DC loco idle on DCC, how long until the motor burns out?

[R. T. POTEET]

Jeffrey-Wimberly of Leesville, Louisiana, you need to give some consideration to taking up model railroading as a hobby; it is very rewarding although those in it too long tend to go just a little wacky!

R. T. POTEET from the far, far reaches of the wild, wild west, I think I'm already beyond that point. I'm having a really good time with it.

What's that old jibe about, "You don't have to be crazy to work here but it sure helps!!!"

[jeffrey-wimberly]

I used to have that hanging on the wall in my office when I was a computer tech/programmer.

[Villy]

I run DC

With a narrow pulse inserted on it to provide constant lighting....

 Makes me wonder what that is doing to my motors..... 

Of course my pulse is unipolar - that might make a difference...

 

Villy 

 

[Gandy Dancer]

I run DC With a narrow pulse inserted on it to provide constant lighting....

 Makes me wonder what that is doing to my motors..... 

In that scenario (assuming a high frequency pulse rate), one is supposed to have choke coils installed on the motors to keep the pulses out, and capacitors on the light bulbs to keep the track power out of them.  There was a great article on this in MR back in the mid-1970s when this was a common way to get constant lighting.   Unfortunately I cannot recall the exact issue.  PFM sound systems used a similar arrangement to keep the sound out of the motors and the power out of the sound.

Edit - OK it was the early 1970s - December 1971.