Super o switch

Are there any insulating pins in any rails? Are there any missing pins?

Can you do the following:

Using a meter or a test lamp, turn the track power ON, and test for both HOT (center rail) and RETURN (both outside rails.)

The way to do this is to put one test lead of either the meter or the lamp on a known HOT (energized center rail) track point, and touch the other test lead to all the outside rails on and near the switch. You should get an affirmative result on all outside rails.

Now, do the opposite test. Put the first test lead on a known energized outside rail, and use the other test lead to probe for HOT on all the center rail segments on and around the switch.

Assuming that there are metallic rail pins, there is going to be a metallic circuit. It's just physics, not witchcraft. Let us know how you make out, and we'll stay with you while you do the tests.

A photo caption here > http://www.toytrainrevue.com/sup-o.htm says this about S.O. turnouts -

"The automatic switches could be powered independently from the track. The manual switches could be used to cut locomotive power and avoid derailments."

Could be related to your issue. 

Thanks for all the help.   Here's what I found.   i bench tested the switch by connecting power to the switch.   With a test light I discovered that power does not travel thru the switch.   You must have the switch connected on both sides to power at the same time for power to be transmitted thru the switch.   I reconnected the switch to the loop of track and with a test light found that there was no power between the three tracks separating the two manual switches.   I had to run two wires (one power and one ground) from outside the three tracks to them in order to get power to that section.  Once I did that the train went thru the switches without stopping.

The position of the switch, and feed location may be the issue. I suspect(not sure) that if you feed power to center rail, at the base of the turnout (the beginning, "in", or shared section), and the switch handle is set the turn exit, only the beginning(in), and turn exit, will be powered. If the switch handle is set to the straight exit, only the beginning section, and straight exit, get power. There may have been electrical jumpers involved originally to allow this, or the connections may have been cut. The exit sections, or one section away, would have had to use insulated connectors. That way a train would stall before entering a switch set against its travel direction. There are a few real good super o guys around, a better answer is out there.  

And I found it. I spotted instructions for sale on "a big auction site". The #142 switches are supposed to work as described in my guess, cutting power to the appropriate "exit" center rail depending on the handle position. So either the connections are severed by someone, or the contact points need cleaning. Im glad you posted this as I run some Super O, but haven't bought switches yet. I normally stick my nose up at manual switches because I like the anti-derail ones. My track, just an oval("new",unused) was from a "the General" gift box I found in my garage attic. (Thanks for the late gift Grandpa)     

I just read this in the Greenberg repair manual page 618:

"Because of this feature layouts using No. 142 switches sometimes require additional lockons located on parts of the layout that would become insulated by certain combinations of switches."

it it is possible that there is a broken connection inside the switch but I'm just going to leave well enough alone.   BTW, I love using Super O.   My trains never ran so smooth.

The same is true of the 1022 O-27 manual switches.

Rob, you were foremost in my mind when I said there were some better answers. Thanks for the heads up on the 1022's. I was spoiled as a child, all mine had coils and Super-O layout was replaced by tubular as soon as I started to try to assemble track by myself, (around 3yr?). The clips I had down pat! Even knew they would lift from running. But oh! those tiny pins combined with hardly being able to muscle it till it snapped together, and soft skin.. Oops!.. Pinch or Poke!.. Ouch!! I bet a Super-O track caused my first of many, self inflicted, bleeding wounds I shrugged off while working on my railroad . Good times,...good times.... 

Rob,  never used those switches.   Thanks for that info.  I just don't understand why Lionel would design switches to perform like that.

The idea was that you could power down a train on a siding by throwing the switch for the main and run another train on the layout.  The feature works well for this purpose.

I like idea of the anti-derail train stop here&there -vs- just automatic anti-derail switching everywhere. Trains would have to stop for incorrectly thrown switches on occasion(If they could stop). On occasion I like some semi-hectic switching, and sharing a mainline with two loops. The "siding stop" would make it less hectic (less collisions) letting me switch at the pace I choose. And all without wiring, and relays. Got a Gomez complex? You could use a simple power feed from a slide switch to bypass the feature too.