After a few months of settling in & setting up, I finally got around to hooking up my trusty MRC200. I put my most sensitive engine on the track, & fired it up.
Nothing. Not only was there no power (as evidenced by my multimeter), but ther pilot light got dimmer as I turned up the throttle, finally winking out entirely. I tried a different outlet in the room, same result.
Is it time for a new transformer, (hello DCC…), or could this be fixed?
Thanks, Paul.
Disconnect the transformer (power pack is the more correct term for a DC unit) from the track and anything else. This is to make sure you don’t have an external short circuit. Plug it in, see if there is voltage on the AC terminals - determines if transformer portion is working. Then turn the throttle full on, and check DC voltage on the track terminals. Should be 12-16 volts. This determines whether or not the rectifier is working, and the control circuit is capable of passing full voltage.
If the problem is in the power pack, fixing it is up to you. It means getting into the inside of the case and replacing the defective component(s). If you are looking for an excuse to switch to DCC, you must prove that the layout is not shorted, and the problem is in the power pack.
Until proven defective by measurements while totally disconnected from the track, I suspect a short across your track rails, and not a power pack problem. If the power pack voltages measure OK while disconnected from the track, you have to find the short on the track and/or wiring. Start with removing all rolling stock and locomotives. Check for tools. If you have a block control system, shut off all blocks and then turn on one at a time to localize which block(s) the short is in. Last step is disconnecting wiring, starting with most recently connected. I spent 3 hours trying to find a short on my small layout. The actual cause was an old Kadee metal coupler height gauge sitting as a bumper on a spur end where I had been checking couplers.
my thoughts, your choices
Fred W
There is one more step that you can do. After and if you get a good voltage measurement from the DC output, connect a three foot section of track to the DC output and test a locomotive.
If that is good, then you have a problem with the layout. The first thing to check is the LAST thing that you worked on, on the layout.
If there were cars standing on the track, the problem could be as simple as one reversed wheel set in a metal-framed truck.
The others have given a comprehensive set of tests for the power pack, and good suggestions on how to check the fixed plant for shorts. The fade to black of the pilot light pretty well rules out an open circuit. Rolling stock should be checked by starting with bare rails and adding one car or locomotive at a time.
I’m sure Fred and I aren’t the only people who have left Kadee gauges on the rails[:$].
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Hi!
The previous postings were excellent - and I have to add that I too have left a metal KD gauge on the tracks, reversed a passenger car wheelset, etc., too!
One thing, if you prove the powerpack is kaput, cut off the cord and dump it.
Check all the connections, including the ones connecting the wires to the power pack. The MRC power packs screw-terminals are pretty close together, and it’s fairly easy to have a wire (espeically if it’s ‘braided’ and not solid wire) accidently touch both terminals.
Boy, do I feel like a dope. Sure enough, it was a couple of feeder lines I had soldered to the track, then twisted together to pass through the common hole drilled under the track…and not un-twisted.
Thanks everyone for their input
-Paul
I am glad that you found your problem.
We have all been there and done that. This is all part of the learning experience.