Last night i am running my trains when i notice the light in the engine flickering - and a little sputtering. It travels another 15 feet or so then just dies. I am wondering if it the battery?
Come to realize it is not the engine at all - the entire layout does not have power. That is, not the entire layout, but everything wired from terminal block 1 and the one throttle on my z4000. Completely dead. No lighted cars no engine no nothing as if it was completely off. Other throttle and terminal block are working fine.
pertinent facts.
1. there is no short as volts are steady at 18-19
2. Tested another transformer in lieu of z4000 left throttle - nothing.
3. All wires tight transformer - AIU - Terminal block
4. Been running this layout for 10 years....nothing like this ever before.
5. Decide to run new wires from terminal block to track just as a starting point.. I connect 1 red wire from terminal block to center rail of arbitrary track. (the closest) and everything turns on as if nothing has happened. I have several toggle and blocks on the layout. Adding that one wire makes it all work just fine.
So the easier answer appears just keep that one extra red wire there. That gets me running.
However, something happened. I can start diagnosing certain wiring etc. But admittedly, my wires system is spaghetti - it would take forever. I can't imagine why all of the sudden this one wire gives the layout power.
thoughts?
