I am using the “DCC Friendly” Walthers Shinohara Code 83 #6 turnouts on my layout. I am using a Digitrax Super Empire Builder for power. The turnouts have no additional wiring, the are on the layout just as they came from their packages. I am using manual Caboose Hobbies to throw them - simple, at least so far.
My Trix Mikado runs great through all directions of these turnouts at some speed. However, when I crawl through them in my yard area, the wheels on the front part of the tender short out the power and the loco dies.
Where exactly on the frog do I apply the nail polish to prevent the short? On top of the V? Inside the rail?
A photo or illustration would be greatly appreciated. I searched and found lots of information on using nail polish, but no one explained exactly where to apply it. As you can tell, when it comes to electrical issues, I am rather challenged.
There is the answer to your own question. If this is really a frog issue, where ever the wheel touching the frog is causing the short is where the nail polish would go.
If the frog is really the problem and not a point short problem, I don’t know about the Walthers, but on a Peco this is directly on the top the first 1/8" where the metal of the two departing rails get very close together. There is a photo of this, posted in this very forum somewhere. Try searching under Peco rather than Walthers. I’ll see if I can scare it up.
Edit. Yup that was easy. Fourth post down on this thread where the red arrow points: http://www.trains.com/TRC/CS/forums/938457/ShowPost.aspx
However he recommending a much bigger (longer) area than I would. The longer the space the nail polish is placed the larger the area the dead spot will be, thus increasing the chance of stalling.
I still didn’t know Walthers had shorting frog issues.
A more permanent fix is to use a cut-off disk and cut a gap in the rails about 1/4" outward from the plastic spacer. That way, you don’t ever have to repaint it, which you will have to do once the loco begins to short out in a week or three, and you’ll never get another short because when the offending wheel(s) make contact with both rails at that spot, neither will have power.
If it is really the new Shinohara design, the frog is insulated (dead) and very small. These are short proof my experience anyway. May be you would like to look at the loco instead the problem may be there.
The nail polish thing is for Peco turnouts only not Shinohara.
As ive said before, why not use live frog switches, save all the hassle of nail varnish and shorts altogether! All these problems will be gone as the complete frog area will be the same polarity and live toboot!
Live frog switches have their disadvantages however. The main one being more difficult to install. You need to cut gaps, and you need more power connections. My Peco switches seem to be breaking in, and improving with use. At first I was getting a lot of stalls and shorts, now I almost never get them. The big wheels on steam seem to be the worst.
I ran around the front yard for two days before I stumbled on to the solution to this problem. The cat kept catching the frogs before I could get the little brush out of the bottle. The solution is to prop the front door open, while my wife runs the electric can opener in the kitchen. Works great!!