Oval of track, no power

[scots region]

Hello all, I've been working on my old layout, a fairly standard 6x4 pair of ovals with some sidings, I'm keeping the ovals but reworking the sidings for better play. Now because I have no experience of complex wiring I adopted a slow and steady approach, putting back the ovals and then wiring up the new sidings once I was sure everything worked. Well, not everything has worked, I finished laying down the out oval, soldered all the joint, put down a loco and.... nothing. The light on the controller, a gaugemaster two track one, stayed solidly red. I did wonder if the crossover for the ovals is what's causing it, but I don't see how, there nylon fishplates on the points to prevent a feed/return short. 

 

So where am I going wrong?

 

ScR

[ISW]

I suggest you start at the 'red' wire connection to the oval. Follow the rail around with your finger until you either get back to where you started or reach an insulated rail joint (IRJ). If there are 2-paths at any point, take one 'path' and then go back and take the the other. Each 'path' could have multiple branches.

 

Repeat along each 'path' until you reach the 'black' wire, and this will indicate the route of the short.

 

[DCB]

This is where section switches prove invaluable.  If you have soldered everything I am afraid you may well have to start snipping wires to trace the fault. At he very least provide section switches for each oval and one for the sidings.   I would disconnect both wires on one side of the Gaugemaster initially and see if that clears it.  Then reconnect and try the other pair until something works, even check that the controller works by leading wires to a loco wheels and checking it runs.   I have had every weird short you can think of and then more in 50 years  plus of railway modelling so I won't suggest any,   But fit section switches.

[scots region]

Ahh... turns out, I'd forgotten that I'd soldered the point switch up and had left it in the wrong position... whoops.