New Road, it's had an on going problem!

Always look for the obvious.

I've had an on going problem with the station throat trackwork.

It all looks good, everything runs through it quite happily without derailing or stuttering. That is, except for my Bachmann 2HAP set. It shorted out on one of the diamond crossing frogs everytime it went through it in either direction. Scratching ones head, I just couldn't work it out.

As you may know, the layout is DCC and most of the stock is sound fitted, so everything would come to a grinding halt and silence would prevail.

DCC is not to everyone's taste, some might say, it's more complicated, there is, i would agree a lot more to go wrong, or is there?????

While on the phone to a good friend of mine last night, we were trying to work out why this was happening, the only piece of stock fitted with a 'stay alive'  this lead me to the thinking process that this had something to do with it. likely you would think, especially after trying my Hornby Sentinel, also fitted with a 'stay alive' thingy.

It stopped dead in exactly the same place.

That's weird, again, has to be something to do with the 'stay Alive' thingy.

Bearing in mind that these Two frogs are controlled by Two frog juicer, or juicy frogs as they have become known in our little circle of friends. Another piece of electronic trickery known to DCC layouts. Frog Juicers, Stay alive's, so my mind wonders off on allsorts of scenario's thinking, "this DCC stuff is ok until it goes wrong" what the he'll do I do? Frog Juicers and stay alives dont mix. Again my mind wondering off to all sorts of dodgy stuff that might be happening. 

Bearing in mind that all this is happening while on the phone to a friend.

Now, I do like DCC, yes it is only Two wires but Two wires to each section of track taken from your 'Bus Wire' it is not complicated. None of those wires back to a control panel for all those section switches taken through a few multi pin plugs and sockets.

TO QUICK TO BLAME DCC.

Running the Sentinel back and fourth through the crossing, thinking, this isnt doing my NCE power cab much good, keep shorting things out. I even turned the light off to see for any 'sparks" but of course, DCC is to quick for that.

If your still with me on this, and havn't wondered off for more Turkey, i am getting to the point of all this. You never know it might help you one day.

I was running the little old Sentinel up and down the layout as it hadn't been run for a while. It jumped over a check rail on one of the points. Using my vast years of experience and knowledge ???? and knowing that everything thing else ran through this with no problem and I built the track " that will be the back to backs then"

14.07, really, should be 14.4 at least.

They were duly adjusted. Testing it over the check rail, absolutely fine. It then sailed off through the diamond crossing, absolutely fine and in both directions, back and fourth she went, not a short to be seen anymore.

I FOUND THE PROBLEM.

I should know better. 

So before you blame all the gubbins that you might have flashing away under your layout or in your loco's.

CHECK THE BASICS.

One of the axles on my 2HAP set was set at 14.28mm, it was just enough for the back of the flange to touch another rail and thus deposited everyting into scilence.

So, thank you "friend" I may not have ran the Sentinel and found the problem had I have not been chatting to you at the time.

My faith in DCC has been restored. Never again shall I blame DCC.

It's a dam good system, it works.

It's the future.

If your just starting out in this wonderful hobby, then DCC is they way to go.

Some say it's exspensive, yes it can be but be more choosey in what you buy.

Would you preferre 10 locos that just trundle up and down or 3 that make all the noises under the sun.

I know which I preferre.