I’m starting my 4x8 layout, and I’m using code 100 3 foot flex track for most of my straights. In one of my straights, I have a dead spot in the middle of my track section where the train slows, and if it doesn’t have enough momentum to get past that spot it will stop. I’m running DC, two loops, and the track in question is on the loop closest to the controller. I’ve switched rail joiners, and made sure they had a tight fit, I’ve brass brushed the ends of the tracks to make sure that there wasn’t any rail rust, or other anything that could affect the contacts. Any thoughts outside of switching the track section?
Railjoiners are, at best, a temporary way to get power to the track. Every piece of track on my layout has its own pair of feeders. I would suggest simply adding a set of feeders to the problem piece of track by soldering one to each rail and hooking them up properly to your power supply for that area or block of track.
Brass track is particularly prone to corrosion. You may want to make clean the top of the rail in the area of the track where you are loosing power. In the long run, switching to nickle-silver track will give you generally better running than brass will – and it will require far less cleaning.
I have heard that Atlas flextrack can crack and that can interupt the track power. Hasn’t happened to me yet…Hopefully thats not the case with you.
The only certain way to power all sections of track is to solder rail joiners or run feeders to each rail section. Soldering all the rail joiners is not recommended because then your track can’t “breathe” – that is flex with changes in humidity and temperature.
Humidity affects wood benchwork a lot, and temperature affects metal rails a lot – so the best approach is some mixture of soldering rail joiners some of the time and applying feeders to each rail section the rest of the time.
As to how much to do each is debatable. You’ll start a lively debate if you ask what people recommend. You just have to pick something you like and go with it, because it’s largely personal preference. [swg]
If the rails are flat enough and level enough, side-to-side, and in line, so that the loco is not losing its footing unnoticeably, and if the track is truly clean, then you have a gauge problem there. I can’t see any other way to explain what you describe. Power works, power stops/drops. It is not wheels, it has to be in the rails. If clean, then out of gauge.
Have you tested the section of track for power? I use a light that I use in bulidings on the board. If the joiners are tight you will have power threw all of the section.
I had something like that on my board, dead in the center of a turn that was flex track code 100. I ran a feeder wire to the dead spot, still the engine would stall out? Hooked a test light up to turn and had power. Turned out there was a low spot in the turn and the engines where not making good contact.
Run a test light on the rails to see if you are losing power and if youu are where it happens. I know many of the folks here like a feeder to every section, but might be a little over kill. I have around 200 feet of rail laided and have only 11 feeders wire hooked up, main line 1 only has 3 and is 72 foot by it self.
If I have learned just one thing in my short time at this hobby it is “more than likely what you think is the problem is not the problem at all”. Case in point, I thought I had a bad turn out keept derailing when a engine hit it. Turns out the problem was on the other side of the board, high spot would cause front wheel of a 6 wheel truck to lift up and off. Othere 4 would stay on the track and engine keept rolling. Then it would hit the turn out and off she went. Spent hours messing with the turn out.
Good Luck it will get better, did for me.
Cuda Ken