Points not fully switching

S

Simon Potter

Srpott40
I have an outdoor layout, with the track not being covered up during the year, as I have had this track out for a long time, my track it's getting a bit old.
I have not come across any problems apart from my LGB pointS which do not fully switch over, meaning the train derails when going over them.

Does anybody have any ideas on how to make these, electricity operate points (I use the standard LGB point motor) with the LGB orange control switch box, switch completely over? Areas to grease etc

Thanks in advance
 
Give the moving and sliding areas a damn good clean. Spray with WD40 or similar - use it as a wash to clear out any rubbish. Then use the points a lot. Regular running seems to be the best maintenance.
 
stockers said:
Give the moving and sliding areas a damn good clean. Spray with WD40 or similar - use it as a wash to clear out any rubbish. Then use the points a lot. Regular running seems to be the best maintenance.
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Ok will give that a go, as it does seem to be the side which the point is not normally set which seems to cause the most problems.
When you say use to you mean switch regularly or run trains over regularly
 
Greg Elmassian said:
I'm a fan of no lubrication or dry powder, like graphite. I find oils attract and hold grit and junk.

Detach the point motor and make sure there is NO resistance to manually moving the points.

Greg
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Do you have a particular method of cleaning in between the tracks to get the junk out? Water & a tooth brush?

Also if there is resistance in the motor what's the best way of sorting this out?

Sorry for all the questions, but this problem really is ruining the enjoyment I'm getting from my railway!!!
Simon
 
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Are you analog or DCC? I would also advise cleaning out the switch assembly and solenoid/motor but if you can find one an LGB 52750 EPL Booster. is a very good addition to help with lazy switch operation
lgb.JPG
 
Duplicate post
 
Ok , tell me if I,m wrong, >:) but you can use a capacitor board , gives the motor a good kick , but try manually with point motor removed to see if it's a mechanical rather than electrical issue ,
 
Simon Potter said:
I have an outdoor layout, with the track not being covered up during the year, as I have had this track out for a long time, my track it's getting a bit old.
I have not come across any problems apart from my LGB pointS which do not fully switch over, meaning the train derails when going over them.

Does anybody have any ideas on how to make these, electricity operate points (I use the standard LGB point motor) with the LGB orange control switch box, switch completely over? Areas to grease etc

Thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Think that the clean up is probably the best advice. A good stiff Paint Brush around 1/2 inch (pound shop kids paint brushes are perfect for this use) will help a lot with crud between the Rails and Sliding Parts. But there is likely to be crud under the Tie Bar (the sleeper that moves the Rails across) a good blow or even use the Vac Cleaner Fine Attachment should help here.

LGB Point Motors should NOT need the extra kick from a Capacitor Discharge Unit (CDU) if you are using LGB Kit, any way they will be of less use if you have a long wire run from the CDU to the point. EPL type certainly do not need a CDU. But take off the Point Motor only 2 screws plus Wires, take to Workshop remove the Top and see what is going on inside. Quite likely an earwig or two will have taken up residence and died. Plus dust and other crud, clean up (just blow or use the brush) then a little LGB Lubrication Gease on the Gears if they are EPL perhaps a small amount of Oil if Solenoid Type. Be Careful Dismantling EPL ones, they can be a bit tricky to put back together if you fully dismantle them.

A quick test should show satisfactory working again, install and enjoy. Remember it is a tough environment out in the Garden 24/7/365 so a little annual Spring Time Maint pays dividends. Let us know how things panned out.
JonD
 
Trekk said:
Ok , tell me if I,m wrong, >:) but you can use a capacitor board , gives the motor a good kick , but try manually with point motor removed to see if it's a mechanical rather than electrical issue ,
Click to expand...

Because the EPL drives require bursts of half wave DC in either poitive or negative polarity, a simple Capacitor Discharge unit will not do. You need to use the specially designed EPL Booster. I use one and it has been brilliant. I have previously written about how good it is on the forum. (see the thread
LGB 52750 Booster in Controls Signalling and Electronics)

The advice given about checking that both the point and motor are moving freely is good too. Every now and again I take up my EPL drives, unclip the add on switch and rinse them out under a tap! This deals with the build up of crud, especially around the drive pinion and drive rack. I do dry them out afterwards of course!,

Another job I do every now and again is to give the contact strip that the point blades float on a good scrub with a scratch pen, to remove corrosion etc. This reduces the resistance of the blade movement a great deal.

My track has been down/out around four years, so far, in often very damp conditions. Thee simple tasks have kept things moving positively!

James
 
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He didn't Isay which year!!!!!
 
So after it finally stopped raining i managed to get outside and try a few of the tips above, what i found worked the best was manually switching the point by hand. And applying a small amount on pressure on the point blade so that it cleaning the top of the contact strip. Now there is far less friction and the points work perfectly.

Thanks once again to everybody who suggested an idea
 
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