keithboddey

Thank you Long island Jack. I like the look of your suggestion for my layout. I have coloured it. If I connect all the outside tracks with red cable and the Inside tracks with Blue, then run them into a junction. When I connect my Controller all the trains will be powered and be able to controlled individually ? Are you sure ? Does everyone else agree ?

Thanks for help lads. I should have said blue track not red in the above post. The outer circle is just a circle and there is no where to park. It is 12 metres long though so I am ok with that. I was stupid enough to believe that if you put 12 volts into the rails , the locomotive decoder would deal with everything. This Polarity thing is a big issue !! Lets look at this diagram ;- The top one shows the current situation (pardon the pun) The blades controls the 12 volts. One track is isolated at any one time. The bottom one shows insulated fishplates inserted where the black dots are. The green track is now dead at all times. With all the polarity short circuit issues am experiencing its a problem. Have I really got to go down to point motors and frog juicers?

Hello Guys. Thanks for your help. Let me give an update. I have now restored all the electrofrog points back to how they were . I have been laying them. Before I continue have a look at a plan of my layout. The idea is to see trains running slowly round gentle curves. I have 1 unbroken outer circle. (Track red) The inner circle splits into 3 tracks (Tracks red). Once I have set the route my trains run nice and slow. The unselected routes are now dead which is not ideal with lights and sound going off. I have run my NEC power cab into a connector feeding both tracks. Tonight I tried to run trains on both tracks. Switching the point work kills the outer track !!! I have tried switching the track feed cables in the connector.. no good !! Any ideas what I should do next ? I have enclosed 2 photos of this layout.

I have always used insulfrog points up until now. I am building a new layout DCC with electrofrog points. I intend manualy operating these points. I have watched a few youtube videos and modified them as recommended. I can not get them to work !!! 12 volts passes through the 2 rails. But I have severed the 2 jumpers. Suprise , suprise I now have no power past there, How does 12 volts pass to the end rails with these 2 jumpers severed?

Backmann 37 with factory sound purchased 11 years ago. I haven't used this for 5 years (while I concentrated on N Gauge) The Sound had gone ! I stripped it down to investigate... Its now totally dead !! If I put 12 volts on the motor outlets it moves. Has the panel died?

Purchased this Loco about 10 years ago. Its hasn't run few a few years. I have removed bodyshell and cleaned. It now moves ok but there is no Lights or sound. any ideas ? Here it is:-