", you are shorting things out with multiple power packs. As suggested get a book on how to wire a model railroad and follow the instructions. It will help you more in the long run.
Short answer.
Assuming that a "siding is a double ended track for meeting and pasing trains here's how I would wire it.
Put insulating joiners on the frog end of the siding switches in both the main track and the siding. That should divide the main into four pieces with a switch on both ends, four sections of main track between siding switches and four sidings. Then get 12 double pole, double throw switches (DPDT) and hook them up with the center contacts to the rails in one section per switch and all the left contacts to power pack A and all the right contacts to power pack B.
Dave H.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
Let me make this more clear, I DID NOT have two powerpacks hooked up before the problems acured, I had a Atlas "right track" power pack hooked up and my layout is some thing like 4'3"x5'5" (I think thats right) and the sidings only conect in one spot to the main line and what was happening was the powerpack would make a "pop" sound then the over load light would come on so I turned it of and it would pop agin and work for 3 sec and it would do it agin. So what I did was unhook part of the sidings and it would work fine, so I wired up anouther to the SEPARATE tracks so I couls still do a little switching, but how do I get the consist I asembled on the main line if I cant conect them with out messing every thing up???????????? So the point of this thread is how do I keep the power separate will having the two track conected??
BTW: I use LL Power lock track.
Seems to me that one of the sidings you disconnected has a short. Do this. Disconnect the power pack(s). Reconnect all the sidings. Use a multimeter to check the track (remove all locos and cars first) to check for continuity. If there's a short the meter will tell you immediately. If it shorts, remove one of the sidings and check again. If it shorts again remove another siding and check again. Do this until there's no short. At the point that you get no short reading reconnect all the sidings except the last one you removed and check again. If there's no short indicated then the short is in the last siding you removed. Check each and every piece of track in that siding to find the piece that has the short. I wouldn't be surprised if it's a turnout.
Accidental reversing loop? Having a track plan would be nice. Shorted turnout- metal frog vs. plastic or just plain bad? Hard to decipher over the internet.
It might be something as simple as a short caused by a power-routing turnout thrown the wrong way in what has effectively become a reversing loop. Two turnouts on one siding, with the track between them not gapped....that's a short, is it not?
-Crandell
selector Two turnouts on one siding, with the track between them not gapped....that's a short, is it not?
Two turnouts on one siding, with the track between them not gapped....that's a short, is it not?
Ok, I didn't know that, I think that might be the problem, but it might not because when the sidings have there own power pack thats not hooked to anything else it works fine so I'll look.
BNSF, what is your real name anyway?
I have one simple and you cannot go wrong with ruel when it comes to wiring. All out side rails wires go to one side of the power pack or power block and all inside rail wires go to the other side it is that simple. If you cannot follow that simple ruel, you have a reversing loop! Just follow the rails with your eyes, start at one point and just look to see. It is very simple thank God, I am not the sharpest knife in the kitchen.
On running two power packs, I use two plastic rail joiners where one of my mains hook to another main. Each main when I was DC had its own power pack / throttle. Atlas makes a neat switch you can use to kill the power say to a spur and still run power to the main on the same thottel / power pack. It will control 3 driffrent sections.
Would love to see some PIC of the bench as well.
Hope I was of some help, Cuda Ken.
jeffrey-wimberly Seems to me that one of the sidings you disconnected has a short. Do this. Disconnect the power pack(s). Reconnect all the sidings. Use a multimeter to check the track (remove all locos and cars first) to check for continuity. If there's a short the meter will tell you immediately. If it shorts, remove one of the sidings and check again. If it shorts again remove another siding and check again. Do this until there's no short. At the point that you get no short reading reconnect all the sidings except the last one you removed and check again. If there's no short indicated then the short is in the last siding you removed. Check each and every piece of track in that siding to find the piece that has the short. I wouldn't be surprised if it's a turnout.
Thanks jeff, that info helped me locate the problem I started puling up the sidings and I figured out which one it was I disconnected all the track and started adding it back on one piece at a time and when I put the last piece back on it still worked, so I dont know what happened their.
- ethan
(I guess I'll through coda ken a bone)
Thanks jeff, that info helped me locate the problem I started pulling up the sidings and I figured out which one it was, so I disconnected all the track on that siding and started adding it back on one piece at a time and when I put the last piece back on it still worked, so I don't know what happened their.
- Ethan
Ethan, you have a PM and it is Cuda Ken. Thanks for posting your name as well.