I have a problem with a Lionel locomotive stopping when going over a switch. I used to use Atlas O and now use Fastrack with the same problem
Crafts & Hobbies - Lionel - Fastrack O36 Manual Right Hand Switch 612018
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Answers & Comments
Had trouble with 072 switchs. Something is causing half the switch to loose track power. Most of the time it is the wide place on the switch. Had two of mind on both ends of the hot rail hookup do the same thing. What I did was have hot rail hookup in five or six different places. No problem now. Also have problems with derails at switch when going through ir backwards. Lional should in stall a small spring at the switch point to help hold it against the rail. No recommended but I took a punch and flatten the rail so it would push more on the switch point. OK so far. Hard to remove switchs when all your Fastrack is screw down.
I have had the same problem with FasTrack remotes. I noticed a lot of car wheel sparking on the outter rail which is V shaped with the turning entry part of the switch. I put electrical tape oven the approximately 1 1/2 inch part of the switch on the straight away. Problem solved. The problem has a lot to do with where the center pickup roller is relative to the wheels (common side of power).
On another note:
Also found that a problem with the common side connections using the 1.75 and 1.375" fillers. For some odd reason, Lionel quality control??????. The pin to rail connection is loose on all my fillers. I finally, after getting disgusted, removed all 18 fillers and wired (flow soldered) the connections from the pin dot point to the rail foldovers. Virtually all my electrical problems were solved. I also noted that in some cases, especially the 30" rails, the crossover strap is only crimped down. I advise putting a solder blob on all crossover straps in your setup. This will help when there there is a bad common connection in one or more points in the layout.
I have suffered beyond belief using the FasTrack remote switches. The extremes of poor quality control are evident in these Lionel products. I now have two that have intermittent control indicator lights. It is not worth the effort, they are still under warantee, to remove these switches and send to repair. The first repair resulted in a switch I simply threw away.