E Z track crossing gate

[tomas831]

I purchased an ex track crossing gate from a dealer and installed it in my ez track layout.  The gate is nickel silver but the rest of the track is steel.  The problem is the locomotive doesn't conduct power in the gate section of track.  I checked the power on the gate section with a meter and it checks ok, just like the rest of the layout.


I checked the wheel axle on the locomotive with a meter while it is stalled on the gate section and I get nothing.  Runs fine on all other sections.  Any ideas?  This was purchased by me as new old stock.  It was in an unopened package but it could be older.

[Piyer]

The first thing that come to mind is to check the section of the crossing between the rails. If it's a little high, it might be just enough to contact the underside of the locomotive and lift it from the rails.

[Gary Allen]

I'm sure this is a stupid question but which is powered directly from the track: the locomotive or the tender?  Bachmann HO trains.  I assumed the tender receives electrical power from the track and drives the  DC, reversible motor in the locomotive using 2 wires and powers the LED headlamp in the locomotive using the other 2 wires.  I think the DCC decoder and speaker must be inside the tender.

While we're on the subject of crossing gate:  I bought one from Bachmann thinking it would be electrical, turn on warning lights, and drive the gates up and down.  Turned out it simply has a pad between the 2 rails connected to levers that move the gates down.  Or at least attempts to.  One goes half way down and both just wave up and down as the train passes.  A real disappointment.  If I'd bought it on Amazon, I would have returned it.  If there is an electrical crossing gate, I would like to know about it.

[Quentin]

Here's the main question: is the loco a steamer with a pusher tender, a steamer with drive wheels on the actual loco, or a diesel loco? This will help me out a bit...

-Quentin

[Terry Toenges]

Quentin - Which steam locos have the drivers in the tender and not on the loco? I don't think I've ever seen one. Or, are you talking about electrical pickups? That still wouldn't mean "pusher tender" because that would refer to drivers.

[rich1998]

"Exactly" which loco do you have? It might not have anything to do with the loco. I am guessing at this point.

Rich

[Gary Allen]

Mine: Baldwin 4-6-0, Southern #1087, locomotive & tender.  Also: Echo Valley Express train set (2-6-0).

[jward]

Quentin - Which steam locos have the drivers in the tender and not on the loco? I don't think I've ever seen one. Or, are you talking about electrical pickups? That still wouldn't mean "pusher tender" because that would refer to drivers.

Tyco had tender drive locomotives, 2-8-0 and 0-8-0. I believe some of the smaller locomotives like 4-4-0s from different manufacturers also used tender drives.

[Gary Allen]

It is apparent that the locomotives contain the motors that drive the wheels.  Just looks to me like the electrical power (pulse-width modulated with serial data) is being picked up off the tracks by the tender, processed, converted to appropriate level/polarity DC voltage, and sent to the motor inside the locomotive.  I think the locomotive doesn't have any intelligence, just a reversible, adjustable DC motor and a pair of wires connected to the LED.  I'm just guessing though.

[Quentin]

Quentin - Which steam locos have the drivers in the tender and not on the loco? I don't think I've ever seen one. Or, are you talking about electrical pickups? That still wouldn't mean "pusher tender" because that would refer to drivers.

Tyco had tender drive locomotives, 2-8-0 and 0-8-0. I believe some of the smaller locomotives like 4-4-0s from different manufacturers also used tender drives.

Yes, it is a Tyco. However, it is the only one that I own.

Quentin

[Terry Toenges]

Thanks for the answer Quentin and Jeff. I have never seen one like that.  I just found some pics on Ebay of the underside of Tyco 0-8-0's. Interesting the way they did that - it looks like the tender is kind of a 2-4-2.

[jward]

I seem to recall somebody's 4-4-0 had the motor mounted in the tender and a drive shaft to the locomotie but i can't recall whose it was, Might have been one of the AHM/Rivarossi ones.

[jward]

Back to the original problem. Have you measured the voltage across the rails on the crossing while pushing down on the track to simulate the weight of a locomotive?  (loose joiners)

Is the roadway portion of the crossing higher than the rails? (possible roadway lifting the locomotive off the rails)

When the locomotive is stalled, does it make electrical contact with either rail? Or if you measure from the rail to the wheels are both sides dead?

[Len]

The Mantua and Mantua/Tyco 4-4-0 locos had motors in the tender with a drive shaft running to the firebox of the loco. The drive shaft had hex-ball ends rather than the ball and pin ends of the Bachmann version.

Len