Back into the world of modeling after 40 years. I’ve got a 12x5 single loop layout with a couple of sidings and spurs. For power I’m running an NCE pro cab with 2amp transformer. I’ve got a bus line with 5 feeders around the layout. Each connection is soldered at the bus and to a track connector. I have two engines on the layout…a broadway limited big boy and a Athern ready to run diesel.
When I run the engines it’s almost like there is an electrical pulse or something. You can see the cars run up on each other and then pull away (not actually uncoupling, but this is the only way I can think to describe it), and you can hear it in the engine.
Troubleshooting steps I’ve taken so far:
Run only one engine on the track at a time…makes no difference. Happens with both engines when both on the track or only one is on the track.
Found gaps where rails weren’t tightly joined - filled with solder.
Checked all connections - tight and soldered
Checked power to tracks with voltmeter - appears to be good
Electrical is not my strong suit. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.
[#welcome] Welcome to the forum. Not sure why no one commented on your post, sometimes they just get bumped down the list by more active threads.
One of our electrical gurus wires his feeders to the rail joiners. I’m not sure why this isn’t problematic with ballasting the track, but it is an acceptable method to connect the feeders
Are you using sectional (short pieces) track or flex track?
Does this slow down occur at the same point in the layout?
Is it happening in turnouts, where there might be shorting going on? If so what turnouts do you have?
If you think rails need to be butted up against one another all the way around the layout, I hope your benchwork is made out of something that doesn’t expand and contract with temperature changes and humidity.
There is a saying that every piece of track needs an electrical connection via feeder or solder. Some soldering is ok.
As a newbie, your replies are delayed by moderation. If you aren’t going to sell us Borat’s sister, moderation goes away.
I have some Harbor Freight multimeters. I connect right to my NCE Power Cab and see 13.6 vac. I then probe different parts of the layout and see if there is any voltage drop with a loco running.
Did that about ten years ago and found about ten volts vac at one spot in a short section. Forgot about that until now.
Your meter reading might be different but use the reading at the cab as a bench mark with the track not connected yet.
Remember, DCC will show up as AC voltage.
You can use the DC in the meter but I don’t remember how to do that. Others here do.
Edit.
By the way, I did not say the Power Cab runs DC locos. One fellow in this foum, I think R Rinker says you can measure track voltage with a DC meter but I don’t remember the procedure. He has mentioned it a couple times before in other discussions. Maybe he will pop in and comment.
You can also use a 12 volt auto light bulb as a load instead of a loco. I have done that. You always need a load for proper Troubleshooting.
Not sure about the Pro cab but the Power Cab doesn’t do DC.
A voltmeter is essential unless one is very lucky. HF is good enough and costs about as much as a piece of flex track. You can use a bulb, but by the time you get the bulb, socket and aligator clips, you could have just bought a meter.
It’s going to be a case of disappearing electrons. Far more likely to be rail joiner or feeder problem than a booster problem.
Is the pulsing constant or intermittant? How far apart are the pulses (second, a few seconds or less than a second)? Does it happen all the way around the layout?
You say you have a 2 amp transformer, is it something in addition to what came with the Pro Cab set up or is it the wall wart?
Hopefully some electric savvy person will come along with some answers for you.
For reasons never clear to me, the PH-Pro only comes with the command station and a ProCab throttle. The power supply must be purchased separately. NCE does offer, and recommends, a 5amp power supply for the PH-Pro.
Because when such systems were introduced, the power supplies were AC transformers. Ac transformers are not universl voltage, so including a power supply for a system sold in a 220V country meant shipping a heavy transformer that the end user would basically throw out.
OP is running a NCE Power Cab. Five feeders are soldered to the track. Both locos run with a “pulse” sensation where they seem to slow down enough then speed up to notice changing slack between the train cars. Both locos do this whether they are run on the track at the same time or just one at a time.
Correct?
I’m stumped.
Normally I would check the wheels of the loco for being out of gauge causing a mechanical problem with rolling, but the odds of both locos being out of gauge would be like getting struck by lightning.
You are correct. I’ve also cleaned the track. The only thing someone suggested that I have yet to do is clean the wheels. I’ll give that a shot as well as testing voltage across the track and let you know if that helps.
My thoughts, the OP hasn’t answered the question of what kind of track he’s using. If it’s longer sections of flex track? or if it’s sectional track.
I never depended on the track connectors alone, so each section of track, be it sectional or flex, should have feeders, regardless if it’s soldered between each rails.
What size feeders and buss wire did you use?
voltage drop shouldn’t be an issue on 5x12 but if you have a week connection or dirty track in a section you may get similar effects, also keep in mind a lower voltage means a higher amperage and the power cab is good for 2 amps but the powers supply it comes with is only good for about 1.5
sometimes you won’t see a voltage drop until is under a load try measuring the voltage while running the trains
