My dcc steam locos lose power while running in the same spots at times. It is not over a turnout or where rails are joined. I have power drops about every 3 to 4 feet on a 8 by 4 layout. I have cleaned the rails with the erasure type cleaner—I forgot the product name but with no improvement…
Any suggestions for a new but older modeler?
Thanks, Hank
Here is what I do:
I solder my rail joiners to make continuous track sections about six foot long. Then each of these sections has feeders connected from the track to the main DCC bus. The six foot sections are connected to each other with regular rail joiners to take care of any expansion and contraction issues that may come up.
If you are just using a couple of small wires from your DCC system to the places on your track, that is probably the main cause of your problem. If you do have a DCC bus installed, my suggestion of soldering the rail joiners between feeders will most likely fix it. Feeders are usually AWG 20, are one foot long max, and connect to a main DCC bus that is AWG 12 or 14 wire. The reason for the larger size wire for the DCC bus is to reduce the voltage drop that occurs with longer runs of smaller wire.
Next, I have found that when cleaning track you take away some of the oil that is in the metal, so I put a small amount of WD-40 on my finger and rub it on the rails for about a foot, then run a train around to distribute it around the layout. This increases the conductivity between the wheels and the rail. But since you are having your problem in just one spot, this most likely will not help that particular problem.
If it’s in the middle of a length of rail, it’s unlikely that adding more feeders will help.
Is this in a curve? Straight track? Does it happen with every loco that you own or just some?
I wonder if the track is a little out of gauge at that spot. Or if the spot is in a curve, the radius may tighten a little bit more there than elsewhere on the layout. That could cause wheels to lift or the engine to bind. Or there could be a dip or hump in the track at that spot.
You may have already checked track and engines with the NMRA gauge. If not, that would be my next step.
Then run the engines through as slowly as possible with your eye right at the trouble spot – if you see any kind of a jerkiness or hop, that could indicate that it’s something mechanical and not purely electrical.
Byron
Interesting !
All of your steam locos or just some of them? How about diesels, for what that is worth?
The same spots every time? Or, just some times? Same spots or different spots?
Not on turnouts or rail joints. On curves or straight track or both?
You cleaned the track with a Bright Boy. Did you clean the pick up wheels?
Rich
I disagree with Gandydancer. My current layout is 4 x 10, and I only have two feeder wires connecting the track to the DCC system. I don’t have any noticeable problems with voltage drops. I have had to solder rail joiners to improve connectivity.
I agree, though that you need to get your eyeballs down on the level of your wheels and see exactly where the problem is occurring.
Try to see where the wheels are when the problem occurs. It may be that a short is occurring when the long steam loco (plus tender, because that’s where the pickup occurs on many locos) enters a certain section of track, so while you might think the loco is on a piece of track without joints, maybe it’s the tender .
It also might be a binding issue and not an electrical one at all. Run all of your locos through the spot several times, and make notes of which ones stall and which ones don’t, whether they stall all the time or just some of the time, the length of the loco and see if that doesn’t give you a clue as to what’s going on.
A quick check with an ohm meter might give you some insight as to whether its the engine or the track.
You say loose power. Do you mean they loose 100% of the power and restart or they are just slowing down like the power has dropped a little?
While the track might be nice and clean, but are the wheels of the locomotive? I don’t just mean to clean the wheel where it touches the rail but also where the power is pulled inside too. I had an old Atlas SD24 that I cleaned track and wheels forever and then discovered it had wipers on the back side of the wheel to move the power to the motor. Cleaned those and it was like a different (and new) locomotive.
Someone mentioned “short” and someone mentioned “stall”.
The OP mentioned neither. Rather, the OP said that the locos “lose power”.
Even so, did the OP mean “short” or “stall” or are the locos just slowing down?
Rich
The engines stall and I manually have to nudge it forward a fraction of an inch to get it going again. I doubt it is a short since power is on in other parts of the track. I am going to clean the rails with alcohol and also the loco and tender power pick up wheels.
I was going to do that today but I have been without electric power all day do to a heavy wind storm and my rail layout is not connected to circuit that connects to my generator.
Hank
Hank,
I’m betting you live in California, what with those strong winds today.
OK, good, that helps. It is a stall, not a short. A nudge gets the loco moving once again.
I’m guessing it is dirty track or dirty pick up wheels. If it is always the same spot(s), it is probably the track. You could use alcohol to clean the track but, honestly, the Bright Boy eraser is really an excellent product for cleaning the track. And, make sure that those pick up wheels are clean.
Rich
That sounds like dirty track, or more likely glue or matte medium on the rails. This can be tough to get off. Hit it with denatured (not Isopropyl, it’s a little stronger since it’s not diluted) and then a bright boy, then alcohol again. If you use a thin rag (I cut up old t-shirts), you will be able to feel anything stuck to the track.
While you’re at it, look between the rails and see if you have a piece of ballast or hunk of adhesive in there.
Yep, I agree. I use matte medium to secure my ballast. That makes the rails gummy so, like CTV, I use denatured alcohol on a clean white rag to clean the rails followed by a good rub with the Bright Boy. It definitely seems like dirty rails. Again, though, clean the pick up wheels in the same manner.
Rich
Still some information missing that might help folks help you. Does every engine you’ve tried stall? Every time? And is it always in the exact same spots?
Alcohol and rubbing cured the problem. Apparently there was some very thin layer of cement from ballasting on on spots on the track, The spots were so small that I was unable to feel hem with my finger. Now I know how important clean tracks and wheels are,
Thanks for all the suggestions.
Hank
Good for you, Hank, and thanks for getting back to us.
The glue that secures the ballast, whether white glue or matte medium, is the usual culprit.
I find the Bright Boy to be an invaluable cleaning tool, even more so than denatured alcohol.
Rich
Agreed, although I think the initial hit with the denatured alcohol starts to loosen the crud and makes it easier for the Bright Boy to do it’s work.
And, I will agree with that. After I use a water/matte medium mix to secure my ballast, and after everything is dry, I clean the rails with denatured alcohol on a clean white cloth, followed by the Bright Boy.
Rich
Hi,
Glad the problem is resolved. One question though, I didn’t see mention of how many feeders on the layout. Of course the problem is solved, but I was just curious…
Enough! [(-D]