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Track Wiring
Jeremy has a question for experienced model railroaders and asks:
“My model railroad features a scenic railroad with its own separate line. It is a straight segment with a siding at one end. Whenever I turn on the power [DC] the loco just shakes and I saw smoke coming off of one of my 2-6-0s. How do I wire this line so it runs properly without the hazards?”
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So it’s just a straight segment of track with a siding? What power pack are you using? How is it wired? You do have it connected to the DC terminals and not the AC terminals on the power pack?
The easiest way is to connect it to it’s own throttle.
It sounds like you may have it attached to the AC outputs of your throttle. This is not good for the motors in your locos, you will likely need to have those locos checked out (and maybe remotored).