Short Circuits in Turnouts

[WGL]

  I searched for this problem & found much about derailing, instead.
I have had 2 Walthers PowerLoc turnouts short out after 5-6 months of use, a steel alloy right-hand one & a nickel silver left-hand one.  I use them mostly to send current from one oval to another, so that each train has its own track.  In checking the rails for current, I find the current stops at the curved rails in the turnouts.  I wonder how common this problem is.  I just e-mailed Walthers to ask them about it & request replacements.

  I see that derailments at turnouts are a common problem.  The guide wheels of my new Bachmann 4-8-4 slip out of place in the turnout.  I found no spring to shorten or remove.  YampaBob said that a little weight on the guide wheel assembly might help.  I am puzzling how to do it.  Has anyone had success with that?

[Jim Banner]

If you have power up to the turnout but not beyond, then it is not a short circuit you have but an open circuit.  The easiest fix is to run feeder wires from your inside oval to your outside oval.  This is a permanent fix.

I have added weight in the form of sheet lead to the tops of the pony trucks on a number of locomotives.  Usually there is enough room on top of the truck for a piece of lead 1/16" to 1/8" thick.  Just make sure the top of the lead is not scraping against the bottom of the boiler etc.  Often a piece of lead only 1/4 x 3/8 is enough.  It can be held in place with ACC, or better, Goo.

But before going to the trouble of adding weight, pick up an NMRA track and wheel gauge from your favourite hobby dealer and use it to check the the wheels and the rails where you are having problems.  If either the track gauge (distance between the rails) or the wheel gauge (distance between the flanges) is wrong, adding a whole lot of weight will not help.

[WGL]

  Thanks, Jim. 

The curved rail is not touching the straight one.  When I press the curved against the straight, I see a spark, & the train resumes running.   I'll have to search for information about feeder wires.  That solution would stop me from being at the mercy of malfunctioning turnouts.

The nearest hobby shop is a 50-60 mile round trip, so I may try adding weight to the pony truck in a way that I can easily undo, if it doesn't help.

[Yampa Bob]

WGL,
I'm working up some diagrams on wiring schemes for various types and sizes of layouts, and will send to you email when I get them finished, hopefully today.

The pictures you sent of your layout will be a big help.

[mf5117]

can you re bush the wheels if you have slop . or buy quality trucks and wheels .  i have a couple of cars with wheel slop . i gaged my couplers.and has been a big improvment on derails. or does this very from manufacture .or are certain ho rolling stock made for different track .like the flex track and the difference in the ez track . my question is if you have bachmann ez track is it better to stay with bachmann rolling stock . apposed to buying mix and match .my hoppers are all athrean set .i added to the freight set that came with the track set.then have 1 set of overland 50' passengers ......  reagards   mark f

[WGL]

Thanks, Bob.  I purchased the wire & terminal strip at Radio Shack, but I'm not sure what to do with them:  booster's wire into terminal strip & feeder wires out to the 3 ovals or booster's wire left in the EZ track terminal rerailer track & wire from the terminals on the other side of the rerailer to ?

  This morning a tech from Walters called & advised cleaning the points with an Exacto blade.  He said PowerLoc was not intended for hobby use, just occasional use, like around the tree at Christmas!  I said they should caution readers of their catalog, as they do about the minimum radius for their passenger cars.  Anyway, I've had no problem yet with the track, just with the turnouts.

[Yampa Bob]

I'm adding an overlay of a suggested wiring scheme on one of the pictures you sent. That would probably explain it better than a diagram.

[WGL]

 Bob, thanks a lot for the diagram of wiring a terminal strip.  No instructions came with it.  I thought all of the terminals were connected by a wire inside.  I managed to connect the 8 terminals on the one side with jumpers & connect my booster.  For now, I wired from the other side of the terminal strip to the EZ Track terminal rerailer track on the outer oval & the PowerLoc terminal rerailer on the inner oval.  The middle oval has no terminal rerailer.  Current now reaches the middle from the inner oval, as long as the turnouts between middle & inner still conduct.  Next, I'll work on feeding the middle oval.