Troubleshooting power issue

[MAstfalk]

I haven't set my garden railway in the ground yet. I've set up track from a USA starter set in the shape of a partial dogbone in our grass. The grass in the area is cut short and doesn't interfere.

I'm having an issue where the engine, along with a lighted caboose, stops and starts when it reaches the put side edge of either of the two loops. If I remove the caboose, the engine runs around the track. It only seems to have issues with the caboose in tow. Since I was running at dusk, I have the lights on in the cab and in the caboose.

Does anyone know what the issue would be? I cleaned the track and connectors with a scotch brite and that did not help. Removing the caboose does.

Any help is appreciated!

Thank you!

Michael

[ttrigg]

First, let me make sure I correctly understand the problem. The train stops for loss of power ONLY at the farthermost outer portion of the loop at each end of the dog bone. You have a starter set so the minimum curvature should not interfere with the situation. The track is laid out on top of the lawn.

I'm thinking that the problem is from the cushion effect of the lawn. As the train runs along the straight away's the train is most probably depressing the track down into the grass. Both rails are being depressed equally into the grass and the train moves as desired. Going around the outer curves the rain continues to depress the track into the grass, but NOT evenly on both rails. The outer rail dips down ever so slightly more than the inner rail.

If you have rail joiners that are even slightly loose they may be slipping and not making proper electrical contact. Power is still getting through but the ill fitting joints are adding in resistance and not providing the engine with enough electrical power. 

Recommendations: (1) slice open several cardboard boxes and put a layer of cardboard under all the rails. The cardboard will act as a stiffener not allowing the rails to dip down so much. (2) Use a pair of needle nose pliers and tighten each and all of the joiners. Do it in small steps so that you end up needing to fight and force the rails into the joiner. (3) Go back to you local hobby shop and get a few clamp-on rail joiners, (Split Jaw, or Hellmans as example.) Remove the slip-on rail joiners on both rails for the curves and replace with the rail clamps. 

As much as an eighth of an inch of vertical movement can cause electrical connection problems. Try the cardboard at your first opportunity and let me know if this helps at all.

[ttrigg]

I guess I should have added a "Been There, Done That" in the above response. We learn from our not so successful experiments more than from the completely successful ones.

[piercedan]

'I haven't set my garden railway in the ground yet. I've set up track from a USA starter set in the shape of a partial dogbone in our grass' Post

Does this track have insulators and the caboose makes the train long enough to create a short by bridging the gap?

[eheading]

Or also, being a starter set, are you sure you have enough power for the engine plus the caboose with the lights on?

Ed