Digitrax Superchief Problem

[2059]

Hey everyone, I have been running my system for a few months now with no problems until yesterday. When I operate locomotives they will move down the track and then unexplainably come close to a stop and then suddenly accelerate. I can turn the throttle up high and the locomotive will run about half that speed, come close to a stop and then accelerate to a high speed and repeat a similar process. This is happening with all my locomotives. I've even tried one which I haven't used for a long time. I can't find any shorts or flaws in the system, I'm stumped. Can someone help me out here? Sorry if this has been a topic in the past, I tried looking for it but came up with nothing. I'm just frustrated right now.

[2059]

I've got just one throttle with the address

[2059]

It's a DT400R, I've had the system for a year or so.

[Phoebe Vet]

I would do these things in this order:

1 Check your throttle battery.

2 Clean your track and look for tools or anything else that might be touching the track.

3 Remove ALL stock from the track and anything else that is connected to track power. Check voltage at the Booster then at different places around the layout. If you have an air compressor, blow any dust out of the booster. Heat can seriously compromise the booster's performance.

4 Put ONE known good engine on the track and see if the problem is everywhere or just certain places. If possible, try the engine on someone else's layout.

5 Make sure that you have not accidentally reprogrammed your engines.

6  Check the voltage switch on the booster. (It is labeled N. HO, and O/G.)  If it is too high it will overheat the decoder in your engine.

[UpNorth]

1- are you running the DT400 via  radio or pluged to Loconet ? try the DT400 direct attached to the Superchief, bypass any panel.

2- Try and connect your Superchief to a section of flex track to test. 

3- Are you running DecoderPro or similar attached to your layout ?

[2059]

Thanks for your help guys. After thinking things over I disconnected the powerbus from the DCS100 and hooked my old DC transformer up to it. I ran one of the locomotives on DC over the track and it slowed down in a few trouble areas. So it turns out the biggest problem was dirty track. I thought at first it was not since I'm used to the engines losing all power over a dirty spot in the track. In DCC mode the locomotive would come to a complete stop and sit with lights and sound still on with no motion. That's what made me think there was something else wrong besides dirty track. I did ask Digitrax about it, they told me to change switch 36 on the DCS100 to closed. This seems to have solved the slight jerking I've noticed from the locomotives.

Now for the dirty track. I'll have to start a new topic about this somewhere. I hate to say it, no matter how good a track cleaning car is said to be or how many of them you've got, it just doesn't beat cleaning the track by hand with a brite boy. 

[Steve P]

I was just reviewing some older forums as I want to get a Digitrax myself. Operating a buddies layout this weekend has sold me!! Regarding your track cleaning, I suggest you use a 400 grit wet sandpaper. This will actually polish the rails and not leave any scratches. A drop of very light oil will also prevent arcing.  I rarely have to clean my track, with DC,.

Also clean your wheels regulary.   

[retsignalmtr]

my club has a digitrax super chief and the empire builder and occasionally we have a similar problem and it was not caused by dirty track. too many people were not dispatching their locos properly and the system was running the locos as if they were still on the track. every time the command station sent out an update packet to the decoders they would stop for a few seconds  then move again a few seconds later. this would keep happening over and over. the fix was to use the command stations option switches to erase its memory of addresses that were not needed. the option switch is #39 and will clear the memory of all the addresses that are in use as well as addresses that were not dispatched properly. you do not have to remove the locos from the layout just disconnect the loconet wire from the command station to the ur91. the instructions are in the manual under option switches for the dcs 100 or 200. this procedure will also de'mu your locos that were previously mu'ed together so you will just have to mu them again.