Do we know for a certainty that no metal wheels are bridging the rearmost gap? IOW, is the consist fully contained within the confines of the gapped reversing section?
Sorry about that[:-^]
I checked the gaps and they all look isolated but this one gap looks narrow to me. Is it possible that the wheel is simply bridging the gap? The reverse loop will sometimes work but sometimes not. Does that help?
I had this problem for 2 years or longer. I had the AR-1 but it did not work well. I went on-line, talked to many model train store “experts” and still could not get this problem solved. When I was up in the Seattle Tacoma area 2 years ago, I spoke with an electronics engineer who was also in a model train club. He suggested the PSX-AR auto reverser made by DCC Specialties Products and swore by it. You can order it from Tony’s Train Exchange and I suspect some other places too. It cost me about $50, but it was worth every penny. It works!! I use DCC with sound and I was told that sound is part of the problem as sound is even more sensative to types of reversing systems and receiving. But not the PSX-AR. Check it out…good luck. JRP GSW&P
Do they “look” isolated or are they actually isolated after checking with a meter? The rails at that tight gap may make contact with a little expansion from temperature or humidity change. Could be the reason it works sometimes. Turn track power off and check the rails across the gaps with an ohmmeter.
BTW, he wheels are supposed to bridge the rail gap. That’s what causes the AR1 to change phase on its output.
Martin Myers