would any n gaugers in the leicester area like to come round and help me overcome the problems i have with short circuiting / poor running?
i seem to spend all my time adjusting wheel spacing and point blade alignment.... i think something must be very wrong as ever since i built my layout i have been plagued by this issue...
tea and biscuits will be provided!!!
cheers
tim
The biscuits sound great, but I'm too far away! :thumbsdown:
ok thanks...
i'm getting so cheesed off with n gauge... it's just one problem leading to another all the time for me.... :(
tim
You shouldn't get many issues with your point blades.
One thing that I learnt for myself was not to buy the Peco set track points, as they derail a lot of my longer trains.
Anyway, I hope someone can help you out. :-\
they are all medium or large radius electrofrog points...
tonight i am trying to fix a class 47, it runs on the gaugemaster wheel cleaning pads... but not on the track.... i wish there were videos or a book on loco servicing / repairs!!!
anyway cheers!
tim
How about posting some pictures of the layout.
You mention a Class 47. Is this one of the new ones or an oldie.
hi n train,
it's a new bachmann-farish class 47. it picks up power and the wheels spin on the wheel cleaning pads (gaugemaster one). it just doesn't take power on the track. it could well be the pick ups or something like that but i don't know how to check them / adjust them. it will sometimes take a bit of power for a few seconds on the track but that's all.
i also have constant problems with short circuits and this is the most frustrating issue. i have checked and corrected the back to backs on everything with a wheel gauge. none the less lots of the trains still create short circuits over the points. i have adjusted the point blades as well. none of the fixes have been permanent though.
anyway here are a few pics to give you an idea of my layout... it is on a 300cm x 80cm board. it is 2 loops. a small depot. 8 lane fiddle yard (6 through lanes, 2 dead ends)... it is dcc, i have the dynamis controller.
(http://i782.photobucket.com/albums/yy103/bluedepot/my%20n%20gauge%20layout%20and%20models/01052008773.jpg)
(http://i782.photobucket.com/albums/yy103/bluedepot/my%20n%20gauge%20layout%20and%20models/01052008767.jpg)
cheers
tim
When I get frustrated with my locos or helicopters I take a break from them for a few days.
Going back to a problem after a few days gives you time to calm down and helps you think clearer.
It has happened to everybody on here and will happen again.
cheers John.
Hi Tim, I was just wondering if there is a model rail club near you? I have joined my local Stockton one and have found them to be very helpful. I sometimes find it easier to be shown how to do something (like adjusting pick ups) than to read instructions about it. Just a thought mate, and good luck sorting your problems.
Marty
I've been pondering...
When you laid your track did you fit Insulated Rail Joiners (IRJ's) to both sides of the all the frogs on your points, that's assuming that you've used electro frog type points?
Quote from: bluedepot on June 07, 2012, 09:33:41 PM
they are all medium or large radius electrofrog points...
tonight i am trying to fix a class 47, it runs on the gaugemaster wheel cleaning pads... but not on the track.... i wish there were videos or a book on loco servicing / repairs!!!
anyway cheers!
tim
Hi Tim
I notice your layout is a continuous run. Forgive me for asking, in case I am teaching Granny to suck eggs, but I assume that you have followed Peco's instructions for installing the elecrofrog points in terms of using isolating rail joiners - i.e. feeding at the toe of the point, and insulating at the diverging route end? If not you will get short circuits on a continuous run and it could explain why your 47 runs on a rolling road and not on the layout.
You shouldn't need to adjust point blades to avoid shorts - I have never had to do that.
Hope this helps.
Regards
Roy
Tim,
I'm not a million miles away as you know, so if you need I will have a look but please remember I model DC so it could well be the blind leading the blind.
Send us a text if you want me to pop round one night- two heads may be better than one!
cheers for the replies!!! this is like a samaritans service for me!!! hahaha
yes i think i added insulated rail joiners on them all, but i will check! i certainly intended to, having read that in the guide book i bought!!! hahaha
this is not connected to short circuits, and it might be totally random, but i used some 'carrs railclean' yesterday, and after that the trains ran much much worse!!!! is there any connection? has it coated the track in something? i have since used ipa to clean the track again...
yes taking a break for a few days is a good idea! i know from experience that frustration can lead to more damage!!! hahaha
yes i should join a local club! i really must get along to the n gauge area group one day!
yes owl definitely come round one day, hopefully it will be running better by then though!!!
cheers,
tim
Tim
From personal experience, check to make sure that all your droppers are connected on the correct side of the bus. I remember in the past soldering a black wire on the wrong side of one piece of track. I know its a pain to check. Sometimes its easy to make a simple mistake.
What ever, don't give up, you'll gain from this experience in the long run.
Before I had to give up going to the local club, we were checking all our risers. A couple were wrong and produced short circuits at odd times.
As for the 47, I think the pickups are wiper blades and may make direct contact with the Gaugemaster, not with the wheels while on the track. Not sure how you get out the bogies on the 47, but I think they need to be, so you can tweak them.
One thing i would check is that the warmer weather hasn't made your rail expand out and make contact despite the insulated joiner, i had a phantom short when one point was set one way and scratched my head over it for an hour before realizing i just needed to put a small flat screwdriver in between the two rails and turn to separate them,,, that was job done,,,,
Do you have frog switching on your points, and if so how do you do it?
Do all loco's exhibit the same problems on the same piece of track or are they performing differently?
Mark
Quote from: OwL729 on June 07, 2012, 10:25:12 PM
Tim,
I'm not a million miles away as you know, so if you need I will have a look but please remember I model DC so it could well be the blind leading the blind.
Send us a text if you want me to pop round one night- two heads may be better than one!
Hi
DCC and DC wiring are in essence the same, you might like to use thicker wires for DCC.
I have in the past successfully unplugged a DC controller and plugged in a DCC one without making any changes.
Cheers
Paul
hi everyone!
many many thanks for the replies!
some locos do not create short circuits whilst other do. i have checked the back to backs on them all though.
yes i will check the droppers are to the right bus wire, and the irl's in place and no rails touching... i may even replace the point that seems to be the worst offender and see what happens then...
re the class 47, i am going to take it apart, adjust the pick ups, clean the wheel backs, and see what happens. currently it does stutter around the layout, but it stops a few times, where as my class 24 and 25 go round fine, so i know it is the loco.
today will be all about resolving running issues!!!
cheers for the help
tim
hi everyone
short circuits - i checked all the track, feeder wires, irjs etc. i think the problem is caused by dmu's coming over the points at a certain angle that causes the wheels to touch both blade and stock rail, and so short circuit. it is my class 108 and class 150 that are the offenders. the dmu's will run through the points in some positions / directions but not others. very annoying!
faulty class 47 - it does now run after cleaning with alcohol and some coaxing round the layout a few times.
the layout is not running that great, i really think that the carrs rail clean did something bad to it.
cheers
tim