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Discussion Boards => General Discussion => Topic started by: taz4us2 on February 18, 2007, 05:50:42 PM

Title: Overload
Post by: taz4us2 on February 18, 2007, 05:50:42 PM
I've just setup a new track pretty long but not too complicated and I was trying to do a test run, but my controller keeps coming up "overload" any suggestions?
  I've tried the  usual nothing on the track, etc.
???(//)
Title: Re: Overload
Post by: Jim Banner on February 18, 2007, 07:27:07 PM
If you used E-Z Track, it should not be too hard to disconnect major sections of your layout to isolate the short to some particular section.  Once you isolate it to a major section, you can disconnect one piece of track at a time until the short is isolated.

Chances are you have accidentally created a return loop, that is, a pattern that allows a train to traverse some of the track in one direction at some times and in the other direction at other times.  You might check for this even before taking any track apart.
Title: Re: Overload
Post by: Nathan on February 18, 2007, 07:35:49 PM
You may have to just do it step by step.  Disconnect the wire at the booster. If that is ok then disconnect all the wires to the track. If you do not have some gaps anywhere on the layout, make a few to divide the layout into smaller sections.  Power up one section at a time.  Once you have found a bad section, disconnect it and check the rest of the sections. 

Then go back to the bad section and make some temporary gaps  to make smaller sections.  It may be a bad turnout, crossing, or even a bad piece of straight track.  I dropped a small nail on the track one time near a frog and it took me several trys to find the problem.