Help!
I have a double track with 2 pairs of these #8 turnouts for trains to cross from the inner oval to the outer oval. How to I fix the short problem I get? As soon as I throw the switch the track shorts, a train can run either oval until I throw the switch for it to cross to the other oval. Can this problem be corrected? Thanks for any help you can provide.
Dane C.
when Walthers turnouts are connected in the manner you speak all 4 rails on the outlet of the turnout (the side where there are the two diverging tracks) need to be insulated. That’s because the polarity of the rails associated with the track which is not selected are made the same.
Hope this answers your question.
Mark
Thanks.
So…
I made a bad sketch of the region.
===============A1/B1 (A=top rail, B=bottom)
(B)\(A)
\ ===============A2/B2
Is the problem where asteriks are? on upper track where rail A crosses B1; on lower track where rail B crosses rail A2? I don’t suppose I can solve this with the turnouts already glued in place? If I am correct and you can understand the diagram, what do I do to insulate as suggested. The track is for single engine operation for testing prior to installing the DCC. One headache at a time thank you.
Learning as I go
Dane C.
The quickest solution is to take your moto-tool with cut-off disk, and slice through BOTH rails just behind the point of the frog. In N-scale I use 5/8", go slightly longer in HO. This will prevent the short at the frog. You will also have to slice through the trails halfway between the turnouts. If you’re installing new turnouts, just use isolated rail joiners at these points. Also, you can use isolated joiners on the frog rails if you choose. Now you will have to run power feeder wires to the short piece of rail that’s isolated in the short stretch between turnouts, and you’re done.
Dane,
Robert’s suggestion is fine. These gaps will isolate the track between the turnouts from the sections that lead into them. You just have to add the additional power conntections to your wiring bus in each new section created by cutting these gaps. If you use the motortool, don’t forget to fill in the gap with some plastic. You should glue it in place, and later file it to match the cross-section of the rails. You can get away without this for a while, but thermal expansion of the rails at a latter time could close the gaps, returning you back to the condition you’re in today. This solution will work fine for the DC you’re using today, as well as the DCC of tomorrow.
Have fun.
Paul Grayless
pgrayless@aol.com
This wonnt fix your problem but makes trouble shooting easier. Do you have an ohm meter? Sears arent the best, but will suffice for our needs. You don`t need an expensive one. These are great for measuring voltage drops, which shows bad connections. Gerald