ok good news! This is an indication that all is in order. The Digitrax system delivers 13.8 v for HO, and two DCC engines are idling with head lights on, one has sound. Not sure what 0.07 has to do with it all, It seems too low to be reading amps?
Its Thursday and Al and I had a productive day. We fixed the final point which was shorting out the SG in Coal Siding. Actually it wasn't the point it was the frog juicer. Another faulty one, and I suspect damaged by the faulty wiring we have found and fixed. The problem was exasperated because we have spent the last month or two removing temporary wiring and rough track joins and track fixings. Al and I have improved the whole railway, where ever we have worked. But in many cases rewiring has created faults ahead of us in the old wiring. We had a huge win today.
Five minutes before Al was due to head home, I said if their is a short their is a bad connection. Al said he thought one wire was wrong. From my side (the Wodonga station side) I said no its ok.
So we thought it out! In the main room the black wire is against the wall it runs into the island section on Coal siding side run around to Wodongs. So the black wire is still closest to a wall (in this case the back drop. After traveling right round the central island the DCC bus ends at House Creek Wodonga. Here all tracks are fully insulated and the power feed stops.
the next meter of both tracks is again insulated. This is the reversing section where an electronic device is fitted that automatically realigns the voltage as the train enters to match the reversal without stopping the train. Neat huh?
BG and SG tracks continue into Coal Siding side of room and here is where the short was found. This section needed to have the rails reversed. and I had not done so.
When Al wired the inside rail to black (viewed from his side)
the short disappeared. And of course that's why you electronically reverse polarities in a reversing loop! I was really confused, glad Al wasn't. Its fixed!!
Lets talk pictures:
This one is for Steve Bucton who also has a (much bigger) display case at his home. However I was wondering if he recognized the case?
The case has been perused by many enginemen passing through Wodonga. It was recovered when the Drivers room was stripped during the railway station upgrade. Of course its the Drivers notice board with sliding glass doors.
I was looking for an engine and emptied a storage box that had been stored for a long time, and loaded up the track for one of my viewers who wished my layout had a population on it. ok? what do you think?
Mind you, stuff in storage had suffered a few problems with at least 20 KD couplers which had seized up. A hard grey coating had grown over them, solidifying them.
Also screws were missing and bogies steps ladders were loose in bottom of the box. Another job to do.
This is Al's job. He is removing track and letting me solder joiners to one end with droppers. The original track had none and the joins were shoddy. Looks magnificent now. The droppers are soldered to the track joiner fixing the joiner to the track. This means every section of track has a soldered connection. No mechanical electrical joints here. The only mechanical joints are the "plug in" wiring hanging underneath. This is a cleaner environment, and hopefully the plugs will continue for more years than I have left. The plugs can be changed quickly and easily if the need arises in individual cases.
When I was not soldering on the droppers, I followed along behind Al, connecting the droppers to the DCC bus.
From top to bottom. SG cripple, road,No2 SG Passing siding, No 1 SG Main line and BG Main.
All this track was relaid, rewired and connected to DCC main bus. All very good!!
reconditioned track round corner..
All this upgraded and working just fine. Needs 4 point motors to operate and connect the frogs.
all done all fixed and nice and straight Great job Al 👍😎
Cheers
Rod
