When is 15 volts not 15 volts$

can you put an Digital Multimeter on it and read amps?

 

Hate to admit it, but I don't know how to set my digital meter to read amps.  I ran 30 feet of wire from the ramp to the far end of the same bus.  Works fine.  Must be a weak connection someplace.

Better too say it out loud than never set your meter for amps. 2 things you need to know.
1) the meter needs to be in series. Basically it needs to replace or extend a wire from the power source to the thing you want to test. Hopefully you have access to alligator clips. but if not, disconnect the red wire from your transformer. Somehow squeeze the wire to a meter lead (A wood or plastic clothes pin might do it). Take your other lead and screw down the transformer nut on the lead. Ther are better ways to make the connections. Stop at a radio shack and ask.
2) set your meter to the symbol that looks like a horse shoe. That is the greek letter that represents ohms. You may have to play with ranges, but if you do, the concept is the same if you have to set a range for voltage readings.

Apply power. As mentioned above, it might not help, in this instance, but someday it might

You need 2 wires, power and ground. Is the accessory ground connection to the ramp

good?

Taylorra, Do be aware that not every meter has the ability to read AC amps.  Don't use a DC amps setting.

Broken wire from the power source.  Instead of reading amps do a continuity check of the wires.  While you had 15V at the transformer, I would think you did not have 15V at the coal ramp because the feed wires have an issue at some point.  You jumpered from the same transformer to the coal loader and it worked, so the transmission wires or connections are the problem.  G

2) set your meter to the symbol that looks like a horse shoe. That is the greek letter that represents ohms. You may have to play with ranges, but if you do, the concept is the same if you have to set a range for voltage readings.

Apply power. As mentioned above, it might not help, in this instance, but someday it might

 

Don't do that - set a meter to ohms then apply power. At best you will get a wrong reading, at worst you will damage your meter.

 

Using an ammeter can be a pain in the rear. A clamp-on can be easier to use but costs, but I don't think you need to go there. Harbor Freight, Sears, and Extech have some cheap ones, I bought a used one off of eBay. Fluke and Amprobe (which Fluke bought), are some top of the line stuff.

 

What you could do is put some OTHER accessory, perhaps one with a light bulb, on the original wires, and then measure the voltage with the meter you already have at the connection points with the power on.

 

Off hand I would say you have a weak connection some place. Modern meters have a high input resistance, so even if you have a poor connection, the meter will read likes its fine.

Illinois Central is correct:  NEVER have an ohmmeter connected to a live circuit!

WARNING

If you plug the leads in a multimeter to read current (amperes), make sure to change the lead connections back to regular (voltage, ohms) as soon as you are done reading current.

 

Why?  Because if the leads are left for current reading and the meter is inadvertently used later on for voltage readings, either the meter will be damaged (hopefully, just a blown fuse IF there is one), or may sustain greater damage, and the person may get hurt as well, as I have seen happen - yes, all of the aforemetioned.

 

Why would this happen? Because in the current-reading mode the multimeter becomes almost a short-circuit, intended to be connected in series to measure current, as stated above; and not in parallel for voltage readings.

 

Just be careful. . .

 

Alex