Turn out problem

[WC3026]

Well I got section one of my layout up and running. I have one problem with a turnout. when ever the engine goes over the frog i can hear it short out sometimes it will stall out but sometimes it will keep going. the frog is insulated but it is metal. the turnout is an older (i think) atlas #6.

Also when the engine and cars go over it i can hear the wheels hit the frog really hard and lift them up a little bit is there anything I can do to fix that?

here is the switch in question!!!

[railfan]

Do all cars have a problem going through it or just some? If all cars are bumping hard going through it.....you might try rolling one by hand slowly through the switch while watching to see if you can see where/what is hitting against what. Then perhaps the frog could be carefully adjusted with a small file....if that's where the problem is. You might also check to make sure the guard rails on the turnout are not contributing to the problem. The shorting does not sound good.


Mike

[CSX_road_slug]

Is that an un-coupling magnet I see just ahead of the frog?

[Rico]

Sometimes the frog can get humped with a little warpage, check for that.
Take a straight edge and lay it down the length of the switch.
Does it only happen with the one switch? Only straight or diverged?
That magnet does look a little off to one side, could be the picture too.

[D&J RailRoad]

What kind of rolling stock is having trouble with it. Large flanges on the wheels will bottom out on some frogs.
Is the frog powered? I don't see screws in the wire attachment points.

[trailrider]

The shorting problem can be fixed by wiring (either using small screws or soldering...careful, don't get the plastic too hot if you do it that way!) the metal frog and connecting it to an Atlas Snap Relay, which is wired in parallel to the Atlas switch machine, and with the contacts on the relay connected so as to make the frog the same polarity as the rail the locomotive is running over, i.e., for straight, the frog is connected to the curved rail on the left side, and for diverging, conected to the straight rail (on the right or furthest away from you in the picture. The Atlas Snap Relay has instructions, though they can sometimes be a bit confusing. Just remember: the frog must be the same polarity as the rails adjacent to it for whichever route the train is taking.

For mechanical problems, follow the suggestions posted by the others. I might add, however, if the wheels are dropping too LOW into the frog, you may need to fill it in with epoxy (if you are power-routing the frog, I'd use an epoxy that has metal filler in it), and then file down inside the frog so the height causes the wheels to stay on the same level as the track. CAUTION: if the wheel rims on different pieces of equipment are different in diameter, you could make things worse. I would do this ONLY as a last resort!

[WC3026]

I don't think that the wiring is the problem cause I have a switch just like it on the layout too. What I am thinking is that the frog isn't deep enough for the flanges on the wheels to go through smoothly. I am going to put my NMRA gauge on it tonight and see if they are not the right depth (I think you can use it for that).

[Rico]

Take one of the offending cars and roll it slowly over the frog in all four directions, that may show a problem.
Right about now I'm thinking try another switch but roll the cras over it first to make sure it is good.

[WC3026]

its every single car that does it I am going to finally take a look at it today to see if I can figure out whats up..

[Cjcrescent]

The reason you're "bumping" across the frog is, on the Atlas turnouts, the frog is always higher than the surrounding rail. Post #25 here: http://www.modelrailroadforums.com/f...t=24590&page=3 has some tips about Atlas turnouts.

One reason you're shorting across the frog is the frog is touching a jumper when a relatively heavy weight, (loco) crosses it. There is a bare spot in the insulation of the frog under its position. Atlas's power jumpers run underneath their frogs, and is molded into the frog location, unlike other companies, who use external jumpers that can be seen underneath the turnout.

While the tips will help in the smoother running of the rolling stock across the frog, since it is shorting there, your best bet and the easiest, is to replace the turnout with a new one.