Switch Chatter

[3030RICK]

Can anyone tell me the cause of switch chatter? I built an 0 gauge isolated scetion about thirty feet long with a reverse loop holding a lionel remote 0 42 switch. I am sending power through the track and not directly to the switch. As soon as I turn power up the switch chatters and will not permit the engine to pass through without derailing. Should I be using insulator pins off the switch? If so where should they be located? Also, there is no need for a switch controller as this is a reverse loop and the switch should have the automatic derailer feature.


Thanks for any help on this.

3030 Rick

 

[UP2CSX]

Rick,
I don't know much about Lionel switches but it sure sounds like the switch need to be isolated since power must be getting to the switch machine. Since the switch is part of a reverse loop, is the reverse loop itself isolated until a train enters the loop? If not, the switch macine is going to be getting power from two different directions at once, which intuitively leads to me to think the reverse loop isn't properly isolated. There should be insulated joiners at the end of the switch where the last non-reverse section of track is connected and at the diverging route end of the switch just before the revrse loop is completed. I assume you have an electrical switch you throw to feed power to the reverse loop when it's required. I'd go back over your whole reverse loop and make sure that the wiring and direction of current flow when it's active is really correct.