I have just completed a renovation in my basement where my layout is located. I had it covered the whole time but it was covered for over a year. Now it is time to get back at it so when I ran my trains I found that there was a portion of track that when the engine went across it it would either slow right down or stop completely, but then when it got past this section it resumed normal operation. I am kind of new to model railroading and am wondering what I need to do to fix this or if there are things I need to check over first. If anyone could help that would be great.......
It seems you have weak voltage to that section of rail. If you know how to meter the rails using a multi-meter, you'll soon know if the voltage is bad or missing at that spot. Compared to the readings where the rails seem to work well, it will be lower, maybe substantially.
Depending on the rail metal, you would need to either burnish the rail tops if it is brass or use a solvent and perhaps fine sand paper for the silvery nickel-silver track.
First step is to clean the rail tops there. Wouldn't hurt to do the whole rail system, but start where you notice the slowing. Use lacquer thinner on a disposable cloth. Turn frequently. You'll see black crud coming off the rails onto the cloth. If it is brass, then maybe a brass cleaner or a metal wheel polish...test before you take some big swipes with a cloth.
If the cleaning goes well and the voltage still lags, you may need to either clean or replace the two sets of metal joiners between rail lengths in that area. Or, you can solder them and let the flowing solder act as a conduit. It is what many of us do. While you are at it, it might not hurt to solder a thin feeder wire from the supply wires running below the boards. I would only tackle this if I had figured out the wiring, though. And if I knew how to solder. It is easy to learn and to practice.
In summary, either/or poor electrical contact due to bad joins or dirty/corroded/oxidized rails or lack of voltage due to insufficient feed via soldered wire feeders, maybe a lot of both problems.
Crandell
Thanks, I will try to clean them first and then see how it runs after that...thanks for the advice!!