[KirbyYardEngineer]

New to modelling and wiring, so thought I would ask this here.

I recently bought some scenery, buildings, engines and track from a FB listing and it included some old Atlas points/turnouts. As someone new to DCC, could anyone tell me what I need to do to make these function smoothly with a DCC layout? Engines tended to stall on them during my limited testing.

Additional notes: NCE controller, plastic joiners available and some are in use elsewhere on my layout. My newer Hornby and Peco points work just fine (example of how I want to use them shown below).

 

[34C]

Welcome to this forum, and hopefully someone will be able to provide help from experience if the simple stuff I can suggest doesn't fix it.

You may already have checked for continuity on the route the points are switched to, that's the first essential for them to run well without additional wiring.

For DCC you add track feeds to points of this type, so that the points no longer isolate the route that the point isn't set to; all part of the 'all rails live at all times' principle of DCC.

So far so simple. These points also have a large dead crossing. This, in combination with a tendency of RTR points to have a slight upward bow can result in a loco being off power, because the wheel(s) on the dead crossing is lifting all the loco pick up wheels that side off the rail. (In DC operation the loco typically coasted through - especially if it had a flywheel - but in DCC the decoder simply shuts down, and at slow speeds in particular may result in the loco stopping with no power supply.)

Sight along the rail tops and see if there is a bow, and if there is fix the point down flat, and see if that improves matters.

 

[andrew]

If the track is very old, it may be worth checking the gauge to see if the plastic sleepers have changed with time. I have some Peco Streamline track that must be nearly 60 years old and is now about 16.3 mm gauge - probably not enough to be a nuisance, and still usable (about to be incorporated in a new railway!). Possibly Atlas will be similar.

andrew

 

[crosstie50]

I actually can't tell if this is HO or N scale Atlas Snap Track..But one thing to be cognizant of is that the frogs in these switches are plastic..This means that they can't be powered, and if you have short wheel base locos like 0-4-0, 0-6-0 steam or 4 wheel diesel switchers you are subject to stall outs over them...With metal frogs such as Atlas CustomLine and Peco have, the frog can be powered depending on which route a loco is taking thru the switch(turnout). This means there will be no stall out when wired in and controlled correctly... You can go ahead and build a layout with what you have here..Just beware that this is not state of the art track and can lead to disappointing train movement.
I'm not saying it will. You've little to lose by going ahead with it and seeing if you'll be happy with it..
If not, nothing is stopping you from amending anything in the hobby that isn't to your satisfaction..

 

[crosstie50]

PS.
One other thing worth noting.. If this is HO Snap Track it likely is code 100 rail..
This is the height of the rail in thousandths on an inch..and represents the tallest/heaviest 1:1 scale rail at more than some 9 inches tall and weighing near 152 Lb per yard, thus called "152 pound rail" in real life...
Nothing wrong if you continue with it.. Just know it has a very heavy look about it where you might want to go over to code 83 track representing a somewhat lighter, lower rail and has brown ties..