why does my loco's keep stopping

[Mark187]

Hi I am very new to this I have the mixed freight set with all the track packs all my track is tacked down and I am using the select controller with 1 amp power supply. I only have 1 point motor fixed and is flicked by a lever, the brown and black wire

 

go into the back of the select, however everytime I flick the points the train stops and I have to keep pressing select to get the trains code again before I can make the train move. is 1 amp power not enough, also can someone explain why my trains when going

 

slow over points keep stopping I have tried cleaning the track where it stops at lots of times with a track rubber but this does not seem to make a difference, and I am now pulling my hair out as I said I am very new to this please help..

[Rog RJ]

The one amp power supply doesn't have enough "oomph" to power points directly and causes the Select to shut down or stop working properly.

 

You can use the 4 amp power supply (c7024 or P9300w) to power the Select to overcome this problem or use a

 

point and accessory decoder or use a totally separate power supply (and optionally a cdu - Capacitor Discharge Unit) to power the points.

 

Locos stopping on points is a well known problem usually happening to small 4 or 6 wheeled locos when one of the

 

wheels reaches the plastic frog which prevents the power reaching the loco. Check that the point is perfectly flat and that none of the plastic parts of the point stick up above the metal rails and make sure that any track pins in the point aren't hammered

 

in too far and causing the point to distort. Also make sure the loco wheels are clean on the treads and also the backs of the wheels where the pickups make contact.

[Fishmanoz]

Rog has it spot on for you. To explain on changing points a little further, solenoid point motors draw a high current for a short period and clearly it's enough to overload the Select and cause it to shut down, e en if briefly. A CDU is used to store charge

 

in a large capacitor sufficient to throw the point, then the circuit recharges at a lower current over a longer period, just like a camera flash. This way the supply isn't overloaded. You can buy CDUs for this separately or, if you change with DCC, the points

 

and accessory decoder has a CDU in it.

[Fishmanoz]

That's even if briefly.

[Mark187]

Rog (RJ) said:

The one amp power supply doesn't have enough "oomph" to power points directly and causes the Select to shut down or stop working properly.

You can use the 4 amp power supply (c7024 or P9300w) to power the Select to overcome

this problem or use a point and accessory decoder or use a totally separate power supply (and optionally a cdu - Capacitor Discharge Unit) to power the points.

Locos stopping on points is a well known problem usually happening to small 4 or 6 wheeled

locos when one of the wheels reaches the plastic frog which prevents the power reaching the loco. Check that the point is perfectly flat and that none of the plastic parts of the point stick up above the metal rails and make sure that any track pins in the

point aren't hammered in too far and causing the point to distort. Also make sure the loco wheels are clean on the treads and also the backs of the wheels where the pickups make contact.

[Mark187]

Many thanks Rog your help is greatly appreciated, if I buy a cdu can I use it to power more than 1 set of points many thanks Mark.

[Rog RJ]

Only one CDU is normally needed for a whole layout, no matter how many points there are.

If you use a CDU with the Hornby point motors you will find it doesn't work very well as the Hornby passing contact point switches (R044) discharge the CDU as you

 

start to move the lever from one side to the other. The best thing to do is pause halfway through the movement of the switch for a second or so to allow the CDU to re-charge its internal capacitor. Otherwise change the type of switch you use.

[Fishmanoz]

I agree with magfan that the problem is rocking on the points causing wheels to lose contact. Mt mixed freight locos do this and in fact quite differently, as do the 3 Club 0-4-0 locos I have. I think it is partly as the loco chassis aren't straight, but

 

it is also because the points are either not mounted quite flat, or the plastic frog is higher then the rails. So I would check the points with a straight edge to make sure they are flat and file down the frogs if necessary.

 

I also agree that fitting

 

stay alives will solve the problem, but if you are not familiar with electronics I wouldn't try it. What has to be done is to fit an electrolytic capacitor across the out put of the bridge rectifier with the correct polarity, with the bridge rectifier to be

 

found immediately across the red and black connection wires. If that last sentence doesn't make sense, then you don't know enough to try. However, if you do a search, you will find other brands that come with these fitted.