Very...New kid on the block.

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
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Hello everyone,

Well as stated I’m new to this site as well as the hobby so I thought what better way to get informed then to find a model train forum. I have to admit that I have recently put the cart before the horse and purchased a very cool 4-6-6-4 Challenger steam engine. As of yet I do not have a formal set up (track) but am in the process figuring out my location/design.

In the mean time I have set up a track in the wreckroom and am having a blast with it along with my kids. It’s nice to find a hobby my children can get excited over as well, most of my hobbies were more of a solo deal and I had been wanting to do something that could involve the whole family, so I’m hoping I have found that with the model trains.

All that being said I have run into a bit of a problem, while operating my train all was going well until maybe an hour into things it started acting funny. By this I mean the sound would cut out on it’s own but come back on after restarting or it would go into reverse on it’s own without me touching the controls and being new to the hobby I had no idea what was going on. So off I went to the hobby shop where I purchased the train, the guys there were very helpfull as well as knowledgable, they tested my power suplly as well as the train and as I expected everything checked out fine (story of my life). After some discussion I mentioned that I was running the track on carpet in the basement at which point the guys at the shop said that was the problem. It seems they figure I was getting a bad signal and running on carpet is a no no, well I did say I was new didn’t I. So I was just wondering if anyone else could shed further light on this topic and maybe throw a few suggestions my way until I get a more perminent set up figured out. Have to say though, very cool hobby.

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Hi, and we hope we can help.

Yes, they are correct, operating toy trains on carpeting is asking for problems. The depression and rising of the tracks as the train passes over them causes static build-up in the synthetic fibers, and they may, those that can do so because they are no longer fixed to the backing, rise up and bind to electrically charged items on/in your locomotive. This is not to mention dander, human hairs, and all the other nause associated with carpets.

That’s one thing…gumming up the works. The other is that the rails, themselves, seem to get crud on them over time, especially in an iffy environment cleanliness-wise, and that crud, or gunk, plays havoc with the connectivity between the metal tires on the pickup wheels on the locomotive and the rail head. You will need an ink eraser or isopropyl alcohol and a clean rag. Rub either one along the rail tops, and if necessary do any dirty tire surfaces on your engines…you’ll quickly notice black and gray stuff on the cloth or on the eraser.

Vacuum after the eraser…it’ll leave particles all over the tracks.

One other thing, the fibers from the carpet may have worked the phosphor bronze wipers, maybe they’re copper, away from the surfaces on which they are meant to rub for electrical continuity to the motor or the decoder. Very carefully clean them out…they are very fragile and will snap. Try to deflect them the least amount possible.

Lastly, if your engine has a sound decoder, it may be that the tether between the tender and engine cab receptacle has been effectively dislodged. Take something hard, but not metal, something like a tooth pick or a wooden kabob skewer’s blunt end, and pry the plug well into the receptacle. Don’t overdo it, of course, but make sure it is well seated.

You will have little choice but to find spa

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Ditto the prev post. Carpet can also cause fibers, dog/human hairs, etc, to get into the gears & other parts of the loco!! The best thing for a temp layout would be a piece of 4’x8’x3/4" plywood set up on saw horses - the quickest & easiest thing for a train table. Another problem with running on carpet is the fact that the track can flex as the loco runs over it, causing the wheels to loose contact as well as flexing the rail joints. If your loco is an Athearn, it will handle 18" radius curves, but will look much better on 22", which is the largest you can get on a 4x8. If you have, or have access to, a ping pong table, then you can run 24" or 28" radius - the bigger the better looking for a Challenger loco. Oh, by the way -

[#welcome] to the forums!!!

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Welcome to the forums.

A few years back I set my nephew up with a running train and 8 freight cars. He was at the age where he had a blast. Problem was he ran it on the carpet all the time, which caused it to pick up everything from hair, fuz, and whatever else was on the carpet. I worked on the loco’ like 4 or five times, digging fuz and what not out of it. I finally talked his dad into getting a 4 by 8 sheet of plywood to get it off the carpet, and this made a huge difference with things getting sucked up into the wheels and gears. You can mount the track on the board and lean it up against the wall, or set it on some saw horses also like others have suggested.

Have fun and good luck!

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Thanks for the info, this is what I was hoping to find when I signed up to this forum. A far as the train on carpet goes, my intention has been to build a more condusive layout for the train but I couldn’t wait to see it run and though I do have hardwood floors that I could have tested her out on the carpetted basement sees less traffic. Ultimately I’m not much for the static look of running a train on the floor, the decorated scale layouts are incredible and I hope to get to work on one really soon.

Thanks again for the tips and taking the time to share them, as well I appreciate the welcome and look forward to sharing more info in the future.

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WELCOME TO THE FORUM

MIKE

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hmmm… I don’t like the sound of that.

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I don’t have a permanent layout yet, but I will tell what I use. Many years ago when I was a kid (I’m 23) I found an old refrigerator box. I cut one corner and layed it flat on the floor. It worked for years as long as I had 18" radius curves and a big room to put it in. I no longer use that box. I use Bachmann EZ track and set a basic oval on the carpeting. I don’t seem to have a problem with gunk plugging up the locos. That’s just my two cents.

Will

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Lex, is that an HO scale or N scale locomotive? I ask, because I have an HO scale sectional layout. That one can be taken apart and stored if necessary. Right now, it runs along two walls in my basement. As for N scale, I have to content myself with a loop of Kato’s Unitrack on the kitchen table. For now, that has to do…but I do plan on building an N scale layout on an old door.

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Hey Emd, It’s an HO scale, loco and I’m inthe process of designing a layout. we have a spare room my wife and I are about to reoganize fo rthis reason. She’s been rather accomadating more then I expected. The only thing is with this train and cars I need to run a minimum radius of 24", train will do 22" but the passenger cars will only do 24" so needless to say the layout will be rather large.