This is an ongoing thing with the Kato diesels in our club. The speakers are picking up track nails, metal filings and other stuff from the layouts. This older gent brought me one last night that he claims will not run. There was so many track nails stuck in and on the speaker they got jammed in a switch. I told him he needs to vacume his layout very good before running again. I cut a fine wire mesh (brass) and stuck it over the speaker and put the fuel tank back on. I pulled 39 track nails out of it. Lucky none had punctured the speaker. What have you guys found in them?
Pete
I pray every day I break even, Cause I can really use the money!
I started with nothing and still have most of it left!
That's exactly why many professional installers recommend that speakers never be placed in the fuel tank.
But if the speaker is picking up that many track nails, the person's tracklaying skills are partly to blame.
Someone, I can't recall who, mentioned some time ago on this forum about running a magnet car along with their other track cleaning cars for just this reason. I thought that it wasn't necesary but cobbled one up just for grins. It is basically an old flat car with a couple of round magnets glued to the bottom. I thought that my track cleaning was exceptional and that the car wouldn't pick up anything but I was wrong. I recovered a couple of spikes, some fine shavings and a track nail. So I guess that a magnet car isn't a farout concept after all.
Joe
I don't have a problem with mine. Now and then I run a magnet along the track to pick up anything that might cause a problem. The first couple of times I would find stuff. Lately the magnet comes up clean.
Springfield PA
Wow, I was just about to install my loco's speaker in the fuel tank. Luckily, my layout is small.
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Mike Kieran
Port Able Railway
I just do what the majority of the voices in my head vote on.
Methinks the track crew at your club should run a magnet around the layotu and stop leaving supplies liek track nails just laying around. Yes a speaker inthe fuel tank can pick up anythign magnetic laying around - but there shouldn't be that much stuff! A piece of speaker grille cloth in there woul dkeep finer items from adhering to the speaker cone, most of the time the speaker sits in there and there are just open slots ot let the sound out.
If there's that much junk left laying around the layout, eventually it will be more than just sound locos with speakers in the fuel tank that will have problems.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Let me clarify something first. This loco has never run on the clubs layout. The older gentleman's layout is going on 40 years old. It was started in the early 70s and has expanded from there. There is a large portion of it hand laid track on fiber and wood ties. It is in a basement that is not fully heated and air conditioned. I believe through the years with expansion and contraction most of the original track fasteners has loosened. The ballast has loosened and in the hidden areas there is no ballast. He is the nicest guy you can ever run across. Just before his retirement (about 7 years ago) he was seriously electrocuted and almost died several times. He has limited functions in his hands and lost some speech abilities but his mind is sharp as a razor. I had helped him with the change to DCC on his layout and don't mind doing things for him. His family loves him and fully supports his hobby and treats me well when I come over to do things for him. I never take payment but a good cup of coffee is always welcome.
This is proof positive that it IS tough to get old.
Have a great weekend.