Wiring EZ track

[GK Trains]

I purchased EZ track (HO) and 3 terminal rerailers to power the track. I purchased 3 so that I would not have a drop on the current on my 5' by 9' layout. I tried running all 3 thru a terminal strip with a terminal strip jumper. One side for the positive and one for the ground. The positive and ground are separated. It appears that when all 3 are connected to the track, the train does not run. Disconnecting two allows the train to operate. I am new to this gauge having spent most of my hobby time with "O" gauge trains and would appreciate any help. Thank you.

[Jerrys HO]

GK,
Although I have used the terminal strips with no problems, I preferred to run a buss and drop down feeders to it.
Make sure all your wires are on the strip correctly. I used one strip for positive and one strip for negative. Which strip did you purchase, some require the additional purchase of a jumper strip. Any pics would help also.
For a small layout your setup is doable but for a larger layout I would suuggest running a buss underneath and drop feeders to the buss.
Jerry

[jbrock27]

I am with Jerry.  Bc of the fact that it works when you disconnect the wires, makes me think something along the line is not wired correctly (consistently) and you are creating a short with that those 2 wires. Double check you have all the same polarities joined and the opposites joined together with no crossing over.  Please keep us informed of your progress.

[GK Trains]

It is very difficult to determine polarity. On my transformer there are just two connections both labeled variable posts. I will check again but this is what I think I did:
1. Divided a terminal strip in two by severing the jump connection. Now I have a positive
    and negative side
2. I took one of the two wires from each of the connectors to the power track/rerailer
    and connected it to one side of the terminal strip
3. I took the other wire that would connect to the power/rerailer and connected it to the other
    side of the terminal strip. With HO it doesn't appear that you can determine which is
    positive and which is negative so I just made sure I separated them.
4. I did this with all three
5. I then ran two wires from my transformer's variable posts: one to one side of the terminal
    strip and one to the other side.
6. I then plugged the little black connector that came with the power/rerailer's wire to the power
    rereailer.

When all three are plugged in the train does not run. When I unplug two of the rerailers and
thus have only one connection, the train runs.

[Jerrys HO]

GK,

Let me start by saying here we go again.
This is not directed to you but for what I am going to suggest.
Do you own a MULTI-METER, if not I suggest owning one. There are several good ones and a few cheap ones. I own both, as I use my free Harbor Freight one for checking polarity as the reading does not have to be accurate I am only checking polarity.
You can measure polarity with one.
It sounds just as JBROCK stated you are crossing the wires. The way you describe what you did should work unless the polarity is wrong. Watch if you are going in one side of the re-railer and coming out the other the polarity I believe is going to be opposite.
A meter will help you determine this.

Jerry

[Doneldon]

GK-

First make sure that all three of the connection ports on your terminal rerailers are on the same side of your tracks. That means all on the inside or all on the outside of your loop mainline. Right and left aren't helpful here because right and left get crossed up on two sides of an oval, kind of like how left and right get crossed up when you are looking in a mirror or when you tell someone you are facing to raise his left hand and he does, except it's the hand which looks like it's his right hand. Inside and outside rails never change but right and left do so use the inside/outside terminology, not left and right.

Unless you have a turn back loop (a track which turns at the end of a run so it connects back to itself), a crossing (probably in the middle) which allows you to change a train's direction by going through a figure-eight configuration or a wye configuration (a three-sided track with turnouts at each corner enabling the operator to turn a locomotive or train around so it goes back the way it went into the wye), it is very easy to keep your polarity straight. Just have all outside rails of your oval (I'm assuming you have an oval as that is what most people with a 4'x8' or 5'x9' have) and all rails which are connected to it as one pole and the inside rail and all rails connected to it as the other pole.

However, since you are having failures you must either have a reversing track of some kind or you are connecting your feeders with insufficient attention to polarity. It's easiest o check for the latter. Just connect two feeders (one wire to each rail) so you can operate a train. Then connect one additional wire at a time and test again. At some point you will either find that you have an incorrectly connected wire or that you have a reverse track (they aren't always obvious).

There's one other thing which can be causing trouble: the terminal strip. The ones I've seen have all been connected from one side to the other. If that's the case you will have a dead short no matter what you have for a track plan.

Run the one wire (Not one pair of wires) test. If you are sure the sides of your terminal strip (often called a barrier strip) are not connected but you still get shorts at some point when you add a wire you have a reversing track some place. It's not possible to trouble shoot that without a diagram of your track plan. So ... run the test and give us your track plan if you find shorts. We'll try to help you sort it out.

Good luck.
                  -- D

[GK Trains]

I read everyone's ideas and went back and retraced my steps. I had a polarity problem. By just reversing the connections to the power track did the trick. I just joined the site and am impressed as to how quickly I received suggestions. Thanks to everyone.

[jbrock27]

I will mark this date on my calendar

Great news GK!  Now you can get back to having fun.

Glad for the easy fix.  I am also glad it did not take me 5 paragraphs to get my point across.

You're welcome for the help.  Anytime.

[Doneldon]

I am also glad it did not take me 5 paragraphs to get my point across.

Jim-

I resemble that remark.

                            -- D

[jbrock27]

Good catch Groucho, ahh, I mean Doc