FasTrack Switch uncoupling cars

Is it the same car ever time, same end of every time

Doug, it's every car.  Even if I just pass an unattached car over it, the coupler pops up.

if it not touching anything it sounds like a wiring problem in side the switch 

find out the exact spot on the switch the coupler comes open and turn the switch upside down take the plate of and look at that spot 

I will do it and report back.  Thanks.

welcome good luck

never seen that before but looks like a wiring problem possibly just a short that only happens when the wheel are one that part of the track look under the switch with the plate off

Nothing obvious to my eye anyway.  I should note that I bought this switch new about 6 months ago.  I used it briefly in a test loop and it worked perfectly.  It's been unused since.  So it's basically new.  Here's a picture:

Of course, now that I think about it, I didn't use a tinplate train on this switch back in January when I first used it.  I only used modern MTH/Lionel trains.  I would think that modern couplers would be unaffected by this.  So maybe this switch was doing this from the beginning and I didn't know it.  I have it apart right now otherwise I would test that theory.

The slideshoe on the truck is simply hitting an area of energized middle rail and completing the coupler circuit. There is no "magnetic pulse" from the switch, the magnet is built into the coupler.

From the video, it looks like offending rail is the slightly curved rail that goes diagonally across the switch. I do not now how Fastrack switches route their power, so maybe there is a good reason to have this piece of the switch "hot" when straight and "neutral" when curved. I would think the rail should be "dead" at all times to prevent this very occurrence as well as any potential shorts. Unfortunately, many modern switches are allergic to prewar for one reason or another.

Roll the car through the switch, make note of the spot on the rail where the switch activates the coupler, and put a small piece of electrical tape on the top of the rail in that spot. I have the same uncoupling issue with my RMT / O-Line Reproductions switches, and the electrical tape does the trick. Good luck. 

John

Überstationmeister posted:

The slideshoe on the truck is simply hitting an area of energized middle rail and completing the coupler circuit.

Thanks!

BlueComet400 posted:

Roll the car through the switch, make note of the spot on the rail where the switch activates the coupler, and put a small piece of electrical tape on the top of the rail in that spot. I have the same uncoupling issue with my RMT / O-Line Reproductions switches, and the electrical tape does the trick. Good luck. 

John

Thank you, John.  I'll do it now.

you can test that theory with the plate off but if it run good over the other switches the problem should be in that switch a pinch wire or bad circuit board. i think they have a year warranty if you got it new from a lionel dealer. i know this isnt the problem any after the warrenty is up and you take a switch apart all those place they just bend the medal over i solder them will save problem down the road.