# whats wrong???



## dagnarble (Mar 23, 2010)

I just laid my last piece of track on my layout turned on the power, put my 44 tonner on the track and nothing. Total track in layout is 60 ft, with a couple of reverse loops. I was using a small Bachmann HO transformer that had worked fine for testing during assembly. I had the engine sitting right over the terminal joiners supplying power but it only moved about 1 in then stopped. put a meter on the rails and they seemed o.k.but none of the three locos I tried would run. There seemed to be a little less power down the line and I have not installed my bus line yet, but these were right at he point of power input and I thought they should have run until power dropped off, farther down the line. Can't be the locos cause they worked fine on my test track afterwards. My connections to the power were fine and I got good readings where the power entered the track. Been away for about ten years and can't figure this out. HELP.


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Are you sure you don't have some unexpected electrical short between the inner and outer rails? They should be completely isolated from each other. Not to be a putz, but are you sure you didn't inadvertenly loop back the outer rail to hook up with the inner rail?

You say you got "good readings" ... of DC voltage via a multimeter?

If I were you, I'd isolate a short section of track in way of the transformer hookup and see if the train runs on that OK. Then, add more and more localized sections of track to see if you can deduce any problem and/or symptomatic problem.


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## dagnarble (Mar 23, 2010)

I'll give that a try. Could having one of the reverse loops switched over be the same thing as crossing the tracks? I have not yet installed my auto reversers Thanks


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## tkruger (Jan 18, 2009)

Check that you did not leave a piece of rail or something across the tracks. I did this once and it took a bit to figure it out. I thought it had to be a connection or bad joint or wire. Nope it was just a two inch rail jumping the two rails together. I have also had the insulator go bad on a set of metal wheels. This caused a short also. That was on a box car though.


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## dagnarble (Mar 23, 2010)

Thought I checked the track well but will do agian. If there was a short how come my meter gave me normal readings?? Not an electrician so I don't know what is involved.


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## Reckers (Oct 11, 2009)

Dag,
TJ and TK are giving you sound advice. Take it in logical steps to isolate where the problem begins:

1. Will applying power directly to the engine make it work? If yes, you've eliminated half your search because it has to be the track. 
2. Now, start disconnecting track....break the whole into 3rds or quarters. Test the stretch closest to the transformer. If it works, then you know it's one OR MORE of the remaining segments. If it doesn't work, break the section you've been working on into two sections and test. The idea is to expand, section by section, when you get a good result and contract, section by section, when you get a bad result.
3. Again...do not assume you have only one problem. I know of a guy who spent months resolving a reverse-loop issue. He was so focused on finding the problem in the reverse loop he intentionally installed that he was overlooking a second one he didn't realize he created at the other end.

Best of luck with it!


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Dag,

Reck's stepwise track section breakout description is quite good.

I assume you're running conventional DC, not DCC, right?

You say you have a reverse loop. If by that, you mean something like the pic below, this may be your problem. (Sorry for the crude sketch.) With left and right rails as red and green, a track layout as shown below is essentially mapping the red "hot" (or +) transformer circuit directly over to the green ground (or -) circuit ... NOT what you want to do. In conventional DC, the two should never meet ... except via the loco, itself, which bridges the two, and completes the circuit.

Hope this helps,

TJ


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## dagnarble (Mar 23, 2010)

Thanks fellas. I inspected the track again it was o.k.. I isolated the major part of the track and it was o.k. It was the reverse loops alright, once I cut the track to them all sections worked. I will install my auto reversers before I reconnect and try it again. Thanks again


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## Reckers (Oct 11, 2009)

Good job! Glad it was a simple repair.


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## dagnarble (Mar 23, 2010)

One more glitch. I am trying to find out how to post a diagram on the site to ask wether or not I have two reverse loops or one. Just like the guy mentioned I have been staring at this for a while and need new eyes>


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Dag,

Re: posting pics ... a few different ways.

1. Easiest ... Click on the "Go Advanced" button below. There, you'll see a little paper clip icon in the top menu. Click on that, and another dialog box should pop up. From there click the first "Browse", then use the menu structure to point to the photo file path on your computer. Then, click "Upload". That'll "attach" the photo here to the site, on this thread. We'll see a little icon in your post (only), but if we click on that, we can see the photo.

2. Imbedding the image in the post ... One your photo has been attached (via 1 above), you can click on the icon which will pull up the photo and reveal its URL address. Highlight the full address, and Ctrl-C copy it to your computer clipboard. Then click on the little mountain icon in the thread post editor. (You may have to allow temporary scripts.) That'll bring up another (!) little dialog box, where you should Ctrl-V paste the photo URL address. Click OK. With this method, we'll be able to see the photo directly in the thread.

Simple? Uhh ... not really ... just like Twister.

TJ


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## T-Man (May 16, 2008)

On posting, just go to the bottom. Manage attachments. upload after that. Click the attachment, copy the url and paste to the postcard icon. 

Slow on the trigger. Outdrawn again. You may have to do 10 post first.


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## dagnarble (Mar 23, 2010)

Hate being this computor ignorant. I copied my sketch to my pictures and that is as far as I got. Been trying for an hour, so I'm giving up. Can't sit here all day, got track to lay.


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## bradimous1 (Mar 3, 2010)

Hey bossman... if you are looking to post the pics in the thread... just click quote and put the image location between this







... when you say you got it to "my pictures" do you mean that you uploaded to this site... or you saved them to your pictures on your computer? If uploaded to this site... right click on the pic and go down to copy pic location... then click between the







and paste it there.


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Alright gents,

My turn to be clueless ...

What are "auto reversers" ? Is there some gizmo that let's you reverse-loop back on a DC track?

TJ


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## dagnarble (Mar 23, 2010)

I thought I mentioned it earlier thatI will be going DCC, and will be using Digitrax auto reversers for the loops. Bradimouse1 I got it to "my pictures" on my computor.Guess it is not as easy as emailing a pic to someone.


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## dagnarble (Mar 23, 2010)

*loops*

Finally got something from my computor to the forum. I was able to post a picture of my layout in the Picture Gallery under loops. (still can't get it to this forum) If you could look at it for me, do I have two reverse loops? I think there is but not sure.If so do I have to make any more cuts in the line other than at the points where the tracks converge on the switches. Thanks


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## T-Man (May 16, 2008)

tjcruiser said:


> Alright gents,
> 
> My turn to be clueless ...
> 
> ...


Yep! Build em or buy em.


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## T-Man (May 16, 2008)

In the picture I see one reversing loop and two blocks. One block in the loop while the rest of the track reverses current. Once you get to the outer loop you can't get back going forward, you will have to reverse. If the outer loop is a separate block that makes it more complicated because it has to match up to the adjoining block to get to the reverse loop.


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