Power Routing Switch Mistake

I bout an ATLA Code 83 left hand #4 switch, that evidently is power routing, I can run one engine straight across, no problem. but when I run it off to the left, the engine recieves no curret when the last wheel passes over the frog. Is there anysimple soluton to powering that end of the switch? I'm thinking that I will need to solder a very short piece of wire from the rail of one end of the frog to the other end.

 

I don't think any of the Atlas turnouts are power-routing, however there have been reports of problems with dead-spots in the Atlas turnouts.

This should be an easy fix though, you can drop power feeders on all sides of the turnouts, that should clear up any problems you are having.

Also powering the frog would help too. You can use the Atlas snap relay, or the under-table switch machine, with built-in contacts, or any other switch machine with contacts.

Dave

 

would this work?

 

Hey Pat, It would work, in fact thats how Atlas wants you to fix thier problem. I purchased 16 turnouts and 5 were bad right out of the box and three more waited till they were all ballasted in. I droped feeder wires down on all sides of the switch and it worked fine!

 

OOPS, I forgot to add, its Walthers turnouts from now on!!!!!!

 

I bought a code 83, Wye turnout for the club layout that I'm designing that also had this problem! I was wondering what was wrong, but I had hard wired it as stated above and it fixed the problem! But this explains what was wrong. I never knew Atlas was having trouble like this till I read this post! But I ran a jumper wire to the right leg of the wye and it works fine now....

I had wondered about that for a day or 2... Now I see!

 

I tested the switch again(after I soldered that extra wire to the wye leg) and it STILL didn't work. I came to find out that the electricity isn't being sent to the fixed rail that begins the siding, past the moving rail part (sorry for vague description, nothing better coming to mind). There is a small metal pad between the swiveling rail and the fixed rail, and it must be grounded because it has no current. I have a few Ideas to repair. Nothing to lose now but a bad switch.

 

By the way, the mother switches are on their 3rd layout in 9 years!