One of my 2016 New Year’s resolutions will be to improve the electrical performance of switches with small motive power.
If you are running a small engine or trolley and running at low speed you can depend on it stalling in the switch.
Is there a way to improve this? This is really maddening when switching!
I have had no problems as I always have 2 engines tied together electrically, or an engine with a car right behind it with power pickups.
Short engines with traction tires were the worst and now no problem with the trailing power pickups.
Dave Bodner had a circuit that would allow the engine to run when it lost electrical contact with the rails. But such a circuit would make switching operations impossible.
In the smaller scales, we would put conductive foil tape in the bottom of the flange-ways, so that the locomotive wheel flanges could pick up power while it was on the plastic frogs. This wasn’t a perfect solution, because some flanges didn’t reach deep enough to contact the foil. The foil also had to make a good electrical contact with the rail, so it was powered, and the foil was delicate. But in large scale, the basic idea might be workable since a thicker “foil” could be used.
It’ll probably depend on whose switches you are trying to improve.
Dick, yes, I am sure it would. But the principal is sound (get power to the locomotive’s wheels). Its the practical application of it that is the challenge.
I find if I run my LGB Porters at about 10 volts, they skid over the Aristo wide radius frogs every time, and 10 volts isn’t all that fast neither. But then I am not spotting cars, I am just running through.
Come over to the dark side. Switch to battery power…Self explanitory.
I have noticed the same thing when running short wheelbase engines at low speed over switches and it sure is a pain.
I have thought about adding extra pickup wheels but that can’t be done on most shorties. The tin foil that David mentioned is a good idea. I wonder if a thin copper wire can be attached to the frog ?
Dan Padova said:
Come over to the dark side. Switch to battery power…Self explanitory.
Ah yes, the obligatory “switch to battery power” comment. (http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-yell.gif)
if your loco flanges are deeper than the rest of your rolling stock, you can add thin brass strips in the flange ways and connect them to track power. Build them up until the flanges pick up power. (if hopping rolling stock doesn’t matter, then their flanges could be longer)
Other wise you will need an isolated metal frog to carry those pesky electrons. Control with a switch connected to the throw bar.
Shades of HO (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-laughing.gif)
John
David Maynard said:
Dan Padova said:
Come over to the dark side. Switch to battery power…Self explanitory.
Ah yes, the obligatory “switch to battery power” comment. (http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-yell.gif)
Well, it is one solution. And if you are that afraid of battery power, why not install power pickups on a trailing car and feed the loco through a cable, thus doubling your rail contact.
It was unnecessary Dan and you do know it. Someone asks to improve switches on track power and you suggest battery power.
That’s like asking how to improve the mileage on your car and someone tells you to get a bicycle.
Not helpful, unnecessary.
Greg
Greg Elmassian said:
That’s like asking how to improve the mileage on your car and someone tells you to get a bicycle.
Not at all. Actually it’s more like suggesting buying a vehicle that runs diesel instead of gasoline. An alternative power source that will improve your mileage. Being churlish about it is not helpful and unnecessary also.
And it will definitely improve an engines performance through a switch.
I would work on the equipment instead of the track or turnouts. How about trailing cars with powered axles. Don’t need a lot of them just a set of axles on a car back far enough it is still getting power. Simple wire harness and plug in to engine.
Ken Brunt said:
Greg Elmassian said:
That’s like asking how to improve the mileage on your car and someone tells you to get a bicycle.
Not at all. Actually it’s more like suggesting buying a vehicle that runs diesel instead of gasoline. An alternative power source that will improve your mileage. Being churlish about it is not helpful and unnecessary also.
And it will definitely improve an engines performance through a switch.
Ken, that’s like the discussion I read on the Microsoft forum, on how to to fix a problem with Internet Explorer. The answer was to use Firefox. Suggesting an alternative may negate the problem, but it doesn’t “fix” the problem. The question was how to fix this problem, not how to negate it by going with a whole different system. For many of us, changing systems just isn’t financially possible.
Ross Mansell said:
Any use ?
http://www.buffersmodelrailways.com/content/doc/lib/12654/electrofrog-points.pdf
Ross, they did that with the Aristo and USA number 6 switches. It would require making metal frog points and wiring in a micro switch. Yes, it could be done, but, its beyond the ability of many of us. Sure I could make metal frog points, but it would be a real project for me with my limited shop equipment.
Doug, I agree it is unbelievably maddening to have engines stall or stutter. Particularly when you enjoy slow running switching maneuvers. Depending on the type of switches you have there may or may not be a fix.
I have been down this road…
Originally (at least 25 years ago) I had the problem of short wheelbase engines stalling on LGB turnouts with insulated frogs.
The first fix was to build a tender for a 0-4-0 Porter. The tender had 4 wheel pick up that could feed power to the engine. This worked OK, however a trailing car for the other problematic engines was not what I wanted for a layout focused on switching.
The second move was to get rid of the switches with insulated frogs and install switches (like Llagas Creek) with live / powered frogs. With insulated rail joiners & power feeders installed the DC power is routed by moving the points. It was worth the effort, however still not flawless. The smaller engines, especially if they had traction tires, still had problems.
Further down the road, mostly to enhance operations, I decided add one battery power Shay to the roster. This allowed me to run a DC track powered engine & the Shay on the same track with independent control. Battery power proved to be flawless… no stalling, no stuttering.
The DC layout gave way to full conversion to dead rail.
I might suggest skipping to step 3 and try converting just one of your locos to battery power. Your current track and switches will work just fine… and you will regain your sanity!
David Maynard said:
Ken, that’s like the discussion I read on the Microsoft forum, on how to to fix a problem with Internet Explorer. The answer was to use Firefox. Suggesting an alternative may negate the problem, but it doesn’t “fix” the problem. The question was how to fix this problem, not how to negate it by going with a whole different system. For many of us, changing systems just isn’t financially possible.
I understand that, Dave. It’s no different then suggesting adding a trailing car or more pick ups to the engine or using larger engines with longer wheel bases. Just one other alternative. Doesn’t fix the switch but it “fixes” the problem of stalling on a switch. It also depends on how much aggravation your willing to put up with.
don't need 2 replies.
**Greg Elmassian said: …**improve the mileage on your car and someone tells you to get a bicycle.
I actually tried that, but the bicycle didn’t help. The added wind resistance from the bike in the rack actually reduced my mileage (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-cry.gif)
