Gee, the same thing happened to me. But the problem was solved when I pulled into the parking garage downtown. (http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-surprised.gif)
I am glad we could bring this back around with some humor. I saw a lady on Americas Dumbest who switched from gasoline to diesel, only problem was it was in the same car. Not sure it improved mileage and made it much less pleasant to operate behind her.
Ric Golding said:
Simple wire harness and plug in to engine.
What kind of harness and plug would you recommend?
Crap …copied and pasted that in the wrong window
Option 1) Fix the switch:
You could try thin phosphor bronze strips in the flangeways–something with a little bit of spring to it so they can rise up to meet flanges of differing depths.(Doesn’t LGB do something similar on their wide-radius switches?) That’s probably the easiest solution, though its efficacy is reliant on the tips of the flanges being clean. You could also try copper tape right along the edges of the frog where the tread rides. Check your local dollhouse supply shop for this. They use it to run electrical “wiring” in dollhouses. The stuff I have has two parallel strips of copper foil, about 1/8" wide each. It’s got a plastic coating on it, but that can be removed with a knife.
Failing that, your only other option is to replace the frog with a live frog. Then you’ll have to figure out how best to route the power to the frog. (On top of figuring out how to procure the metal replacement frog in the first place.) Depending on your switches, you may be able to just replace them. TrainLine45’s switches have brass tips on their frogs which can be powered depending on which way the switch is thrown.
Option 2) Fix the model:
Now, I know folks jumped all over Dan for jokingly suggesting switching to battery power, but he’s actually onto something. Install a DCC decoder in the model. DCC decoders will run on “analog” DC power, so the model will run the same after as before, except needing about 5 - 6 volts on the track before the model starts to move. Many of the latest decoders allow for the attachment of a “keep alive” or “current keeper” circuit, which is designed to keep power flowing through brief interruptions like switch frogs. Since we’re talking small locos and trolleys, any of the c. 1-amp decoders will work just fine.
Later,
K
Option one was my understanding of the OP in this thread, but option 2 does have merit.
I used copper tape, similar to what you describe, when I was in N scale. But, as I said, some flanges didn’t reach down far enough into the flange-ways to contact the foil.
But the cost, for me, to equip my locos with a keep alive would be cost prohibitive, and I wonder… Would it cause problems in controlling the locomotive for switching operations? When the throttle is reduced, would the locomotive keep moving at the same speed for period of time?
You can also put a pair of capacitors in the engine to “carry you through” the dead area.
Todd yes, that what Dave did, but that would make switching operations problematic. The OP, as I understood it, wants to do switching, and having the locomotive continue to roll on when the throttle is set to stop would be a problem.
This is really maddening when switching!
Depending on the caps, we’re talking mere inches, or even less. This would also serve as “momentum” making it that much more prototypical.
Devon Sinsley said:
I am glad we could bring this back around with some humor. I saw a lady on Americas Dumbest who switched from gasoline to diesel, only problem was it was in the same car. Not sure it improved mileage and made it much less pleasant to operate behind her.
Diesel doesn’t burn well in a spark ignition engine, but the engine will run. I ran kerosene in my first truck, because I couldn’t afford to fill it up with Gasoline. This was way back in the late 1980s when kerosene (and gasoline) were much cheaper. The truck ran. The problem was, the truck continued to run (sputter) after I shut it off. It was kind of funny. I would shut it off, and be walking across the parking lot to go in to work, and it would be sitting there, sputtering and coughing, like it was going to start driving itself away.
Todd, ah momentum, that feature I want to turn off on my TE.
Yea, if the right caps are chosen, then the OP could learn to adjust his braking to allow for the little bit of coasting the locomotive would do. But the circuit is a bit more complicated then just adding a capacitor.
David Maynard said:
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.
================================================================================
Sorry about that…it was the model engineer in me!(http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-laughing.gif)
Ross, don’t be sorry. That would be a good solution, its just not doable for many of us. In HO the electro-frog is the recommended type of switch to use now.
Another thought from left filed - conductive paint on the flange way and the top and side of the frog point? Would need to be sure to keep a small (1/8"?) gap between main and diverging route? With switching, probably would last a season or two before needing renewal.
True, but you would need to make the gap wide enough that the wheel treads don’t short the 2 “rails” together.
The best way is to make it a live frog, which means you have to switch the power to it to match the direction.
Minimize or totally eliminate plastic in the frog.
There’s really hardly any other reliable way to do it… if you try to rely on a metal strip in the frog flangeway, now you have to have flange-bearing frogs, all loco wheels have to have the same depth of flange AND still you are relying on conduction at the bottom of a groove where dirt and debris accumulate.
This technique worked well for LGB when everything was inside and clean and all their locos have the same flange depth.
It’s really easier to increase the pickups on the short wheelbase locos (pickup on leading and trailing trucks), but then you still have the problem with an 0-4-0…
Greg
Here’s another suggestion from far out there - -
In my HO days we solved that problem with flywheels on the motor shaft
Bill
here’s
Bill, yes that works too. Now how do we add flywheels to a large scale locomotive, such as the LGB Porter? No, I am not trying to be snotty, I just wonder if and how it could be done. Then I wouldn’t have to skid my porters over my switch frogs.
As was pointed out before, flywheels will affect switching like the capacitors do.
Greg
HI
It was Just a suggestion
it works well on my Aristo 040
Bill