Hope that I'm posting this in the right forum, but I do have this electrical problem with a Shinohara curved turnout in both code 100 and 83. I've used the above product for a short branch line and for a while the code 100 worked fine. Have been wiring up 9 blocks using common-rail wiring. After installing the block control wire, when the turnout/switch is thrown for the branch, I get a short. Changed out the code 100 for an 83 - same problem. The turnout works fine for the main line, but there is no joy when the turnout is set for the branch. Have tried feeding the block from all three side of the turnout, still a short. This branch has about a foot of code 83 rail, then approximately 3 feet of MEW code 70 with an MEW code 70 switch and then two sidings of approximately two feet each. The MEW turnout has an insulated frog and I know how to handle that, but the Shinohara has me beat. Have gone over that 7 or so feet of track with a fine tooth comb and cannot find any short in the branch. I'm really cack-handed when it comes to things electrical, my knowledge being limited to ac/dc, but I've wired several layouts in the past but have never had this difficulty. Can anyone help me with this problem, is it the wiring or is there a characteristic of these curved turnouts that I'm not aware of. Any help will be greatly appreciated.
Different codes of track on your branch won't cause a short. Having a wire soldered to the wrong rail will. That's what this sounds like to me. Somewhere along your branch line there may be a wire connected to the wrong rail.
I have used several curved Shinohara turnouts in my layout with no problem. I bought mine recently and was careful to get the DCC friendly versions. I think the older versions had the power routing feature - which means that you may wind up with shorts unless you gap the rails after the frog.
If you have a number of power routing turnouts on spurs beyond the diverging route of that power routing curved turnout, you could have a short if the points are not set correctly (lined) for the curved approach, particularly if you have power feeds beyond those other turnouts where the wiring is inadvertently non-aligned polarity-wise with the feed to the curved turnout. In short (sorry), your wires are probably crossed.
Thanks for the help. I believe BrownBear45 has got it. Funny, I just got my Oct. 08 issue of "Model Railroader" today and there on p. 53 was a little gem that I wasn't aware of - the need to gap these turnouts beyond the frog. Guess I have a different Shinohara curved in my south end staging, that only has one rail gapped and it works like a champ. Next bout of electrical work, I'll find out - again thanks for the help.
