I have been running fast track via ZW and I notice a hot to the touch outside rail and noticed wiring had melted underneath. Ideas?
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Is it only in one section, or the entire layout?
Loose connection?? or too heavy a current draw.
It's a loop of track, and I believe I may have mixed up the red and black positions. Using 18 volts.
How do you connect larger gauge wire? The connectors are all built in with fast track, it's not like the old days with a lock-on. Do you solder?
Hello again: How big is the loop? Are you using just one connection?
If so the small gauge wire is most likely the cause.
As others have said, get some heavier gauge wire.
Are you connecting to the tabs underneath the track?
You can find those female spade connectors that will accept a larger gauge wire than the provided Lionel. You could also solder to those connectors underneath.
If the wire was too small, only that would get hot. It's more like a short, and mixing up the red and black would sure act like that.
Mixing up.the wires would only switch whistle bell commands.
How many at once, type and what build era are the locos (and transformer era; a modern one will "drop out" fast, making a short less likely)
Too small a wire and the wire would get hot too. (Mind you adding additional feed wire divided around a loop always helps with more even distrubution as wire carries power better than track. Bus a fat wire, and using smaller drops off it is pretty much ideal )
The heat only in one rail means there is a poor connection or short there.
Resistance causes heat, and will be the hotest spot if you feel around (mind your blisters, red hot is possible)
A voltage/ohm meter, even a cheap one, would help.
Mixing up the red and black would certainly cause problems if there is more than one feed. I think we need more information.
Mixing up power and ground would cause an immediate short, triggering a red indicator lamp on the ZW. More than likely you have a few loose track spades. You can also make more power feeders by using .080 female spade connectors and 18 gauge zip wire.
pdxtrains posted:How do you connect larger gauge wire? The connectors are all built in with fast track, it's not like the old days with a lock-on. Do you solder?
Yes, I soldered 14GA wire directly to those tabs underneath the fastrack. I have a pair of 14 GA feeders soldered about every 10' of track on my 10'x16' layout. Its powered by one 180w brick at 18v and have never had a power issue.
Should you ever need to remove a wire for any reason, touching it few seconds with a hot soldering iron will free it.
Using 18 guage wire with connectors that fit fastrack is really for starter layouts.
These are what you want for Fastrack.
AmeenTrainGuy posted:Here are the pics. I did not solder the wires, rather I just sort of tied them, but I think I will solder them now that I saw RickO suggest that.
Don't solder to the track.
Solder to THESE and connect to the track.
That doesn’t look good. Use the proper connectors or solder the wires (but not to the terminals where the connectors should go...so as not to ruin them for connectors).
Pay attention to keeping the phase of AC power the same on all the power feeds. IE, red to center rail and black to outside rail (or whatever your choice of colors are).
I use Fastrack and I solder my wires to the track. I actually solder under the track to the tab that the connecter would normally go on. I've never had a problem.
AmeenTrainGuy posted:ADCX Rob posted:AmeenTrainGuy posted:Here are the pics. I did not solder the wires, rather I just sort of tied them, but I think I will solder them now that I saw RickO suggest that.
Don't solder to the track.
Solder to THESE and connect to the track.
Thanks for reminding me😸, could have ruined my track.
The .110 quick disconnect terminals are available in the 14-16 awg also. I don't trust 18awg to be enough. eBay is the least expensive place to buy them.
Here are some...insulated and not. I use the not, get a good crimp and heat shrink over the connector.
I always use the non insulated crimper on my wire stripper, even on insulated connectors. Never had one pull apart.
Thank you all for your answers. I just purchased this postwar ZW, it has been refurbished by a pro, and it is not a problem with the transformer--it is a problem with the user--me.I was unaware of the famously slow circuit breaker trip on the postwar ZW.
I believe what happened was damaged melted wire in a slow circuit breaker trip then damaged the track. I had been using the ZW for constant 18 volts to run Lionchief products. The ZW wasn't really designed for this, it was designed to have an "engineer" constantly at the throttle.
I have come to the conclusion that the postwar ZW should be used as it was intended--to run my conventionally controlled trains, and that a modern transformer with modern circuit protection should be used for constant power remote controlled trains like MTH and LC and LC+.
