as to defy reality. I pulled out my RRampmeter and measured the voltage around my layout, no more than a 0.1 V drop at the extreme ends of the two busses. There is a 3 inch section of track with joiners on one end from where I have dropped the last set of feeders, and plastic joiners on the other end to create the two power districts, and there is no voltage in that 3 inch section. I assume this means that there is no juice?
From what I see so far, I would have to agree. Follow with a finger or probe the direction the current would flow and you would see where the current would stop flowing. There will be an obstruction. Either side.
Rich
Then it is time to drop a pair of feeders from that 3 inch section.
If I may explain myself, I have a degree in civil engineering and practiced for well over 30 years in water resources and sanitary engineering. I graduated from an accredited college without any kind of honors because I almost flunked Intro to Electrical Engineering for Non-EE majors. I got a D, and, to this day, I think the professor took pity on me giving me a D because he knew that I was doing well in my other course work.
You could just redo the rail joiner connection, clean it up, new joiners, and solder that in place, leaving the gap on the other end.
I have a regular little lamp, like what your supposed to put in a buiding, that I have attached 2 leads, with alligator clips. I clip on a lamp, to the tracks, to see if there is any voltage.
Mike.
I can’t help but wonder at the ‘material’ used in that small section of rails. Could it be heavily oxidized but not looking the part?
Otherwise, Mike has the most sensible assumption, that being that one or both joiners is/are somehow deficient or defective. Soldering both joiners might tidy things up.
Actually I meant using your meter probes to find where the voltage interuption is. I did that once some years ago with my Harbor Freight meter. Forgot about it until now. I had forgot to solder a feeder. At the time it was a DC layout.
Rich
I’m wondering if this is an immediate failure after track laying or a failure after ballasting and/or weathering or time (which I think would be more likely). We’ve talked a lot about joiners not being a reliable for electrical transmission. It only takes one of the two to fail.
Gentlemen, if there is a failure with that rail joiner, which I suspect is the case, I will deal with it. However, this is the first failure since I wired the layout several years ago. I solder feeders to the joiners then solder the joiners to the rails, some joiners without feeders are not soldered to acccount for any possible expansion/contraction of the track. I have never had any issues until now.
I’m stickin with the theory that the joiners, one or both, have lost connection. There isn’t many other possibilities, either the track is getting power, or it’s not.
Even if those joiners have feeders soldered to them, if the joint itself wasn’t soldered closed, then dirt has migrated into the joint.
Mike.
Take a test lead, paper clip, screw driver, or anything else metallic and bridge the rail joiner. Then see if you have power.
That’s why I made up the light set up I mentioned in an early post. Clip on and see if it lights up.
Mike.
I have a auto light bulb and socket with alligator clips. I’ll try that, but I have already started cleaning the ballast out from those joints and I am of the opinion that some foreign material made its way into the joiners. It might mean ripping out the joiners and the feeders, then soldering the feeders to the rails and the rails to each other. Replacing those joiners would mean ripping out close to a 36 inch length of flex track.
I wouldn’t go to that much trouble, just tack a couple feeders on that piece. If there is an underlying joist, sneak a wire from one rail, around the joiner to the rail on the the same side and cover it with balast, or a little vegetation.
Very likely.
In all the forum discussions, wiring websites and wiki’s on the topic, one thing that everybody agrees on is “never rely on an unsoldered rail joiner to conduct power from one rail to the next”, or “every piece of rail should be soldered to something - either a feeder or the next piece of rail”.
Wire is prototypical
I don’t think so, Bearman. If you have a Dremel, use a cut-off wheel, and cut through the joiners, cut through the plastic joiners, as well. Remove the short piece.
Take a screw driver and slip whats left of the joiners off the long track, and do the same to the short piece.
Clean up the ends of the exposed rails, on both pieces.
Remove what ties you need to on the short piece, to slip on 2 new rail joiners, on all the way, the length of the joiner.
Set the short piece in place, slide the joiners back into place, half on the long piece, the rest on the short piece, just like it was when you layed the track the first time. Test for power, solder the joints.
Use a piece of styrene to fill in the gap where the plastic joiners were.
Test for power again, replace the pieces of ties you had to remove, by slipping replacements, or maybe the pieces you removed, back under the rails, and then carefully use the salvaged ballast, and reballast the track sections.
Track gang can call it a day.
Mike.
The solution is either Henry’s or Mike’s. I do have a dremel and Mike’s is more time consuming and messy. Henry’s is a quick fix however there is a joist that may be involved with Henry’s fix. Henry, do you have an alter ego that is haunting my house???
You could just solder the offending joiner(s).
In fact, carl, that just ocurred to me. Solder the offending joiners to the rails, and if that doesn’t work, then drop feeders from the section of track without power. Anyone have any opiniond on this course of action?
In fact, carl, that just occurred to me. Solder the offending joiners to the rails, and if that doesn’t work, then drop feeders from the section of track without power. Anyone have any opinions on this course of action?