Atlas Crossing (help please)

Re-locating, rotating or adding pick up rollers or re-arranging the track is about the only cure as far as I know. I believe pick up rollers can be rotated on some engines and sometimes this solves the problem. I don't have a Genset so I am not familiar with the pick up roller arrangement?

 

Three rail is really pretty reliable and trouble free, unfortunately back to back switches and back to back switches and crosses can sometimes cause trouble with the pick-up roller spacing. I think it is pretty unusual to have four pick-up rollers and have them all missing the power rail one time.

You may be able to borrow an outside rail and make it "hot" via  a relay or lever type switch activated by the switch tie,. A tortoise switch machine would  already  have the contacts needed. .  In the pic right at the 2 marks on the lower pic... You'd have to do the same thing with  the other switch. Good luck   

Darian - You are unlucky that the pick up rollers on your engine seem to hit all the dead spots at once.  

 

The first and probably easiest fix is to either extend or shorten the crossing.  You could use one of the Atlas 1/2 inch track pieces to lengthen each side of the crossing or you could cut a short piece of track out of the crossing to shorten it.  Of course, this solution is dependent on your track spacing, etc.  In most cases it requires only a small adjustment.  

 

The second solution that I use on my own layout is to power the running rails of the switch using a relay.  Basically, one running rail becomes a center rail depending on the switch position.  I use the DZ-2500 switch machine with my Atlas track.  It has a DZ-1008A relay that does the switching.  The Z-Stuff website has the instructions on how to wire this.  This is the website:  http://www.z-stuff.net/instructions.html

 

I am sure that some member of this forum has a wiring diagram of how to use a relay with Atlas switches to accomplish the same thing.

 

Perhaps there is someone in you local area that can help you with this.

 

Joe

 

 

Thanks everyone for your responses.  Little frustrated and disappointed with the situation, but I've received some good suggestions. 

One more, after looking at it, any reason why I can't do some major surgery to the center of the crossing and replace the small all-plastic "X" with metal rail and wire it to the hot?

Thanks

i would confirm that all 4 pickup rollers are recieving power.sounds crazy ,but it happened to me once.-jim

Darian,

 

Atlas has their own product to power the closure rails of the switch, similar to the DZ relay Joe talks about.  Its their Non-Derail Circuit Board, #6924.  Its features are:

 

-Fully compatible with TMCC, DCS, DCC, and standard AC/DC control systems

-Electronic non-derailing

-Power routing of closure rails

-Interfaces with the Atlas O 21st Century Signal™System

 

I believe that once you power the closure rails of your O-54 switch using this board you should be able to make it across both it and the crossing.

Darian:

From the photo you attached it appears the last roller is on a hot rail (black). Before any major surgery it may be best to test the center rails with a  voltmeter to make sure the soldered wires under the turnout are supplying power to the center rails. 

Also whether you have weathered the rail or not try a hard (abrasive) track cleaner on the center rails.

If nothing works and the turnout/crossover combo is confirmed as the issue you may want to try a Ross crossover.

Joe

Darian

Look on the Electrical Forum for a thread titled "power dropout over diamond crossovers" dated Feb 23, 2015. I don't know if your Xing is 22 deg but  Ross has addressed this phenom by providing a metal drop- in diamond to their 22 deg Xing (even shows a picture of the fix) to give it a hot diamond. I have an Atlas 22 which I'm going to replace with a Ross. This thread contains a good discussion  of the problem.

I don't see what you can't  do that. I wonder why Atlas didn't do it??

There is a wealth of information about the Atlas 6924 relay board on this forum.  Power routing the switch leading to the cross should solve the problem.

Thread on the 6924 relay board.

I've done that before, but not to an Atlas. It shouldn't be all that hard.

Darian,

 

Go to the posting that I started, Power dropout over Diamond Crossovers on 3/24/2015, review my last response, it may sound difficult but it is not, time and  material are minimal, hope this helps.

 

John