Just got my track laid. Atlas code 100 and Peco Insulfrog code 100 turn outs. I have one loco … a Walthers Mainline GP9 with DCC and Loksound. So the engine will just crawl along and crawl through turnouts with no stalling. Every thing is going great and then I go through turn out and throw the manual switch to go into siding etc. it kills the locomotive. I flip switch back and it starts to move again, this happens in numerous places on the layout. I have plenty of feeders in place as well.could this be the locomotive? It will go throu the turnout Judy barely crawling and will not stall, but hit a switch to go different route… kills it. Anyone have any ideas?
Where specifically does the loco short? When the loco itself is at the turnout? If so, it could be the old issue with Insulfrogs where the wheel shorts where the frog rails come together at the little piece of plastic that serves as the insulator.
If the layout shorts as soon as you change the points on one of the turnouts - are you sure they are Insulfrog and not Electrofrog? Shorting as soon as a diverging route is selected would be a symptom of an Electrofrog turnout without the required insulated joiners used.
Peco are also power routing. If you happen to connect your track feeders so they only feed from the heel of the turnout (easy to do if you aren’t aware of the effect) then throwing the points shuts off the power, just like a short.
If your powerpack has a short indicator light (as MRC do) check and see if you’re really getting a short. Or, put a second locomotive on the siding with the points aligned to main and see if it gets any power.