Accessory Rail #6097

Sounds like the control rails have constant current running to them. I would think they would be dead until activated by some kind of push button after placing a car over them.

You accidentally wired it to switch the "neutral" (U). You need to wire the push-button switch to the "hot" side (B). If you still have the blister card, see figure 2 for a diagram.

Thanks for both of your responses.  Atlas instructions say and show a diagram of connecting one post on the accessory track to B/C on the ZW transformer and the other post on the track to U on the ZW transformer.  Very simple.  So yes, it does get constant current because the tracks are not running the accessories, it's the short rails inside the track, which are wired separately, that run the accessory.  I'm guessing that feet under the train shouldn't be getting power from the accessory connection to the track. I had it wired as instructions and after reading Uberstationmeister's response (I can't do the 2 dots over the U), I just switched the wires B to U and U to B.  I still have the problem.  But thanks anyway.  The guy at the train store said he heard of this problem a couple of times, but he had no solution.

Puzzling. Make sure that the "B" wire going to one control rail has the push-button switch in it. You want to also make sure that the outer rails and the other control rail are connected to "U" and the that the middle rail is connected to "A" or "D".

Thanks, I'll double check.  Now I am running 2 separate sets of track.  One Atlas and one the old Lionel three rails.  That way I can run all the cars that I have that actually do anything.