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Hi
I feel the first question to be answered is -
What type of points are 'frame69' and 'stmartins' using? Insulated frog i.e. Hornby or Peco Setrack etc or Live frog (Electrofrog) such as the Peco Streamline SE-Exx range?

Until this is known help will be that much harder to offer.
My guess is its Insulated frog points and the large plastic frog is the give away.

Loss of power is often caused by unevenly laid point work as this will cause poor wheel riding through the point and can allow a set of wheels to lift off the rails momentary leading to loss of electrical power to the loco which causes sound decoders to revert to start up.
Check the point(s) are dead flat on all directions both longitudinally and across the rails.

Shorts on insulated frog points can be cured. These short circuits are often caused by the metal wheel bridges across both rails immediately before or after the insulated frog and causes a short. Checking and correcting all the wheels Back to Back gauge is the ideal way of resolving this, but sometimes a pair of insulated rail joiners fitted onto the ends of the two Vee rails will also help on a troublesome insulated frog point. New feeds to the two rails leading away after the IRJs will then be needed.
The frog problem and fix is shown on this web site Problems with Insulated frog Points

 

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QUOTE (stmartins @ 3 Mar 2009, 16:50) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>=============================================================================

I am using Peco track ( not finescale) & each of the 2 Live frog points have been isolated on the "opposite sides"
Both the new Hornby Duchess's "short out" when passing over the points, yet the Hornby A4 Does not, The Bachmann A1 does.
I am assuming the wheels are shorting across the frog & track . as I stated its only noticeable since fitting sound chips,they just seem more sensative, it was not a problem before.
Hi
I suspect as you're using live frog points your problem is the insides of the wheels of longer locos are touching onto the insides of the open switch rail which is at opposite polarity to the adjacent running rail. This normally occurs more on the curved route.
The answer here is once the B2B gauge of all wheels has been checked and if possible adjusted to the correct gauge and then the problem still exists is to make the points so called 'DCC friendly'. That is install insulated joints in both closure rails after the pivot and before the frog and then bond the two adjacent rails together underneath. If your point work is Peco Code 75 then the insulated joint is factory fitted and is linked out underneath by a little wire link. Cut link on both insulations and bond closure rail to outer adjacent running rail. If code 100 then it will be necessary to slice through the closure rails in between sleepers with the aid of a slitting disc and Dermal type drill. Once the two cuts have been made bond rails on the frog side of the cuts to their adjoining outer stock rails
Shown here Live frogs on DCC Scroll down to the item titled "Peco Electrofrog Code 100 Streamline Points"

 

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QUOTE (stmartins @ 3 Mar 2009, 18:11) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>The answer here is once the B2B gauge of all wheels has been checked and if possible adjusted to the correct gauge and then the problem still exists is to make the points so called 'DCC friendly'
============================================================================= I note on a lot of postings that the B2B distance is referred to a lot, please what exactly is the distance.Plus looking at the newer Longer Hornby locos they do not have flanges on the pony trucks & "float" around rather a lot, If I rock it on a straight from side to side it must move around 1.5 cms. I am wondering if the combined float, the live frog & new chip are all combining to short out the DCC system and cause this mal function and shut down due to the short.
My circuit is 2 levels and its a sod to change this point it was all tested before I added to top layer and electric points , and was fine before the new "Duchess Locos "thats why I am hoping for an easy solution.
B2B measurement is being stated by The Double O Gauge Association in the UK as being 14.4mm +/-0.05mm.
The Double O Gauge Association wheel standards
B2B gauges can be purchased from good model railway shops or directly from the Double O Gauge Association - The 'Universal' gauge is the one for UK "OO" B2B gauge

 

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QUOTE (Flashbang @ 3 Mar 2009, 17:16) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Hi
I suspect as you're using live frog points your problem is the insides of the wheels of longer locos are touching onto the insides of the open switch rail which is at opposite polarity to the adjacent running rail. This normally occurs more on the curved route.
The answer here is once the B2B gauge of all wheels has been checked and if possible adjusted to the correct gauge and then the problem still exists is to make the points so called 'DCC friendly'. That is install insulated joints in both closure rails after the pivot and before the frog and then bond the two adjacent rails together underneath. If your point work is Peco Code 75 then the insulated joint is factory fitted and is linked out underneath by a little wire link. Cut link on both insulations and bond closure rail to outer adjacent running rail. If code 100 then it will be necessary to slice through the closure rails in between sleepers with the aid of a slitting disc and Dermal type drill. Once the two cuts have been made bond rails on the frog side of the cuts to their adjoining outer stock rails
Shown here Live frogs on DCC Scroll down to the item titled "Peco Electrofrog Code 100 Streamline Points"
Apologies, I made an error in the above statement, which I have struck through...
The two bonding wires are connected onto the moving switch rail side of the cuts, connecting between the stock rail (outer rail) and the closure rail (fixed part of the moving switch rail)