I loved this episode because there is a friendly debate going on here about whether DCC is easy! I think the troubleshooting of the DCC in this episode makes a good point. Once you got into it through I would have stopped and written it all down in the form of simple tables or diagrams so you can see at a glance the logic of the circuits and what you have tested.
Iain
Could you please repeat the name of the store where you purchased the rubber interlocking floor covering? Thank you!
Great video. Just wondering about the parking lot that Cody put in at the station. Shouldn’t the parking spaces be marked for the opposite direction so the cars can pull into them from coming down the road from the overpass?
Nice episode. This seem to be coming together. I admit to a perverse pleasure in seeing that the professionals still have pesky electrical gremlins also. My gremlins are larger and even more pesky, but it was very helpful to watch your approach to the problem. It’s also fun to watch the MRVP staff playing around and enjoying the hobby a bit. This series is full of good tips and the crew has made it very enjoyabvle to watch. I look forward to some more episodes.
Great Job -
Excellent episode (again, of course.) I have to agree with Iain Stuart about making tables and writing it down - no matter if you are talking the ac side or dc or dcc – with three circuits/divisions you have SEVEN different combinations that could are possible (1 or 2 or 3; 1&2 or !&3 or 2&3 or 1&2&3.) Makes it VERY easy to miss one combination while testing.
Second, one of the problems I have had with normal 115VAC household circuits is loose connections. I say this because disconnecting and reconnecting the supplies to AND the outputs from could have fixed some or part of your problem(s). Nor does the connection have to loose; it can be tight and still NOT making a good connection.
Finally, although I don’t think it was too probable, a partial short could occur between wires if the insulation got hot while operating and melted allowing the wires to come in contact. This of course would happen only where the various divisions’ wiring came together.
As a friend who worked with water and steam once told me, “I would rather work with steam.” When I asked why, he answered, “You can see a water leak.” I, being a friend declined to tell him that a steam leak was invisible because steam is a vapor – it is the condensing water that make the plume.
Could you devote the next series of Rehab to American Flyer, S scale; sectional track. using “antique” equipment.? (If you need a railroad to work on, I volunteer mine!) 
Chris from Minnesota
You are truly great entertainers. I have a question for Chuck and a mug. What is the proper brat brand for model railroad crews? Thanks again for these awesome videos.
In Episode 5 as Chuck and David checked out the DCC short, I saw that Chuck has a lift out section. Could you show us how the lift out was constructed and especially how it is wired. Thanks.
Jim Kerkam
Duxbury, MA
Really enjoying this series! Have watched all 6 episodes so far. Everyone coming together to work on problems makes things go so much better. All of you have a lot of great ideas. Starting a shelf layout soon. and the ideas keep coming from all of you.
Thanks again for MR Video Plus really enjoy all of them so far.
Mike
I also found the mat at Harbor Freight. 4 squares around $14.99 They have a 50 % coupon for $7.49 them. They have all kinds of tools and such!
Mike
You guys at Model Railroad/Model Railroad Video Plus have really hit on a winner with Rehab My Railroad. This is most interesting and informative to Model Railroads like myself who do most of their railroading by themselves. Wish I had you here in Oklahoma to give me a hand, but short of having that it really gives me more energy as I watch you help Chuck with his layout. I like the informal conversation between all of the crew and of course the helpful techniques and ideas on various layout problems and how to fix them.
I also enjoy seeing all of the layout room, by this I mean the walls and environment and areas around the home layout not just the layout itself. Keep up the good work. BTW Drew’s Track Side Adventures really hit on a subject close to my heart when he did his piece on the MRL. My layout is the MRL from Helena to Paradise. Having been to Montana several times to photograph the MRL your trip to Montana gave me a good refresher course on the beautiful Montana landscapes. I am a fan of Cody and David as well. Thanks and keep up the good work.
James Lollar
Ada, OK
Hello again everyone,
In answer to Michael’s comment, we did film a segment about the need for checking for loose electrical connections, but it got cut in the final edit for it was both long and boring. Part of that segment included this story:
many years ago I’d built a very large HO layout with DC block control. Power was routed to the blocks by a dispatcher, setting up routes on the railroad similar to working with a CTC machine. Power was routed to the blocks through rotary switches mounted in a three-face panel in a large rolling desk. I’d used barrier strips with screw terminals to connect a 25-foot cable snake from the desk to the layout. Wire was still fairly cheep back then, which was good, because I was buying it in 500-foot rolls.
From the moment I fired up the railroad, it had an intermittent short in the system - and finding it was maddening. After spending three days of my free time tracing nearly every wire and connection and solder joint, I finally discovered the problem. A single screw terminal connection on the snake hadn’t been tightened all the way, and any movement of the rolling desk would cause it to either make or break contact, producing the phantom short. Lesson learned - double check all screw connections first when looking for a possible wiring problem! And that is exactly what we did (but didn’t show) on Chuck’s layout.
In my opinion, although DCC can have its gremlins, its simplicity of wiring to get multiple train control far out weighs the work and materials needed to wire a layout for DC multiple train control.
Have a great weekend!
David
Wouldn’t three brats be known in Wisconsin as a “hat trick”?
For Ryan Lotzer: The lunchtime brats are from Fox Brothers Piggly Wiggly grocery store in Oconomowoc. They have an in-house meat specialist that makes all of their various types of brats, sausages, etc. They have stores in Slinger, Hartland, and Oconomowoc. The brats have won numerous awards at local and state fairs. Check them out if you are ever in this area of Wisconsin. Three Brat Grivno is living testimony to their delicious taste. They are considered by many around here as a local delicacy.
Over the years I have found that elecgtrical problems are almost always caused by connection problems, not problems with the electronic devices. Also, when a problem develops I start with looking at the last work I did on the layout. That’s usualy where the problem is.
Great series!
Love the Humor, in the credits. Rehab My Railroad is a winner for MR video plus. But, lets talk brats. My family is from Brillion WI. I grew up in N.E Ohio. at Age 18, I took a road trip to visit my Grandparents. Grandpa insisted on a “Brat Roast”. Now I recall the adults partaking of brats as child. But until then I cannot recall having them. As children I only recall hamburgers and hot dogs. Maybe because of the beer, but I doubt it. More Likely just so there were more brats for the adults.
But that day I made a huge mistake. I asked for catsup. I was schooled by my grandfather on how to dress a brat.
So pass me a brat.
I am having problems with an Atlas 12 and 1/2* crossover, which is very minimal. locos, steam and diesel, B and C trucks derail I have no apparent problems anywhere else using code 86 Atlas Flex Track. Atlas and Walthers/Shinohara Turnouts work fine. How about a video on how to improve the tracking on a crossover?
For Chuck and Drew, someones question this week asked about working height and width. I noticed that you all look pretty cramped filming “Rehab My Railroad”. How wide are your isles. What do you recommended the width of isles should be. Do you have operation nights on your layout. Has this worked well for you
For Cody; I noticed you painted the layout surface with brown paint, then waited for the paint to dry, covering with white glue and adding ground cover. Could the ground cover not have been added over the wet paint, saving both time and glue?