My layout is a 15X12 shelf around the room I have feeders no more then 30"
I have a NMRA gauge and chech wheels all the time I gues I just need to spend a good day cleaning track and what plastic wheels I have some plastic but l am trying to switch to metal wheels
Thanks
By now you can see the common theme is dirt on the wheels and track. After cleaning both try running just the loco for awhile to see if the problem clears. Also don't run at max speed. Faster moving loco's tend to arc more. Also what is the size of your layout? and how many feeder wires are you using?
Springfield PA
Get an NMRA standards gauge and check your wheels on the loco. If they are too narrow or too wide they can contact parts of the turnout they aren't suppsoed to and cause a short.
If it runs fine after cleaning but the wheels are leaving lots of black streaks when cleanign again after just a short amount of running, you've got something making your track dirty, which is being picked up by the wheels. Plastic wheels on the rollign stock? When you clean the track, are you cleanign ALL of it, then doing oen last wipedown to make sure it's all dry before turning a train loose? Plastic or metal, you may need to also clean your car wheels - putting cars with dirty wheels on clean track just makes the track dirty right away.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Roadie,
The Atlas Gold (Q2) decoders are, indeed, more sensitive to dirty track. First off, sounds to me that you need to eliminate the shorting issue. What type turnouts are you using?
Secondly, when you "clean" the track, are you using 70% or 91% alcohol? It's better to use 90%, as the 70% has more water content.
Also, each time you clean, are you seeing grime on the cloth or paper towel? If so, it may be your rolling stock wheels are re-contaminating the track after you clean them. Are you running plastic or metal wheels?
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
I have a Atlas Gp 40+2 that I can't seem to keep running without stopping and re starting I have cleaned the track cleaned he wheels with alcohol and paper towel on he track it will run fine.
Then after a while as it goes over the switches my system shows a short but it will keep running then shortly there after it will start stopping then restarting it doesn't matter where on the layout
any Ideas I am stompedd