I discovered by trial and error a problem with my balloon track! While running my coal train around the balloon track the complete unit stopped dead in it's tracks (pun intended). I have an auto reverse switch unit under the layout to allow for the train to change polarity as it reverses on itself... Unknown to me the train with two locos up front and one at the rear was the exact wrong length.. I'II explain: While the two front locos were crossing the auto reverse up front, the rear loco was crossing the gap at the other end of the balloon track and everything stopped.. The auto reverser got confused! should it switch the polarity for the front loco or start to switch the polarity for the rear loco and shorted out. I just removed a couple of cars from the consist the train went around the loop no problem! Just make sure the rear loco doe not cross the gap at the same time the other loco's are crossing the auto reverse location.
Have always read on here and in books that reverse loops must always be longer than your longest train.
You can have the same issue with a long train that has cars with metal wheels. I had that problem on my previous layout; long iron ore trains would sometimes work just right that one of the cars with metal wheels would be entering the reverse track at the same time one of the engines at the head of the train was leaving the section. If both straddled the joints just right, it caused a short. I solved it by making sure that the last part of the train was made up of ore cars that still had plastic wheels on them.
When you shorten your trains to solve the issue, do you still need a pusher?
The pusher must be wearing gym shoes.............
HA.HA have a great day!!! FRANK
zstripe The pusher must be wearing gym shoes............. HA.HA have a great day!!! FRANK
As long as the pusher isn't pushing illegal drugs!
-G .
Just my thoughts, ideas, opinions and experiences. Others may vary.
HO and N Scale.
After long and careful thought, they have convinced me. I have come to the conclusion that they are right. The aliens did it.
novicerr Have always read on here and in books that reverse loops must always be longer than your longest train.
................................and that is why that piece of good advice was first written. Of course, if that advice is ignored and the train is longer than the reverse loop, well then....................................
Rich
Alton Junction
I was thinking of doing the opposite actually. Make the reversing section as short as practical, just long enough to get the longest loco consist on at 1 time. For example my longets consist will be 3 ho diesels so my reversing sections should be +/- 36 inches. This prevents any locos from bridging both gaps at any one time.
If I do need my reversing sections as long as my longest train, I may be in serious trouble as far as gaps.
Modeling the Cleveland and Pittsburgh during the PennCentral era starting on the Cleveland lakefront and ending in Mingo junction
ruderunner I was thinking of doing the opposite actually. Make the reversing section as short as practical, just long enough to get the longest loco consist on at 1 time. For example my longets consist will be 3 ho diesels so my reversing sections should be +/- 36 inches. This prevents any locos from bridging both gaps at any one time. If I do need my reversing sections as long as my longest train, I may be in serious trouble as far as gaps.
Making it short won't work, unless you have plastic wheels on everything other than your locos. The gaps of the autoreverser get bridged by any set of metal wheels. If you make the reversing section short you will almost certainly have the possibility of bridging both ends at one, and then you are in trouble.
The thing is, the reversing section doesn't always have to be the loop. You can sometimes reverse everything that's not the loop, or the loop plus some. I'm still hoping to get a chance to really look at your diagram, though I get a little queasy every time I try. Since I think that in trying to allow for every possibility you may be opening yourself up for a nightmare. I'm trying to separate that feeling from figuring out a reasonable way to take care of the reverse loops!
Jeff But it's a dry heat!