So today I decided to connect the track in the middle of the diagram (the one that comes off the main down to the ferry’s yard and reverse loop 1. Now I have a short.
Where the ferry yard cobnnects to the switch (bottom center of diagram) the connections to the separate buses are switched thereby linking a RED feeder to a Black.
So if I GAP the ferry yard making it a separate section I guess I need to extend the Auto Reverser powered track through the switch. Remove the gap (bottom Center) and ADD 2 gaps. One between the switch and the mainline and one between the switch and the Ferry yard.
OR should I rewire the ferry yard so it matches the mainline?
I would create a gap closer to the main line. Power both the Ferry Yard and the middle track (you just connected) from the AR so it’s all part of the reversing loop.
The old gap does not need to be removed but you do have to have feeders beyond the gap to the AR
Then you have a short only on that side of the turnout nearest “NOT GAPED/SHORT”. If everything has been good to this point, and all you have done is to energize the green ink portion, you have it wired incorrectly, you have a track nail or piece of wire crossing two rails, maybe near a frog, or your three-way is defective and shorted under it. If the wiring checks out, and your tracks have no stray braided wire filaments lying about, suspect the bridging metal wipers below the points rails…any one of them.
Ed I was talking about your post but probably I don’t understand. I thought you wanted me to make the short track between the upper mainline and the end that terminates at the turnout on the bottom of the diagram. That’s only about 4’ long so it would be shorter than a train.
So I cheated to see if retiring the ferry yard would work by simply switching the Red & Black wires coming from teh Control Station into the Yard Circuit Breaker and it all works fine.
I’m not sure what you mean by;
*”*And the green section polarity will then match the main line polarity.”
Any way to [post a diagram? I share would like to avoid retiring the ferry yard.
The whole train doesn’t have to fit in the (electrical) reversing “loop”. Only the locomotives.
If you set up the reversing section as I said, you can follow the little red and black dots around and see that things now agree (see drawing). Or did, before you changed the wires.
The green section could even be part of the main. You would only have insulated joiners at each end of the reversing section.
Gary, you have correctly identified the two reversing sections (Reverse Loop 1 and Reverse Loop 2). So, the only thing you need to do is to isolate each of those two reversing sections from the double mainline.
You have already isolated Reverse Loop 1, so that is fine. To isolate Reverse Loop 2, add a pair of insulated gaps where Reverse Loop 2 connects to the outer mainline on the left side of the layout. You already show a “gap” marked there but it is not colored yellow (insulated). So, have you fully isolated Reverse Loop 2?
Once you completely isolate both reversing sections, just make certain that any feeders inside each reversing section connect to the output side of the respective auto-reverser. Be careful not to cross-wire one reversing section to the other reversing section.
On your track diagram, you show the Ferry Yard wired as red over black. That is wrong. It should be wired black over red because it should be wired the same way as the double mainline since it lies outside of either reversing section.
Rich, RL2 already has gaps. I should have added the yellow. The problem I ran into occurred when I added the feeders to the middle track (wired same as mainline). When I did that it connected the main to the ferry yard, which if you look at the diagram is opposite of the main.
So as you say I need to rewire the Ferry yard. Just to make sure that was the only problem I reversed the wires from the controller to the EB1 Circuit Breaker and it all works fine.
Now I need to plan a couple days to rewire the ferry yard. Bummer
Gary, I assumed that you had created insulated gaps and just forget to add the yellow to show it.
So, you have two working reversing sections that are wired and gapped and isolated correctly.
If that insulated gap is where you show it at the bottom center at the tail end of the turnout, then the Ferry Yard should be wired just like the mainlines. And Ferry Yard should be wired just like the track connecting the mainline to the turnout at the bottom center - - the turnout that connects to Reverse Loop 1.
The OP simply needs to flip the feeders that power Ferry Yard to match the polarity of that diagonal track coming down from the mainline. No need for additional gaps or a third A-R. He has already isolated the two reversing sections. The Ferry Yard is shorting out because the polarities don’t match the connecting (diagonal) track.
I agree with this. Some clarifying and amplifying information to my reply above.
There are 3 (possibly 6) ways to go about it (in order of best to least best way IMO):
1a.) Re-wiring the ferry area so that the proper feeders are on the proper rails for the situation (what Rich suggesting, I think). This is probably the best choice from a not causing confusion later standpoint. Could be a pretty big chore from a physical standpoint.
1b) Possibly could just connect the feeders to the opposite bus wire underneath the layout (electrically the same thing, but does not maintain your color coding).
2a) Install a Circuit breaker for the ferry area, and swap the out puts (which would make the color coding incorrect, but the wiring would work electrically). This would require a double gap at the point indicated.
2b) Cut the bus wire going to the ferry section, re-attach said bus wire to the main bus, but swap the wires.
Gap and install an auto reverser. This would correct the short. Kind of expensive way of going about it, and it would only sense a polarity mis-match once.
Power route the ferry area. Possibly would require a turnout designed for power routing, and relying on the points to feed the whole area. (least desirable option from reliability standpoint).
I would go with 1a, 1b, or 2a.
2b would be the quickest. 2a second quickest. 1b third.
If you do anything but 1a, document and attach it to the layout or wherever you might keep troubleshooting documents for your layout.
If you go with 1a, while you are down there, put in a circuit break
