Mike here. I am very new to model railroading. I thought I’d get into it with our 10 year old son. I have many questions so please let me know if I am in the right place as I am brand new to this forum.
Background- We are doing N scale using Kato unit track and wanting to run a passenger train and a freight using German locomotives, currently have a Fleishmann ICE passenger train and a Arnold Digital locomotive. Layout will be modeled after a German town of no particular designation and the ideas are flowing through our heads!
I have the tables, the general layout with room to change it as we go but the basic layout will be a main outside line for the ICE train with long, sweeping curves as required for this 7 car train.
I also want an inside line for a freight train using a double crossover that will lead to a large station and yard. The inside line has a RH turnout and LH turnout so a total of 3 switches and some bumpers. It doesn’t seem complicated at all but this is where I am running into trouble. We are using Kato uni track sets, the master set with controller and 3 extra variation sets one of which is an inside oval meant to run 2 trains, just what I was looking for and 2 others simply meant to expand the layout to fit our 2 tables. The size is fine and we have some additional left over track which can be used for the station/yard so I didn’t overdo it buying track.
Problem 1- The Kato stuff has a feeder track. This is fine except I can’t get power to one line or the other, it won’t power both despite the double crossover connecting both lines together. Does the feeder track have to be in a desired spot? Do you need 2 feeder tracks and if so, how would you connect them to the power supply? When the feeder track is connected to say, the outside line, it runs great,
I am not familiar with either the track system or the Fleischmann rolling stock. I take it that the latter are two rail DC, and don’t require the hot buttons running in the midline of the rails?
However, it seems to me the double-crossover is going to be gapped so that you don’t have shorts when your engines run from an outer to an inner track, or vice-versa. So feeding one loop or length of track and expecting the other (isolated) loop or length to work will surely be a problem for you.
I hope others more knowledgeable than I offer some advice before long, but I am pretty sure you’ll need another terminal rail so that you can feed the other loop. Also, one such feeder pair is almost always insufficient because the many connections don’t fare well in terms of reliability over time. Also, depending on the length of track powered, you may get a serious voltage drop the further you go away from the feeder contact point. Your engine(s) will slow.
Your turnouts (switches) are probably not power routing, so when your engine diverges and enters a siding, it will stop when none of the power pickup wheels are on powered rail. You will have to power the siding with feeders, perhaps…not sure. You’ll have to learn more about the features of these turnouts.
The problem lies in the Kato turnouts and not in your rolling stock. Fleischmann N scale is regular 2-rail DC stuff, that should run fine on any n-scale track higher than code 55. Kato turnouts appear to be non-power routing, requiring you to add a second set of feeders to the inner loop. Once you have done this, you should have no problems running your trains.
First are you using the 56200 Arnold Digital Central Control unit? I do not see Fleishmann listed in their list of compatible units, or did you install some sort of a DCC decoder in it?
Unfortunately I am not familiar with Kato track, however it sounds like power is just not being transmitted through the double crossover. When the power is on the outside loop and the train is on the inside loop, does it run if the crossover is set to the “cross” position? Regardless, I would put in a second feeder track in the inside loop and wire it in parallel with the other. That is, the same wire to outside rail of each loop. Try that and see what happens. In fact easier, just touch the appropriate wire to the rail and see if that makes it work. If so then cut in the feeder track. I often use alligator clips to figure out my wiring before I “hard wire” it.
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Problem 2- These may be interconnected but it seems that our train won’t run if the switch tracks are set in a particular position. I just can’t wrap my head around that for some reason. If the switch is set one way,
I can’t really help with any questions regarding the 2 problems you have right now, but about 2-3 months ago, the Model Railroader magazine ran an article on how to lay and wire Kato Uni-track. I’m not too sure if thet’s what your using, but it could help.
I’m completely clueless as to anything with German prototypes, other than their Anti-Aircraft railway flat car (WWII era) but I doubt you would want one on your modern-day railroad.
As was stated in an earlier post, i only had one feeder wire going to the outer loop and the trains would stall out when trying to crossover to the inner loop.
I noticed last night a feeder track that I had used just at random in the layout so I replaced it with a regular piece and put the 2nd feeder track on the inner loop. I then cut the wires to it and spliced it to a Bachman controller and VIOLA! Power to both tracks in all sections with the double crossover and 2 turnouts operating flawlessly. My other controller is a Kato unit that came with the master track set.
So, I’ll have 2 controllers to operate but that actually adds to the fun.
Thanks again for the help, I am sure I will have other questions as time goes on but it sure is nice to have a forum to ask.