I may also someday follow Mike Adam's lead and install sub 3 amp circuit breakers on the ZW, but I think for now, my solution is the best. I run multiple loops anyway, so it is not a problem for me to run my ZW on a loop of track that runs conventional trains only.
Your ZW would work fine at constant voltage, because a bad connection like that usually won't trip a breaker. Your amperage was probably normal. A bad connection is similar to using too small a wire; it creates heat and more heat brings more resistance which brings more heat, and so on. The better breakers are still a very good idea; they just won't prevent that situation from happening again.
Hi John: It's not the bad connection that's the issue. What came first was a derailment short that was slow to trip the breaker. That melted the wire under the track near the connector. I did not notice that, continued to use it, and it failed and caused the bad connection, and that is the source of the hot track.
The ZW breakers were not created for constant voltage use away from the transformer. Had I been driving conventionally, I could have easily shut off power immediately. But I was a distance from the transformer. It happened a few times, I did not realize the slow trip of the ZW, and the damage was done.
I'm going to stick to my plan. I never had any problem prior to using the ZW. The MTH bricks trigger almost instantly. I'll be back to using those, except on the loop of track that will be powered for conventional use by the ZW.
OK. Never knew about the derailment. You should still improve track connections for fewer problems down the track, and a separate breaker will improve the ZW even in conventional. Good luck👍
These work in milliseconds...very safe and adjustable as to current trip point.
Chuck, wasn’t there quite a discussion a while ago that they don’t work in conventional running?
cjack posted:These work in milliseconds...very safe and adjustable as to current trip point.
Do they come with a shell? The illustrations seem to show only an open circuit board.
I had this happen once with fast track. It was the result of a loose connection where the wire connects to the track from the transformer. Did a nice job of melting the track.
Renovo PRR posted:I had this happen once with fast track. It was the result of a loose connection where the wire connects to the track from the transformer. Did a nice job of melting the track.
My guess is the melted wire from the slow to trip breaker in the ZW, caused the loose connection to the track, causing the hot piece of track.
If the smallest breaker is ten amp, all wire should be rated to handle the ten amps as a mininum.
The issue was operator error, i.e. expectations beyond the set ups ability, not in the transformer itself.
The track may still have gotten hot enough to melt with a brick in place if the connection was bad at the track. I have more confidence in all the power supplies I've ever used than plastic roadbed track.
On the flip side the electronic breakers trip too easy on large PW trains too 
John H posted:Chuck, wasn’t there quite a discussion a while ago that they don’t work in conventional running?
I can't think why...I'll think about it but don't remember that.
pdxtrains posted:cjack posted:These work in milliseconds...very safe and adjustable as to current trip point.
Do they come with a shell? The illustrations seem to show only an open circuit board.
Just a circuit board. I mounted them on a wood board and seems fine that way...or you could make a Lexan cover for it.
I don't remember the conventional part either? I believe it was determined that you need to add a choke if using DCS in passive with a PSX-AC or a certain wiring setup anyway. I would have to find that thread again to be certain. I have my PSX-ACs between the PH-180s and TIU inputs, do not use any chokes and they all work just fine.
If you only have postwar conventional trains I don't see a need for the PSX-AC?? If you have electronics in your engines then that is a different story, I would (and do) use them to protect anything electronically controlled or containing the electronics. I don't run anything in conventional, command control is all I have.
I even go as far as using the PSXs with PH-180s for all train power. I probably have maximum overkill, but I feel much safer that way. As a friend of mine once said to me while we were contemplating drinking 'just one more' beer...anything worth doing is worth over doing!! 
I agree: The PSX-AC is the way to go with the older ZWs. I have experience using them with DCS, TMCC, and Legacy. No problems, and well worth the extra $$. BTW, if the breaker in the ZW is the old, original style, change it out for a new solid state one (even if you use the PSX-AC). The old breakers tend to loose their calibration and thus their protection. Besides, they were designed to protect the transformer, not the trains. The PSX-AC will protect the electronics on board your trains.
Chris
LVHR
FasTrack uses 0.110" spade connectors. These are good for 22-18 ga wire.
