Randy, I think more information is needed to comment on this one. I don't know how Tomalco turnouts are set up. I feel like Click or Clack - maybe appropriate given the sounds metal wheels make through turnouts. Running 2 sets of feeder wires to where (?) seems incomplete. The comments that follow assume that the frog/point assembly is electrically unified (no insulators anywhere in the assembly).
Since the frog appears to be gapped you might want to check if wheel flanges are causing arcing across the flangeway on the open side of the points. In my experience only 1 wire should be attached to the frog/point assembly. Its polarity is switched with switch direction. For the situation you describe for an insulated unified live frog/point assembly (frogs gapped from adjacent rails), the wiring should be as follows. Provide power to both pairs of rails past the frog. Provide a single wire to the frog that changes polarity when the switch is thrown. Make sure the width of the point flangeways are wide enough to prevent arcing through the wheels. I provide 2 additional insulating measures. My points are hinged with insulated rail joiners (this is unique in PPSSW practice). This isolates the frog from the points (down side is that I rely on electrical contact between stock rails and points to route power to the points - this is minor since most points are shorter than all locomotive/tender wheel bases). I also isolate the 2 points from each other to protect against potential shorts across the point flangeways (this is slightly more common, but not necessary if point flangeways are adequate). Ben Trousdale --- In [email protected], [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > Hi all > I am laying track and switches on my new layout, all Tomalco by the way. I > isolated the far end of the switch but not the points end. When I tried to > run my new AM 4-8-4 (awesome looking and running by the by) any time the > points were closed in any direction the engine would stop. This would happen > either side of the switch. I have only run two sets of feeder wires hooked > together at the power pack. Do both ends of the switch need to be isolated? > If so how is power supplied to the switch itself? I only used isolated frog > Peco switches when I was in HO so live frog switches are new to me. > Thanks for your help > Randy Johnson > Dallas Center > Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/S-Scale/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
