my train has problems running the tracks i have two engines out of ten (all ho) that run decent but others run couple feet and stop how do you keep track an engines from carbonizing or whatever to keep rolling along also any tips on using multipy tranformers for extra power
Clean the track and the wheels. I’d guess that the 2 that run well are 8-wheel pick up, while the others are 4-wheel pick up.
If you’re running out of power, trying to run multiple engines, get a better power supply. Keep the old one and use it for accessories.
How to clean track and wheels? There’s two basic ways. 1) Scratch the gunk off. 2) disslove the gunk off.
Guess which one can leave grooves in the railhead for more gunk to build up in?
OK, so cleaning blocks like “Bright Boy” work, but unless they are real fine texture they can scrath up the railhead and lead to more cleaning sooner than later. And you are left with the rubbings to deal with somehow, all down your tracks.
So, dissolving the gunk off works well too. Rubbing (or De-natured, or Iso Propyl) Alcohol, Goo Gone, those sorts of things rubbed onto the track with a soft cloth will get the dirt off. For the wheels, put down a soaked pad on the rails, and one truck of the loco on the pad. The other truck is on the rails, picking up power. Set your throttle fairly high, and spin the wheels that are on the pad. Do this until you see no more dirt coming off onto the pad. Change the trucks over and clean the next set of wheels. Now check the wheels on your freight and passenger cars. See all that crud built up? (Especially if you have plastic wheels) Can’t spin it off very easilly, and so it’s rather time consuming and boring to clean them each by hand with your solvent soaked cloth. But, no pain, no gain, as they say [:)]
It’s well worth the effort in order to not deposit crud from your rolling stock wheels back onto your newly cleaned track for your newly cleaned locos to pick right back up again!
Remember, Model Railroading is FUN [:D]
my train has problems running the tracks i have two engines out of ten (all ho) that run decent but others run couple feet and stop how do you keep track an engines from carbonizing or whatever to keep rolling along also any tips on using multipy tranformers for extra power
Clean the track and the wheels. I’d guess that the 2 that run well are 8-wheel pick up, while the others are 4-wheel pick up.
If you’re running out of power, trying to run multiple engines, get a better power supply. Keep the old one and use it for accessories.
How to clean track and wheels? There’s two basic ways. 1) Scratch the gunk off. 2) disslove the gunk off.
Guess which one can leave grooves in the railhead for more gunk to build up in?
OK, so cleaning blocks like “Bright Boy” work, but unless they are real fine texture they can scrath up the railhead and lead to more cleaning sooner than later. And you are left with the rubbings to deal with somehow, all down your tracks.
So, dissolving the gunk off works well too. Rubbing (or De-natured, or Iso Propyl) Alcohol, Goo Gone, those sorts of things rubbed onto the track with a soft cloth will get the dirt off. For the wheels, put down a soaked pad on the rails, and one truck of the loco on the pad. The other truck is on the rails, picking up power. Set your throttle fairly high, and spin the wheels that are on the pad. Do this until you see no more dirt coming off onto the pad. Change the trucks over and clean the next set of wheels. Now check the wheels on your freight and passenger cars. See all that crud built up? (Especially if you have plastic wheels) Can’t spin it off very easilly, and so it’s rather time consuming and boring to clean them each by hand with your solvent soaked cloth. But, no pain, no gain, as they say [:)]
It’s well worth the effort in order to not deposit crud from your rolling stock wheels back onto your newly cleaned track for your newly cleaned locos to pick right back up again!
Remember, Model Railroading is FUN [:D]