Full Version: My layout was on fire!
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Well, almost. The train had left the yard ten minutes ago, and I was at the furthest point from the yard testing the track work. All was fine and then there was a short somewhere. Before I could find it I smelled smoke Eek The short was in the yard and I found this Eek No idea why. Sorry for the blurry pic, cheap camera.
Guarantee you I am buying another fire extinguisher!

Loren
Glad that is the extent of the damage. My guess is something bridged the gap in your PC ties (those are pc ties, right?) and caused a short, and overheated. I am suprised a circuit breaker or fuse did not blow in your power system first.
I am glad to, believe me Big Grin
I use an MRC Tech4 260, but nothing tripped.

Loren
Wow that is going to the extreme to add detail to your layout. There is even a spot where a locomotive fire happened. I think i can even smell the charred remains. 357 Smile
Beamish Wrote:Wow that is going to the extreme to add detail to your layout. There is even a spot where a locomotive fire happened. I think i can even smell the charred remains. 357 Smile

Hmm, not a bad idea. Thumbsup Maybe something good can come out of this. Big Grin

Loren
Yikes! Glad it was nothing more serious! Actually your story is a good reminder for members to consider having a fire extinguisher in the layout room.
Ralph
You bet Ralph. I am going to get another one tomorrow so I have one on each side of the garage.

Loren
Wow! I wouldn't have thought that was possible since the voltage is so low, but there's the proof. Makes me want to go back and check all my wiring. Thanks, and glad there wasn't more damage on your layout!
Good thing you saw it in time.
That looks like a handlaid turnout, could of been something wrong there that didn't trip the circuit breaker, but was causing a sporadic short, instead of one long one that would of tripped the curcuit breaker.
Had something similar happen once. I had built a power supply for turnout control. I was using twin solenoid (NJ International) machines for the turnouts in the throat of hidden staging yards. I was also using a diode matrix to throw routes, so needed enough power to throw 5 machines at once. My knowledge of electronics is small, and when the first transformer I used did not have the oomph required I bought one of a higher voltage. Still no good, I found it was the amperage that was too low, so had to buy a fairly pricey xformer, but back to 12 volt. Seems the lower rated units had their voltage drop to 1 volt or so when the load of the machines was put on them. Well, the new and satisfactory unit was in operation for a short while when I had friends over to run. I use a probe and stud system to avoid having push switches weld themselves together, which was the case as I tried them. At one point, I smelled burning. Tracing the smell took a minute or so. I yelled out to kill the power to the turnout power supply, as I was 20' away. Turned off immediately by a friend nearby, we then found the problem was that the wire used as a probe had attached itself to the bolthead stud! Whoever had thrown the turnout hadn't noticed! The metal plate on the switch machine had gotten so hot it was burning the 1x4 it was mounted to! I did already have fire extinguishers at both ends of the layout, thankfully they weren't needed. However, I did immediately find out the values required to fuse both the primary and secondary sides of the xformer, and installed them!
Herc Driver, I didn't think that could happen either. Now I know better!
Eightyeight, the turnout is handlaid. What's funny is that turnout has been in use for a month, and I was doing no work in that area.
Jgl, I'm glad you found your fire in time. Sounds like yours could have been a lot worse then mine.

Loren
Bring up fire truck, position in scene, near remains of partially charred boxcar...Hmmm.... 8-)
I think when you use pc board ties for a handlaid turnout, you do have a risk of a small bit of metal falling on the pc tie and crossing the slot you cut to isolate one side from the other. It is not unusual for various metal Kaddee coupler parts to fall, especially knuckle springs. It is probably not very common since anything that would cause a short must fall precisely on one of the few pc ties and exactly where the cut has been made to bridge both sides! We used an insulating paint called "Glyptol" on all of the electrical connections on any of the equipment we used when I worked in the harbor. Much of the equipment like cranes and such run on either 600 volts or in some cases 4,180 volts, the refrigeration units ran on 3 phase 440 volt power, and you don't want anything to short out connections! It is available at any electrical supply house. It might even be available at Home Depot or Lowes, I haven't looked. I only saw it in spray cans, but if it isn't available except in spray cans, a little could be sprayed into a small container and then brushed over all of your pc ties. It is bright orange in color, so you would use it as a primer and then paint your creosote, gray, brown or whatever color you prefer over it. We could use a meggar to check for voltage leaks from terminal boards to ground to make sure we had no shorts and a thin coating of this stuff would insure that we got a reading of infinity.
Quote:Wow! I wouldn't have thought that was possible since the voltage is so low

Warning! "science content" Goldth

Power (electrical), is measured in Watts. Reach up and grab a 100 Watt light bulb that has been on for a few minutes, and you get an idea of how much heat 100 Watts can produce.
A Watt, is one volt X one amp. A 100 Watt light bulb draws approximately 870 milliamps (0.807 A), at 115 VAC.
12 Volts, if the supply can provide 8.3333 Amps, can produce 100 Watts of power.

Some computer power supplies can provide 5 Volts, at 100 Amps (that's 500 W ) Eek
............now, if you're modeling parts of California, during the "dry season". . . . . . Icon_twisted Icon_twisted Icon_twisted
Exactly.

Ever accidentally weld your wrench to the terminal of your car battery? 35 That is why you always disconnect the negative terminal of your car battery first. I have neglected to do so, and then while tightening my alternator, accidentally touched the other end of the wrench to the positive terminal on my battery. The circuit went from the battery, through the wrench, to the grounded alternator bolt and welded the wrench tight enough I had to bust it free with my fist. In the few seconds that the circuit was complete, the wrench got hot enough to burn.
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