Jump to content

Santa Express - Dead


DaveP1707822717

Recommended Posts

Hi All.

Total novice here! We have had a Santa Express for a couple of years and this year it was plugged in to the same multi-socket at the Christmas tree and my son thought it would be fun to turn the tree lights on and off several times leaving the Santa Express not working. At first I thought it would be the ac/dc or the controller as the controller light was only working intermittently however it seems to remain powered on until the train is placed on to the track. What could be the fault?

Thanks

Dave

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Are you saying that when the track is empty the controller power indicator is on, but the controller power indicator goes off when the loco is placed on the track?

If this is correct, then the loco has developed a "short circuit" fault. Short circuits across the controller output [track] create a situation where the controller is trying to provide more current than it can supply, so the controller shuts down to protect itself.

At the top of the "General Discussion" is a sticky 'FAQ Index' thread. Read FAQ1, which might assist.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You need a multimeter switched to measure resistance to prove the loco has a 'short circuit' and find the source of it if it does. Multimeters can be purchased from ebay for less than £8 delivered and is a key tool to have available in the toolbox.

It is still possible that the controller is faulty due to your son switching it on and off in quick succession. The multimeter can also be used to measure the output voltage and current from the controller. It may be that the controller is shutting down at a current which is much lower than its factory set trigger value. But this seems unlikely since the 9 volt battery test directly on the loco didn't work.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't know if this is much help, but I use one of those cheap controllers out of a set to test my locos. I found the backward/forward switch doesn't always make contact. In my case all I have to do is push it to the left or right a little then everything works.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just another little thing may be worth looking at is if one of the wheels has picked up a bit of metal or a track pin as it could be shorting across from the wheel to body. Just look really carefully all round the inside of the wheels next to the body. Could even be a bauble hanger if under the xmas tree

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
×
  • Create New...