Model Railway Forum

Hello

I would be grateful for some help with a problem I have with the attached layout. The layout started out as the Hornby Trakmat layout but we have adapted it somewhat as you can see. It is DC powered and the points are standard Hornby.

So when Points 1 is switched to turn Section A is live. When Points 2 is switched straight and Points 3 is switched turn Section C is live. When Points 2 and 3 are both switched straight Section D is live. However, When Points 2 is switched to turn Section B, which runs into the station, for some reason is dead. I have tried connecting Section B to Section C but then both sections are live and I can't run separate trains into station and goods shed. Can anyone advise how to wire this so that Section B can be run independently of C and D? I am completely stumped.

All help gratefully received.

John

The way you have it wired would be improved if a separate power point was installed after Point 1 on Section A. Then trains can run round the circuit and you can control Section A separately.

What you describe happening shouldn't be happening as far as I can tell.
Points 2 set to station enables electricity to go to only sect B
Points 2 set to ahead and point 3 to goods shed re-routes power to goods shed and isolates (or should) sect B

Points 2 and 3 set to ahead isolate the goods shed and station areas, and power section D.

In all of this routing however, Points 1 needs to be set to turn left as if it is set to ahead, no power gets to section A, hence my first comment.

I wish I could do it in pictures - it would be clearer!

At a guess, there is something wrong with the connection between section A outer rail and the point right hand stock rail i.e. it is not making contact. Please check the little spring contact between the outer rail and the tip of the stock rail. They sometimes get bent down, so no longer make contact.

Regards Rick

The very top headshunt part of the siding will be dead unless you power the headshunt seperately. You don't need a seperate controller. Just an extra set of wires and a switch. The switch is just to isolate the headshunt if needed.

Thanks all for your helpful comments. I will check the points as suggested.

So it was the points. The connection in the middle of the points, where the outer moving rail pivots, was faulty. It was impossible to get under it to prize it up so I had to solder a bridging wire. Not very pretty but at least it works.

Thanks once again for the advice.