# Power issue



## MikeL (Mar 21, 2015)

Hi again all,

I'm not sure this belongs in this section, but here goes:

After several attempts, my yard wiring is almost there (Electro vs Insul confusion). I noticed there is a small portion of my yard that has no power (attachment, the blue outline). The blue circles are where I used plastic rail joiners.

Do I need to drop some feeder wires down to my bus line? Is there something else I need to do?

Thanks in advance.

Mike


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## mesenteria (Oct 29, 2015)

You may have a poor connection to the right, where the points end of the turnout is joined to that rightmost track. Otherwise, with the metal frog you show, it's probably a power-routing turnout and the correct rails should be energized based on the position of the throwbar. As depicted above, the diverging route is currently lined. The frog should only have the polarity/phase of the closed point rail at this configuration. If it isn't getting energy when you touch probes to the two rails just beyond the frog, then something is amiss with either the turnout or power feed beyond the points...toward the right.


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## J.Albert1949 (Feb 3, 2018)

Add feeders to both rails TO THE RIGHT of the points in the pic above.

If that doesn't work, might be something wrong with the turnout itself.


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## Lemonhawk (Sep 24, 2013)

Squeeze the points on the bottom rail against the main rail and see if you now have power, if so then the point is not making good contact. Try just cleaning the main and point rails and see if that helps.


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

Hard to tell definitely, but that appears to be an Electrofrog turnout. You should
have insulated joiners in both of the frog rails to avoid shorts. These would
block any current beyon the turnout if there is not power fed from the
opposite end of the divert track. So, yes, you may need to add
track drops to restore power. Try it. Won't do any harm.

You could use your multimeter set to AC (if DCC track) or DC (if not). Put the probes on
the rails (as if they were loco power pickups) and see where you lose current.

Don


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## flyboy2610 (Jan 20, 2010)

You cut the jumper wires across the small gaps, correct? Did you solder a jumper from the stock rails to the closure rails? 
The wiring for a Peco Electrofrog is about 1/3 of the way down this page.


http://www.wiringfordcc.com/switches_peco.htm


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## 65446 (Sep 22, 2018)

Did you want (power-routing) 'Electro-frog' switches in the first place ? If not, you could R&R it it for an all-live 'Insul-frog' switch or an Atlas CustomLine switch...Then your problem should be gone...
Especially if you are DCC you don't need to have power-routing switches turning power off and on as the locos of course can be shut down in yards or even left idling via their addresses...


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## MikeL (Mar 21, 2015)

Thanks everyone - all works well. Just needed a good cleaning and making sure the points were tight up against the main.

Thanks again


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## 65446 (Sep 22, 2018)

*OK*, so you *did* want power-routing with at least this switch (TO)...!! To me personally, if you are DCC you doesn't really need power-routing switches anywhere since any engine can be shut down anywhere, lights on/off, cold or nesting via its own address... (I've never been large enough a RR to use anything but the cab numbers, what with the 4-5 DCC/Sound and mothballed DC HO locos I have....3 steam, 1 RS3, 1 RDC [<+ I may try my hand at decoder install on]. Other DC moths are: y6b, Alco S4, Varney Casey Jones w/ Vandy tender, brass Akane Ma&Pa Connie, some GP38 from late 50s ( ya know, the one where the entire cab and headlight light up and down via an analog filament-bearing hot bulb as the analog power in the rails goes up and down moving the prime mover back and forth !!! [remember that ?!] ) + Plastic Tyco Dockside, Mantua 0-4-0 slant back, 1 brass med. box cab traction motor [w/working spring-action panto and [missing] trolley pole....
Then there's my deeply moth balled N scale from before, and when, I belonged to both the East Valley Lines and the Belmont Shore MRRC N scale clubs in/near Los Angeles more than 20-25 years ago...
Anyway, I still don't think you revealed yet if you are or not DCC...If true, please do tell us this. And if you would, please explain your choosing the Electro-frogger(s) ......M 🌄🛤


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## MikeL (Mar 21, 2015)

telltale said:


> *OK*, so you *did* want power-routing with at least this switch (TO)...!! To me personally, if you are DCC you doesn't really need power-routing switches anywhere since any engine can be shut down anywhere, lights on/off, cold or nesting via its own address... (I've never been large enough a RR to use anything but the cab numbers, what with the 4-5 DCC/Sound and mothballed DC HO locos I have....3 steam, 1 RS3, 1 RDC [<+ I may try my hand at decoder install on]. Other DC moths are: y6b, Alco S4, Varney Casey Jones w/ Vandy tender, brass Akane Ma&Pa Connie, some GP38 from late 50s ( ya know, the one where the entire cab and headlight light up and down via an analog filament-bearing hot bulb as the analog power in the rails goes up and down moving the prime mover back and forth !!! [remember that ?!] ) + Plastic Tyco Dockside, Mantua 0-4-0 slant back, 1 brass med. box cab traction motor [w/working spring-action panto and [missing] trolley pole....
> Then there's my deeply moth balled N scale from before, and when, I belonged to both the East Valley Lines and the Belmont Shore MRRC N scale clubs in/near Los Angeles more than 20-25 years ago...
> Anyway, I still don't think you revealed yet if you are or not DCC...If true, please do tell us this. And if you would, please explain your choosing the Electro-frogger(s) ......M 🌄🛤


 Hi Telltale,

I am DCC, and why do I use Electrofrog? Good question ... I tried to use up my existing inventory and being honest I used Electro and Insul almost randomly ...

Mike


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## Lemonhawk (Sep 24, 2013)

The turnouts found you, not the other way around  Probably easier to live with them for awhile than mess around changing them. I think there are instructions for converting them to insul somewhere but you would need to remove them to work on them I think.


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## 65446 (Sep 22, 2018)

Well, OK then. There ya go....


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## mesenteria (Oct 29, 2015)

If you find that you'll have to isolate the frog, or deaden it, you'll need to sever it from the closure rails (the inner pair that flare out to the two guards nearest the frog), and then you'll need to cut the frog rails far enough out from the frog that a metal tire can't bridge the rails and short. That would probably be in the range of 1/4". Or, just paint each rail out that far with clear nail varnish.


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