Two Planks Become One

Hi Nigel.  I was unable to answer your question because I am sorry to say “ That I have never been able to understand C/ V’s “. If it was or is a matter of just connecting my direct current controller to the track, it would be “ simples “. I had considered the pickups? but when it was running okay it just stopped and hasn’t worked since, bearing in mind that I always disconnect everything and put any Loco back in its box even the Pug ( that hasn’t been converted to DCC, I cannot see how it could be the pickups. Both of my sound jobs were on Bachmann Locos ie the. 08 Shunter and the ex GWR 57xx Pannier read “ Manufacturer 145 “ when I tested them . But, only one of them runs.Best wishes Kevin 

Hi Bill.  This is another reply.  With NCE Powercab, the wire comes from the PCP, I stand to be corrected! But with the interface fitted to the fiddleyard, as it is, I cannot see the difference between the fiddleyard and a separate board, set aside to act as a programme track. I did have such a set up previously, but , it got in the way, and I have enough trip Hazards as it is , with my track record of tripping over I don’t need any more visits to hospitals.  Best wishes Kevin 

Hi All.  Panic, me panic? I put the Bachmann 08 on the track and it ran to and fro making all the correct noises as if it had just been delivered. It must have been dirty track of something.?   Best wishes Kevin 

T'was gremlins



Ed

Hi Ed.  Yes. They get me all the time. Kevin 

Sorry Kevin I wer stuck up the side of a mountain with dodgy phone signal while you were having your trials and tribulations  :roll:
There were some compensations though 





I can only reiterate  what Petermac and others have said mate,  Sort out a short piece of track for a program track,
 Nothing fancy, just a plain piece of track with a method to alow you to connect the powercab. It eliminates ANY chance of the wiring on the various inglenooks, fiddly yards or what have you, being the problem, and allows you to check if the powercab is talking to a DCC chip. Now home again so I need food, beer, sleep



Cheers

Matt

Hi Matt.   I had a Holiday in Scotland a few years ago going up and down the line to Mallaigh on the Jacobite. Whilst I was there I went to the Glenfinnan games. But the lab that develop the film made a mess of it.  Best wishes Kevin 

Hi Ed.  Thank you. That is a good question, I have now purchased a third PCP only to be wired “one at a time” .There is something that I cannot make out when Barry came over and located my melted insulation on the DPDT Slide switch  thank you Barry,

He pointed out a dip in the track at the baseboard joint, now I have levelled that and everything is okay?
But a new visitor to Inglenook Junction, a Heljan Class 33 has had a couple of slow runs to and fro on DC before getting its new Decoder, and at the very graceful pace located a Bump between Peco Code 75 flextrack and the Peco Code 75 point, could it be the “ fish plate”?. I have had this problem before, and no, the fishplates are fitted correctly., I put it down to the Insulated fishplate. A solution has been suggested, when the track has been tested and fixed down using a 20mm piece of Plasticard ? in lieu of the insulation, remove that and fill the gap with Miliput ( sounds a bit messy to me).    Best wishes Kevin 

Seems a bit odd Kevin.

Has any other loco running over the joint found a bump, if you run your finger along the rail over the joint can you feel a bump?


Ed

Hi Ed. Thank you, I cannot remember, but the Loco doesn’t have any problems with the track, just now, but running my fingers over the Insulated fishplate I can detect something, it is a bit Deja Vu. I am going to trim an IRJ and fit that in place, there will still be insulation .  Best wishes Kevin 

It's easy to get an insulated fishplate in the wrong place Kevin - they're very thin.

Presumably you are using Code 75 fishplates and not Code 100 …………………..

Hi Petermac.  Thank you for your reply but. I haven’t got it upside down, and no I only have Code 75 Insulated fishplates  Peco probably like any manufacturers have the problem , but none would put their hands up to admit that.I will persist until I get to the bottom of it.   Best wishes Kevin 

Of course unless you have cut out the plastic webbing on the sleeper under the rail to allow for insulated fishplate, then you will have a bump !

Hi Ron. Thank you for your reply. The rails on both sides of the IRJ go right up to the middle block.  Best wishes Kevin 

Kevin, this is a side view of Peco track showing 3 sleepers with the webbing that joins them and is under the rail

the little x's is the gap that allows the metal fishplate to sit under but using the insulated versions which are thicker, causes a bump.
So one has to remove the webbing, If you want to put a sleeper back to fill the gap, you have to thin it down where it sits under the rail to accommodate the insulated joiner.

Hi Ron. Thank you for your reply. But I already do that, and file off the chairs of spare sleepers to fill in the gap.Best wishes Kevin 

Kevin if its code 75 track to code 75 track if there is any bump the insulated rail joiner is not fitted properly the joiner will not be wrong as they are injection moulded by the hundreds and thousands.

I suggest you put on a head magnifier or some sort of magnifying glass and look closely at where you have used the joiners looking at both rails looking inside and outside of the rail  you will probably find is where you problem is.

Brian

Hi Brian.   Thank you for your reply. I have studied it, rubbed my finger over it, rolled wagons over it, you name it I have just about done everything . Meanwhile I was playing with a scalpel and the Insulated fishplate.I will have another go tomorrow.  Best wishes Kevin 

Hi Chris and anyone else too numerous to mention At long last I am home from NHS. Hospital Kngs College. It will take me a long time to get back into Inglenook Junction. After five weeks in hospital, having blood tests daily,scans in all shapes and sizes, I didn’t have a heart attack? So what was it? An infection which they administered daily intravenous antibiotics. Now I can hardly walk, let alone holding a soldering iron or anything else for that matter.     
I did notice a.lot of emails which I will reply to when I can cut my finger nails, this reply has taken me an age.
Best wishes Kevin 

Great to have you back Kevin and that you are on the mend.

Michael