I have been doing this on and off for a number of years figuring things out as I go.
For background, I run MPC era on 0-31 tubular track with one 50’s era ZW. I never had a permanent set-up so when I do run them it te wiring is very rudimentary.
So my question is, as my consist reaches the farthest point from where the transformer is connected to the track (lockon?) the powers diminishes dramatically. Does anyone have any helps or tips to help keep the power more consistent around the track?
How big of a circle? how many lockons? how far appart are they? do the track sections fit tight? Eight by eight circle 4 but at least 3 lockons evenly spaced. I always used 16 gauge speaker wire for my temp layouts. When I set up a permenant layout with new track (20 x25 ) track was a tight fit I was able to use only one lockon per loop. When I wired permenant I ran 10 gauge bus wire with 14 gauge feeders every 4 foot.
Add a few more power lockons to the track at different points around the layout, and wire them the same way you did the first one. You can either use the bus wire method (one thick wire with feeders coming off of it) to do this or the terminal strip method (one set of wires from the ZW to the terminal strip. Several wires from the strip to the track)…there are several easy ways.
A loop of O31 that would fit on a sheet of plywood should not need feeders. I suspect that you have some bad track joints. Try putting a punch, nail, track pin, or whatever that is a little smaller than an O31 track pin into the female end of each rail, then squeezing the web of the rail together around it with long-nosed pliers, to make an opening that will fit tightly around the pin of the next rail.
If any of the permanently attached pins is loose, remove it by spreading the rail from underneath with a screwdriver until the pin comes out. Then reshape the rail as above, reinsert the pin, and crimp the railhead over the notch in the pin.