Short circuits

Model Railroader Layouts and layout building
1

Just reading the electrical problem jhoff310 is having, I’ve just had a frustrating time too.

When I was leaning on my layout watching trains roll by they all of a sudden stopped and the Lenz display showed OFF, quickly checked for derailments etc none found. Took all rolling stock off, still the same, isolated reversing loops (they are using clippy leads).

Finally went back to where I was leaning on the layout, there it was, I had leant on a roll of solder and had shorted a siding!!
It’s funny the feeling one gets at the instant everything stops, sort of mild panic, then frustration as you can’t find the short, then DOH!! as it’s plainly obvious!!
Anybody else have silly short circuits?

Ken.[:I][:D]

2

Yep–I spent a good long while trying to find the source of an intermittent short circuit, checked wiring until I was blue in the face and nearly ended up doing a rebuild of an engine. I discovered the cause by accident–I use a steel rivet punch to drive track nails and spikes, and had laid it in between the tracks on a spur. Whenever the table was jostled it would roll around and occasionally close a circuit between one rail and the other, causing a short.