I just installed a post war manual switch on my small oval test track. When a train runs over the frog, it stops and reverses (E unit being cycled) so I know there should be a fiber pin somewhere but don't remember where it should go!
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I don't think you need any fiber pins for a manual switch. Fiber pins are on remote switches to work the anti-derailment feature. What's probably happening is that one of the rollers isn't making contact when the other is riding on the plastic part of the frog, and loco is dropping power, cycling e-unit.
More details would be helpful. What switch, what loco?
Some 4-wheel locos will momentarily loose contact on a switch, especially if they have one traction tire. The wheels don't all stay square on the track when bumping through a switch.
Many of the old Lionel switches will loose conductivity through the pin that connects the center rail power to the center-rail "blob" of the switch. Although that probably isn't a factor on a small oval with one switch, where the power can go around the oval either way.
I just had a Marx 490 loco with the E-unit tripping into reverse on a 45° crossing, and on some switches. I corrected this by using a tender with the wheels grounded to the drawbar, so they provide additional track pickups. Solved that problem.
Old switches and old track will often have continuity problems due to rusty track pins or poor conductivity through crimped metal connectors. Use a test light to verify that you have power to all sections of running rail and center rail through the switch.
It is a no 042 manual switch, and it is connected to a small simple oval of post war 031 track, no rust all in excellent condition, the engine was a 2025 post war, and I tried several others, same thing happened. The siding also has all metal pins, I think there should be a non metal pin or two because anything on the siding is powered up as the oval is too!
CK is right about the insulated pins being needed for the anti-derail turnouts. Some manual switches did have an anti derail feature. They killed power to the "closed" directions center rail. But putting a steel pin in would just bypass the feature. But an insulated pin could also be used to isolate the center rail siding power to a control switch near the transformer.
Carefully look at the track connections per Ace's suggestion.
I add just a tiny bit of power, and then help the engine along trough the turnout slowly, watching the rollers closely for the "dropout point". Ive had to... swap out rollers for new arm length, or roller diameter, zip tie a couple rollers "up" , add metal to the center "blob" area, and just plain keep certain trains off certain tracks.
Adding/using roller pickups to the tender is a great idea! Its used by the smaller scale train modelers all the time.
Ideally (and by design), running trains on the exact track it was designed for works best. One easy way to tell the difference between most Lionels is most 0-27s have 4 digit numbers, O gauge have 3. Remember, many O gauge locos have longer roller arms than their 0-27 counterparts. This makes it possible for O rollers to drop down off the center rail of 0-27 tracks tighter diameter (which is why I have some rollers tied "up"). But yours? The shorter roller arms of the 0-27s, along with spacing, tend to find dead spots in some O gauge turnouts. So check your track connections, and check out your roller spacing.
