UPBigBoy
J&A Paint Shops
X2
Are your switches insulated completely from the other tracks?
Any gaps/insulating rail joiners on the switches?
Sputtering Locomotive
- Thread starter ddansie
- Start date
X2
Are your switches insulated completely from the other tracks?
Any gaps/insulating rail joiners on the switches?Sorry.. I have mode it now so you can see the 2nd video.
I disconnected the first daisy-chain wire from the main line. I did not unsolder the wires.
UPBigBoy
J&A Paint Shops
I can just about guarantee you have a set of feeder wire reversed somewhere. Just disconnecting the main feed (two wires) of the daisy chain doesn't disconnect all the other feeders so you are putting power down the feeders the the main feeder wire and if a set is reversed you will get a short.
Last edited by a moderator:
UPBigBoy
J&A Paint Shops
OK, after watching the video - you have a short. Do you have a multimeter? If so hook one wire to a track, set it in the Ohms position, touch one of the feeder wires you disconnected ( I take it you only disconnected two wire from the power source as per what you said earlier ) your meter should show a circuit on one of the main feeder wires, now keep the wire you have connected to the track still connected to the same track and touch the other wire - is it showing a complete circuit too? If so you have at least one set of feeders reversed and the only way to find it is either cut all the feeders off the main supply or try and follow each feeder from the main feed to the track.
Done
OK this is what I did. I un-soldered all of my wires that I had daisy-chained on my track. My locomotive sputtered a little bit around the fist go around, but the more I let it run and when I put on the pullman cars it ran like it did at the very first.
So now my question is... why do I need to hook up electrical every 3 feet when my train runs fine with just the main wire?
OK this is what I did. I un-soldered all of my wires that I had daisy-chained on my track. My locomotive sputtered a little bit around the fist go around, but the more I let it run and when I put on the pullman cars it ran like it did at the very first.
So now my question is... why do I need to hook up electrical every 3 feet when my train runs fine with just the main wire?
Do yourself a favor and get a second engine. If you can't afford one borrow one from someone to use for test. Then you can tell if the problem is in the track or the engine you are running.
Does your Bachmann steam have electrical pick-up on the tender wheels with wire going to the main engine? The early version of this engine DID NOT have tender pick-up and sometimes had problems getting power when things got dirty. All of your problems might just be in the engine you are using.
For the size of your layout you will have better electrical current if you just run feedwire every 8-10FT as long as your joints between sections of track are good and tight. Every section of track needs to have good contact. If you rail joiners are loose nothing will help.
Bob
Does your Bachmann steam have electrical pick-up on the tender wheels with wire going to the main engine? The early version of this engine DID NOT have tender pick-up and sometimes had problems getting power when things got dirty. All of your problems might just be in the engine you are using.
For the size of your layout you will have better electrical current if you just run feedwire every 8-10FT as long as your joints between sections of track are good and tight. Every section of track needs to have good contact. If you rail joiners are loose nothing will help.
Bob
