Two steps forward, one backwards
Entry posted by petertg
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Hello again. After an exchange of comments and receiving good advice from fellow members concerning DCC track wiring and a few trials, I came to the conclusion that my wiring, albeit not perfect, was not bad and that certain anomalies observed with certain vehicles were due to the vehicles and not to the track wiring. Then, when one problem seemed solved, a new one arose. My whole point activation system (analogue) went dead. In view of the way the system is wired, it was obvious that the fault could only lie in the very last stretch up to the switch bank, but one thing misled me. The three switches controlling the street and station lighting are intercalated in the switches controlling the points since, being of a different colour, they serve to separate the different groups of points and the lighting was working, so I started dismantling things which were unnecessary. After testing contacts and on the way blowing two point motors (one with a false contact and the other after having finally located the fault, by accident -I accidently flicked one of the switch levers with a fingertip-) I located the fault. It was in the input to the switch bank which made a false contact. I then had to discover why the lighting worked and replace the point motors, having recently received the new ones.
I did seriously contemplate rewiring the whole layout but, as previously advised by another member, I decided to leave well alone and just correct one or two anomalies and add a couple more power feeds. I am also contemplating buying another, more sophisticated control system but this presents physical problems. My current system works with a hand set and the point switches are located conveniently at one corner, but it might not be convenient to locate a new knob-operated controller in the same corner as the present system (which is different from the switch bank) and this would require relocating the switch bank so that one person could both control the trains and move the points without having to move about too much, plus the installation of a programming track. For this I could adapt one of the sidings, but I have been advised that this is not recommended and that the programming track should be fully independent. The more time passes, the more complicated things seem to come. I shall have to do some hard thinking.
Anyway, since the financial crisis (as at least one other member will corroborate) is squeezing harder and harder, any substantial purchase will have to go on hold and also I am having eyesight problems which are making things a little more difficult.
However, I have not been still. I found the dual connection of the public lighting and corrected it and have repaired some damage done to existing items, such as a park shed crushed by hand to avoid falling and an uprooted tree.
If I remember rightly, mention has been made of problems related to the lightness of the trailer car of the Bachmann DMU 150 so I decided to add weight to mine. The power car weighs around 200 grams and the trailer car less than 50 (according to our primitive kitchen scales). I first thought of lead shot of the type used by fishermen, then I thought of flat iron bar and then I remembered that in the back garden I had steel rod of the type used for reinforcing concrete, so I cut off four bits of about 25 grams each and tried them out as per enclosed photo, namely 50 grams above each bogie.
On testing, the power car both pulled and pushed uphill and down dale at reasonable speeds and at a crawl and there was no derailing of the trailer car. However at a crawl the power car derailed at a point where it experienced no trouble at faster speeds. Investigation revealed a large gap between rail sections. This was corrected and the problem disappeared. However it was caused by the leading wheels of the rear bogie of the power car when running forward (something which happens at another part of the track as I have mentioned in a previous post and which I still have to solve). However, as far as weighting the trailer car is concerned, unless anybody can kindly point out possible problems unapparent to me at this stage, I will fix the weights in place and replace the body shell.
I have also encountered a problem that you most likely don’t have in the U.K. I have two soldering irons (different brands) and have been unable to locate spare tips for either of them, even after an intensive search on the Internet. I finally located a shop in Barcelona which can supply another brand, but which seems compatible with one of my irons and I am now awaiting their news of their availability, since they did not have the tips in stock. When I get the new tips I will set about installing the replacement point motors.
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