I have a right hand and a left hand bachman ez track trunouts for my n scale set up and for some reson when the track get to a certain point the power is cut off. any help here?
A $12 MULTI-METER will tell you where the voltage IS, and ISN’T, and how much.
Your engine is not getting voltage at that point. WHY?, is up to you. 2 'Alligator clips and a 12-14V bulb are a 2nd choice, but won’t tell you how much.
Could be a bad rail joiner, could be a switch is not routing power or causing a short circuit… Could be engine crossing a gap, anything, and where is important.
Jeff Wimberly uses Bachmann switches, maybe he has some answers.
Also, whoever sold it to you - or a book on ‘How to wire Your Railroad’ might be of help. Nothing works until you do.
What do you mean to say? The ‘circuit breaker’ in the power pak pops?
What I’m saying is that when the rail gets to the point past the leapfrog or thrower or what ever it is that make the train go from one track to another theres a plastic chip on each rail going both on both tracks some how cuting of the power. Thats what my dad and I figured out.
I believe you mean the throwbar. I’m unfamiliar with Bachmann turnouts, so I cannot really help with issues pertaining directly to that turnout, though the issue could be loose contacts on the underside.
Don Gibson is right; get a multi-meter. This tool will quickly become your favorite whenever you have to do electrical work.
Some turnouts pass juice clean thru to both tracks all the time. Other turnouts (“power routing turnouts”) switch the electricity as well as the track. Only when the turnout is set to the diverging route does it apply juice to the diverging route. Power routing only works when juice is applied to the base leg of the turnout.
Trains often stop on or about turnouts because of power routing that for some reason doesn’t route right. Power routing usually depends up the points of the turnout making contact with the stock rails, or little wiper fingers on the points contacting the stock rails. Neither system is completely reliable.
I don’t know just how Bachmann N gauge turnouts work. All I know is the HO Peco turnouts I use are power routing. I am in the process of wiring up block toggle switches and cutting gaps in the track to assure positive manual control of power on all tracks. The power routing has proved less than dependable.
quote user “Been Nothing Since Frisco (BNSF)”.
I THINK you are saying that ‘when you throw your switch, there is no power to that track’ - but I can’t be sure.
Re: the “plastic chips”. Plastic doesn’t pass electricity. Are these ‘chips’ plastic Rail joiners? What you need is a cheap Multimeter, to tell you.
WHO sold this to you? (They should be able to provide help) since your ‘descriptions’ are lacking.
I bought them both brand new in packege at a swap meet last fall. my dad and I have took a volt meeter and figured out were the powwer cut off is.
Can you post a pic of this “plastic chip”?
Is it Bachmann Easy Track? Or normal sectional track? Nevermind, I just re-read your first post.
Rotor
quote user=“Been Nothing Since Frisco (BNSF)”
OK, but what’s a “them”? You have two subjects going, “Chips” and ‘Bachmann’ N gauge switches’. TRY (1) putting insulated rail joiners (read the pkg.) only in the middle of the inside loop (which cures a short circuit from power-routing switches). Do Both rails.
Or (2) WITH #1 (above) in place, check to see if voltage is coming from each swich. If not, replace any insulated joiners with metal ones from the 2 switches, leaving the ‘one in the middle’ to prevent short circuits…
I’m guessing you throw your swiches individually. and one is shorting the other. Just a hunch. What you want is half the inner loop fed from each switch.
I would post a pic of this but i find the UBS cable to hook it to the computer. I think ill try to get a better pic of it then what I have now.
RE: “CHIPS”.
What does it say on the package?
[xx(] Well, about that I bought a left and a right hand switch last fall ( thats what I mean by them) I’ll try to get a pic posted and let you guys see.
No pics, comprehension maybe.
What you want is half the inner loop fed from each switch. That way it should work - In the meantime, pick up a ‘How To …’ book from Kalmbach Publishing.