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RANDOM STALLING lOCO

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  • Member since
    June 2004
  • From: Orig: Tyler Texas. Lived in seven countries, now live in Sundown, Louisiana
  • 25,640 posts
Posted by jeffrey-wimberly on Sunday, July 20, 2008 9:59 PM
Give your track and wheels a real good cleaning too. Just having it look clean isn't enough, make it clean enough that you can't get anything off onto a white cloth. Do the same with your loco wheels and the wheels of your rolling stock. If your track and wheels are dirty even a booster the size of a car engine won't help.

Running Bear, Sundown, Louisiana
          Joined June, 2004

Dr. Frankendiesel aka Scott Running Bear
Space Mouse for president!
15 year veteran fire fighter
Collector of Apple //e's
Running Bear Enterprises
History Channel Club life member.
beatus homo qui invenit sapientiam


  • Member since
    August 2007
  • From: N. East Texas
  • 39 posts
Posted by HackSaw on Sunday, July 20, 2008 8:04 PM
  Thanks to everyone for your input and suggestions.  I think i have the problem figured out.  I may need a booster.  I have tried other DCC locos on the layout and they stall as well. I checked all connections and thery are good. I made sure there wasn't a screwdriver on the tracks as well. (it has happned).  I was discussing this problem with a few other members of the club i belong to and they also suggested a booster. of course, before i purchase one, i will aquire a booster from one of the members and try it.  Thanks again.
  • Member since
    June 2005
  • From: Hot'lanta, Gawga
  • 1,279 posts
Posted by Rotorranch on Wednesday, July 16, 2008 1:40 PM
 HackSaw wrote:

I have an HO layout, just a simple outside loop that switches to an inside loop with a few staging tracks.  I am running The Dynamis system DCC.  I have 2 locos that are DCC equipped, no sound.  They both run smooth and I run them by them selves, not both at the same time.   When the U.P loco runs around the loop once or twice it will stall on a section of track, turnout,straight track, curve, just about anywhere. whehn it stops, the display on the Dynamis has 2 icins that show up : a stop sign (which i fully understand), and next to it a little lightening bolt that says "short". Now, i hit the stop button and loco resumes down the track until it hits another place where it abruptly stops, sometimes on the same place as before and sometimes not.  the same icons appear on the Dynamis screen.  Then again, the loco will run right over these "trouble" spots without stalling, make a few rounds and then stallBanged Head [banghead]. I have read the manual on the Dynamis and it says that when the "short" icon appears, there is a possible short somewhere on the track...hmmmmm... i have checked, and checked, replaced track, removed the turnout and replaced it with a straight peice and it still stalls!!!  bothe locos stall in the same places and random places as well (if that makes since).  If i have left out any info needed please let me know.  Thank you for your time amd reading this lengthy problem

Does the other loco quit too?

Since they both run ok BY THEMSELVES, I don't think the problem is in the loco.

Check the amp draw on the locos seperately, then together. The current draw may be too much for the breaker in the DCC unit. Or too little current capacity in the power supply.

Rotor

 Jake: How often does the train go by? Elwood: So often you won't even notice ...

  • Member since
    June 2004
  • From: Orig: Tyler Texas. Lived in seven countries, now live in Sundown, Louisiana
  • 25,640 posts
Posted by jeffrey-wimberly on Wednesday, July 16, 2008 6:52 AM
Somewhere in that loco a wire is grounding. Be it one of the light wires or one of the wires coming from a pickup. I had the same thing happen a Proto 2000 E7. A pickup wire on the rear truck stuck out at an odd angle and would somehow ground against something and would bring the whole layout to a stop. Unsoldering the wire and reattaching it properly solved the problem.

Running Bear, Sundown, Louisiana
          Joined June, 2004

Dr. Frankendiesel aka Scott Running Bear
Space Mouse for president!
15 year veteran fire fighter
Collector of Apple //e's
Running Bear Enterprises
History Channel Club life member.
beatus homo qui invenit sapientiam


  • Member since
    December 2004
  • From: Bedford, MA, USA
  • 21,483 posts
Posted by MisterBeasley on Wednesday, July 16, 2008 6:20 AM

It sounds like a loose wire to me, too.  Take off the shell and see if there is anything obvious.  Sometimes, a stranded wire is soldered in place, but one strand is loose and can brush against other parts of the engine.

One trick that might work is to wait for a dark (and stormy) night, and run the engine entirely in the dark.  Watch for small sparks that will indicate a momentary short.

It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse. 

  • Member since
    February 2005
  • From: Vancouver Island, BC
  • 23,330 posts
Posted by selector on Wednesday, July 16, 2008 12:43 AM

Because it happens only to the one one engine, and because it happens randomly, the fault is resident in the engine.  So, you have bare wire contacting metal that it shouldn't.  You'll have to look at the wipers, wires to the decoder, and then wires from the decoder to other accessories and the motor to see if a bare spot is worn, or too much pared back for the soldering job.

One other possibility is the metal truck frame, if it has them, contacting the main frame and allowing current to carry over to the other rail via a path that is available.

Other than that, I'll have to defer to more knowledgeable folks.

  • Member since
    August 2007
  • From: N. East Texas
  • 39 posts
RANDOM STALLING lOCO
Posted by HackSaw on Wednesday, July 16, 2008 12:04 AM

I have an HO layout, just a simple outside loop that switches to an inside loop with a few staging tracks.  I am running The Dynamis system DCC.  I have 2 locos that are DCC equipped, no sound.  They both run smooth and I run them by them selves, not both at the same time.   When the U.P loco runs around the loop once or twice it will stall on a section of track, turnout,straight track, curve, just about anywhere. whehn it stops, the display on the Dynamis has 2 icins that show up : a stop sign (which i fully understand), and next to it a little lightening bolt that says "short". Now, i hit the stop button and loco resumes down the track until it hits another place where it abruptly stops, sometimes on the same place as before and sometimes not.  the same icons appear on the Dynamis screen.  Then again, the loco will run right over these "trouble" spots without stalling, make a few rounds and then stallBanged Head [banghead]. I have read the manual on the Dynamis and it says that when the "short" icon appears, there is a possible short somewhere on the track...hmmmmm... i have checked, and checked, replaced track, removed the turnout and replaced it with a straight peice and it still stalls!!!  bothe locos stall in the same places and random places as well (if that makes since).  If i have left out any info needed please let me know.  Thank you for your time amd reading this lengthy problem

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