lionel fastrack 12054 operating track problems

Nobody?...might be why I couldn't find anything thru a site search...lucky me!

I've heard that the button goes bad quickly, I use a high quality button on it.

There's a lot going on with that piece of track.  It has both a magnet to operate some accessories and 2 extra rails for others.

Are you sure you have the right wires on the right pins?  Even with the directions it took me a while to understand what button triggered the rails and what button triggered the magnet.  I ended up wiring mine to just activate the two extra rails because my Helicopter cars only needed that, and the electromagnet draws lots of current and gets hot fast!

Ed

-John. how'd you install a "high quality button" on her? Or did you use a different form of controlling it? I'm starting to think it's the contacts, but I honestly haven't used it that much...5 times now and not that long each time.  

-Ed, the controll pad has decent markings to which is uncouple and unload, but I placed the unload button towards me when we were messing around...just in case I got confused. Oh, and she's hard wired in so I couldn't screw that up.

Now, here's something I just remembered from the last time it did work...a partial push{1/2 way in} was a different sound and intensity from a full push in....why?

I think I need to treat this like alot of my engines and take it apart to see what's in there!

I haven't looked at mine in a while (they just started getting them back in stock - they were not available for a while).

I thought that the wires were attached to slide on connectors under the piece of track, that's why I wondered if they got mixed up. (ie. wrong wore on wrong terminal)

On my portable layout I use one to launch a helicopter on a siding, so i disconnected the button that came with it ans connected a different (better) switch.  With my setup the magnet doesn't energize so there is no heat or heavy load.

Does your accessory use the magnet or the extra rails?  If it's the magnet, an uncoupler track would do the same thing, right?

If you're using the rails, I seem to recall that the opposite extra rails are connected to AC from the PB, so that one extra rail is ground (outside rail) and one is hot (center rail)

Ed

 ps. looking underneath that thing, there are A LOT OF WIRES and CONNECTIONS!

Haven't had a problem with either of mine.   However, I run mine at about 13-14volts, separate from track power.

Lionel has instructions on to do this.

Ah-hah, bad/dirty controller contacts! I tried it just a few minutes ago and the same issue- jittery with barely touching the button. So, I took the double push switch apart and both contact sides had black spots{carbon} where the contacts hit...guessing they were bad enough that it was affecting the working of it. Cleaned them up and now it works fine again...so....they must be touchy when they get dirty, though I'm not impressed since I haven't used it that much yet![in my opinion]

-Ed, the milk/cattle/merchandise/barrel cars all use the extra in-between rails for power...my mail, coal, log and old operating boxcar{boxcar doesn't toss anything-just a guy pops out}  use the center uncoupler pad to activate them.

...did I mention we like action cars....

-David, how'd you rewire for that...or what'd you unhook undernieth and direct wire?...I'd rahter input separate poer than rely on track power...and worry about being in neutral and all{yup, done that already- ooops}.

I used a DPDT C&K push button on mine, I'd have to take a look and see how I wired it.  I know it works.   I separated the uncoupler like Ed did, one button just energizes the accessory tracks, the other just kicks the magnet.  I also run it off separate power.

Ok, so I'm looking for new aftermarket push buttons for better reliability, but what I wonder is why are there 4 side track taps...what are they for?