I am using Roco turnouts on a digital railroad. I have a couple of turnouts where I suffer stalling on the frog. It happens when one engine goes through the turnout longnose first. It doesn’t occur on the passenger engine. I’ve looked underneath the switches and found I have one switch with a wire that connects a brass strip from the frog to the some black component in the center of the switch track. None of the other switches (that I don’t have problems with) have this wire. So I don’t think this is the problem. My son and I have cleaned the track, and this doesn’t help. Suggestions?
That wire on the bottom of the turnout feeds power to the frog, and changes the polarity according to which ever way the turnout is set. Those wires easily pull loose, and that may be the problem with yours. As near as I know, all Roco turnouts have that wire. If you have some Roco turnouts without a visible wire, they may have figured out a way to conceal it better on their newer products. Your only hope may be to replace that turnout, and be very careful that you don’t snag the wire on something and break it loose in the process.
What kind of loco is stalling? Steam or diesel? What brand is it? Does it have a shorter wheelbase on the long end than the short end? How does it pick up power? Is it shorting out the track or just stalling? Are all the wheels and track clean and within gage limits?
I think Cacole has the answer but if not check your spacing of your rails. I have a bad turnout that the Allegheny stalls onand have discovered the the wheels are shorting between outer and inner (moving rail) rail.