Hi RoyBoy and Carl,
Thanks for your suggestions. Last night as I was shutting the track down I was thinking I may need to add a wire somewhere but hadn't figured out how to handle the perpendicular connection requirements. A diamond shape on top is a great solution and one that might be easy to test. I'm off to work but will disassemble, explore, and photograph the underside tomorrow when there's better light than when I get home.
I did not know about only one common being connected In MTH track. I wonder if that's why my Lionel engine derails? So far the MTH shuts down at the cross going in let's say the West-East direction of the layout, where there is little curve in the track. I'm 75% sure that the Lionel engine is fine there but it jumps the track/shorts going in the Sough-North direction just after the switch. The engine is shorter but given it's pulling a tender, the overall engine lengths are comparable. Since there's so much going on in that part of the track, I'm not sure the cause. For example, the switch seems to have a high-spot (the frog?) and engines/cars jump a bit. Maybe with the curve and cross it misses the rail with the ground. Or maybe it just derails, period.
Also, Carl when you say that you believe the two collectors on the MTH should be far enough apart that the plastic spot on the cross shouldn't matter, does that mean that the rear one is in play even going forward? Based on looking at the undersides of both engines, I just assumed they were directional - the front one for the positive connection forward, the rear one for the positive connection moving backward.
Obviously, I'm new to this so when you say a "lock on" do you mean I need to add another transformer or just a second set of wires from the Z-500? I ask because at the inner loop there's a left hand switch and I've been having trouble with it. Some tests this AM are making me suspect low voltage. That's a topic for another post as I work out the kinks in my first layout, meanwhile I need to buy a multitester!
Thanks again, gentlemen, will get that photo as soon as possible And keep you posted. Pun intended.
Tomlinson Run Railroad
