I have four Bachmann N gauge switches: 44859, 44860, 44861, 44860. This issue applies to all of them.
I have three engines. Two of the engines stop running after crossing the frog. I took them down to the train store and the person demonstrated with his meter that it stops getting power at the frog. The third engine is different than the other two. It's all wheel drive and it's longer than the other. That one seems to work. I'm not sure if it's because it's all wheel drive, or because of the length.
I'm not real keen on rewiring anything, even though the switches are supposed to be non-DCC. Anyone have any suggestions how to get around this?
Thanks in advance to all that reply.
" DCC friendly" switches are a myth that needs to stop being perpetuated.
I'm in HO but I have a good many EZ track switches on my layout. If yours are anything similar to mine, there's a little jumper wire underneath to, when plugged in, powers the frog. And eliminate stalling if all of the wheels from rail's pickups sit on the frog at the same moment.
It's quite possible that your switches currently don't have the frogs powered. If your locomotives are diesels that only pick up on one side of the truck, it could be that unpowered frog completely isolates one of the trucks from picking up on one of the rails..... if that makes sense. A powered frog eliminates that tissue. See if there is some little jumper wire under the switch to power your frog. It's an entirely possible that N scale switches only have an unpowered frog, period. Someone more knowledgeable than I will have to answer that question.
At the risk of talking about the competition's products, I also have some Kato Unitrak switches that have the same power/unpowered frog capability. Except with their switches, there's some little set screws underneath you can change around to set the switch the way you want it, achieving the same end result.
Since posting thing, I went down to the train store. The guy down there confirmed what you said about the frog. I don't think rewiring is something I have the ability to do. There are also frog juicers, but that's also something I don't want to get into.
I don't know if one can be had that will fit into a N scale locomotive, but current keeper capacitors are used all the time in HO scale for just this exact problem. They carry just enough charge to get you over an unpowered frog or a short stretch of dirty track.
You can call Soundtraxx in Durango, Colorado and talk to the customer rep about your exact locomotive and what will fit in it. They will speak at length to you about helping solve your issue, I guarantee that, they are very customer friendly. I do fear that there is not one made small enough to fit inside an N scale locomotive though.
There are other makers that you could try just as well, I just happen to have a long experience with Soundtraxx and know people there.
The TCS KA1 and KA2 have been redesigned to make them smaller for use in N scale locos. Check their site for exact dimensions.
Len
At this point I think I have more spare parts than I have usable parts. :D