Problems with an insulated reversing loop

[Bill SR]

On my ON30 layout I have a reversing loop and I have insulated the loop with plastic insulators. As a further description the insulated track section is between two facing turnouts. I have a DCC Forney and a DCC 4-4-0. The problem I am having is that the loco causes a short (the leds blink) when it crosses the point at which the track is insulated. I have tried to run the engines at full speed to see ifv they could coast over the insulation joint without success. I have tried cutting the gap wider to see if the short is avoided without success. It appears the trailing (or leading) wheels are causing the short but  I am not sure. Help!!
Bill Waggener

[Joe Satnik]

Hi, Bill.

Are there any frog powering wires under your turnouts?  Are they hooked up to anything?

What method are you using to reverse the polarity?

Can you somehow post a diagram or picture of your layout, or at least the shorting location and the turnouts around it?

AnyRail.com layout CAD program would be an excellent way to do this.  (Download is free for first 50 track pieces.)

Otherwise, you could code your layout to describe it better.  

Descriptions should begin and end at a turnout end:

For example, Turnout 1 is a left.  It has a points end, divergent end and mainline end. Its points end is facing west.

Its divergent end is connected to a double insulated joint, curves right, is conected to the output of the reverser, through a double insulator and connects back up to the main end of turnout 1:

T1LWD - DI- CR - RO - DI - T1LWM

A wye turnout could be coded as Y  with a Left, Right and Points end.

Any track section hooked up to the 2 output terminals of the DCC controller would have to be polarity (or "phase") designated.

Reverser output terminals  do not need to be designated.

Use compass designation for the rail, such as N, SE, etc.

DCC output terminal 2 connected to the South West rail would be DCC2SW

Write as many lines of code as needed until all turnout ends and power connections to the rails on your layout are mentioned.  

Thanks.

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik

Edit: Grammar, added "or phase", added "and power connections to the rails".

[pjf]

Hello Bill, my first question is are you using an auto reverse module or DT, DT switch. Either way the turnouts should not be part of the reverse loop and offset the isolators even if it is 1 or 2 millimeters apart across side to side. I had the same problem until I made those changes. If the two wheels across of the loco touch the opposing polarity the auto reverse module can not react instantaneously and creates a short. Just cut the rail on one side enough to stop conductivity and use the plastic connector on the other side, also if the length of you trains is longer the reverse loop the last car like a caboose with lights can short out your track. pjf

[Bill SR]

Thanks to both of you I understand the problem !! Now I just have to get out the soldering iron and fix it....
Bill

[Stevelewis]

I used  reverse  loop  modules  on  my  G  scale  garden  line extensively  with  no  problems  wahtsoever.

However  when  i  installed  them  on  an 0n30  line  i  found  that  problems  were  caused  byt  Bachmann  Lighted  passenger  cars,  as  they  collected  power  form  'one side' on 1  truck  and  'the  other  side  on  the  2nd  truck,  thus  the rail  gap  was  crossed  at passed  at 'different  times' so to  speak,  this  caused  'confusuion' to  the  reverse loop module which  then  failed  to  work correctly.

Elimination  of  the  passenger  car would immediately  stop the  problem, but  we  modified  the   power  collection  arrangement on  hte  passenger  cars  which  cured  the  problem!