Engines keep Stalling(losing power)

[Anonymous]

Please Help!!!! I have a DCC layout and it is pretty clean, not finshed but clean. I've checked the loco's themselves and they seem fine but it seems that at one point or another the lose power???!!!!! I've ran a bright boy over the entire layout and that didn't help. Could it be my loco's need weight or something? The coin trick works around the entire layout as well( the command station beeps and shuts down for a sec.) Any advice would be helpful.

[lupo]

[#welcome] to the forum trunkdude

you could check if the problem engine related or track related:
does your engines stall at the same spots it is your track causing the problem,
if not it could be a pickup problem caused by dirty wheels, maybe brightboy residu ?
try cleaning the wheels maybe helps.

[Anonymous]

Not only is clean track necessary but clean loco wheels/pickups is obsolutely manatory.
It's the build up of oxidation that S L O W S everything down. There's a dozen or so cleaning
products, liquids and MAAS metal paste cleaner that will clean you up.
I prefer MAAS (Walmart, $4.00-two oz tube) over liquids to do my cleaning jobs. It need not be expensive to clean but it takes a little bit of time.

WELCOME ABOARD!

[rogerhensley]

You may need more power feeds to your track. Every 6 feet is not too much.. This insures that you have adequate power to the rails.

[cacole]

If the decoder was soldered in, you may have a loose wire connection. If it was one that just plugged in, the plug may not be pushed down tightly into the socket. If it was a locomotive with a decoder already installed, a wire may have gotten pulled loose in shipment.

Dirty wheels can cause this, too, as others have already told you, or inadequate power feeds to the track.

Your DCC system has a thermal cutoff for overloads, and you may have an electrical short in your track wiring or layout that is causing the system to periodically shut down.

More details would help, such as what scale you're running, what DCC system you're using, and what brand of decoder is in the locomotive that you're having problems with.

You mention that you have locomotives (plural) and that they shut down. Are you running more than one simultaneously, and do they all stop at the same time? If so, your command station is shutting off because of a short in the track or wiring.

[scole100]

I had a similar problem on a previous layout. My problem turned out to be to few power feeders. Without tearing everything up, you can cut rail gaps with a dremel in the installed track. I agree that 6, maybe 10 foot lengths are good sizes for each powerd section.

[rexhea]

I had the same problem and it turned out to be dirty Loco wheels. I used 91% alcohol and paper towel laid on the track. Moved one set of wheels on the towel and held the other end while the wheels turned free. Easy cleanup and I was surprised at all the crud that came off.

REX [:)]

[Anonymous]

The loco's all have clean wheels.(I clean them with Goo-Gone). The DCC system I have is Digitrax. I have 2 command stations 1 is just a slave unit for a seprate district.Yes I run consists of 2 or more.(all diesel).I wired all the loco's for DCC and I've looked at that as well. I hope these details help. Thanks to all whom replied.

[johncolley]

Another thought to add to your trouble shooting repertoire...Are any of your units on a turnout when this happens? Could be hitting a flangeway? Check your wheels with a guage? Personally I feed every section of track (36-39") with 20 ga. drops to the 12 ga. buss wires.

[cacole]

Still unanswered is the question of whether everything stops at the same time or just one locomotive. If everything stops simultaneously, then you have an overload that is causing the command station circuit breaker to cut the power, and after it cools off power is restored automatically.

[Anonymous]

This may sound like a little........[#offtopic],but........
This sounds like a UP problem.

[Anonymous]

Originally posted by cacole

Still unanswered is the question of whether everything stops at the same time or just one locomotive. If everything stops simultaneously, then you have an overload that is causing the command station circuit breaker to cut the power, and after it cools off power is restored automatically.

[/quote
[#ditto] I have had this happen and sometimes certain power packs and locomotives will completely shut down the whole system.

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