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+--- Thread: Southern Pacific Switching Layout (/showthread.php?tid=3248)
Re: Southern Pacific Switching Layout - Justinmiller171 - 05-12-2011
SSWUPinSA Wrote:Hey Justin,
How are things progressing, don't lose momentum!!?? There are so many helpful guys here and they all make it so much better to model... I think if it was not for this forum I would never have actually gotten started!!! Nothing like some helpful advise....
Callum
Thanks for the Interest Callum!
I actually have spent the last few weeks collecting rolling stock, and soon I should have enough to run an ops session, Wiring is pretty much finished, I still have fix a couple of soldering joints and get some ground throws for my switches.
After that I am going to paint the backdrop and make some building mock-ups, then comes ballasting and scenery.
Re: Southern Pacific Switching Layout - SSWUPinSA - 05-13-2011
Word to the wise...PAINT YOUR BASE BEFORE YOU LAY TRACK...make scenery a whole lot easier!!
Glad to hear its coming on... I have 30 Rolling stock and can only just make a 5 car inbound ops session, the layouts eat cars and I don't even have half the spots full... Thankfully however I have a lager box of Exactrails coming in today just in time for my birthday!!! Another 10 Boxes and a few neat tank cars...!! Its well worth the wait and effort!
Re: Southern Pacific Switching Layout - Russ Bellinis - 05-13-2011
Remember that for operations, you don't want the spots full. If you get too many cars on the layout, you choke it to the point that almost nothing moves! Often times an industry will have space for 5 cars on a spur when they never use more than 3. If every spot is filled and you have more cars to deliver, you need to be able to remove some of the cars already in place before you can spot the new ones, and you may need to drop some temporarily in the process to get them out of your way.
Re: Southern Pacific Switching Layout - Justinmiller171 - 05-13-2011
SSWUPinSA Wrote:Word to the wise...PAINT YOUR BASE BEFORE YOU LAY TRACK...make scenery a whole lot easier!!Don't worry, I did that already, although the color is more of a white than a tan.
SSWUPinSA Wrote:Glad to hear its coming on... I have 30 Rolling stock and can only just make a 5 car inbound ops session, the layouts eat cars and I don't even have half the spots full... Thankfully however I have a lager box of Exactrails coming in today just in time for my birthday!!! Another 10 Boxes and a few neat tank cars...!! Its well worth the wait and effort!
I have a rolling stock collection of........about 7-8 cars :oops:
Hopefully this will be enough for a basic ops session :?
and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
Re: Southern Pacific Switching Layout - alcanman - 05-14-2011
Hi,
Just caught up on this thread. Another excellent example of a small switching layout with a great proypical track plan.
My kind of layout. Look forward to seeing pics.
Enjoy your operating session,8 cars is more than enough for a session, just about the maximum for Palmetto.
regards,
Mal
Re: Southern Pacific Switching Layout - Justinmiller171 - 06-11-2011
WOW! It's been a long time since I worked on the layout. I haven't got any work done on the layout lately since I have Temporarily lost enthusiasm with the layout since I can barely get a train to run.
My main problem comes from the turnouts, I currently I need to hold the switch in position or else the engine will lose power, I assume that using ground throws will fix this?
Another problem I have is the engine will randomly lose power, even when it is on a piece of single flex-track with feeder wires connected, I tried cleaning the track and the wheels of the engine but no luck, I am beginning to think that the engine is too light, so the wheels are barely touching the tracks.
It kind of defeats the purpose of having a layout it I can't run it
Re: Southern Pacific Switching Layout - FCIN - 06-11-2011
Justinmiller171 Wrote:My main problem comes from the turnouts, I currently I need to hold the switch in position or else the engine will lose power, I assume that using ground throws will fix this?Most likely installing ground throws should cure this problem. I use Peco turnouts because of their built in spring mechanism which eliminates the need for ground throws and have never had problems with them. If you do purchase ground throws, be sure and get the Caboose Industries version that has the internal spring to help hold them tight against the stock rail.
One other thing you might try is to slip thin plastic under the throw bar and see if that provides enough friction to keep the point rails in contact with the stock rails. A lot cheaper than purchasing ground throws. At least give that a try.
Justinmiller171 Wrote:Another problem I have is the engine will randomly lose power, even when it is on a piece of single flex-track with feeder wires connected, I tried cleaning the track and the wheels of the engine but no luck, I am beginning to think that the engine is too light, so the wheels are barely touching the tracks.Is this your BLI NW-2 you're having a problem with? Mine has never stalled and is quite heavy compared to my Atlas MP-15dc which has been known to stall once in a great while. Right now, I only have one set of power feeders attached to the rail as I'm still playing around with variations in the track plan, but have no power problems over the entire 20 foot main track and 5 industrial spurs. I'm at a bit of a lose here to figure out why your NW-2 would be losing power, especially when its on a section of track that has power feeders and I assume no short because of a switch not properly insulated.
You might try placing the engine on a surface that you know is flat and see if all the wheels touch and that the trucks are square.
Re: Southern Pacific Switching Layout - Justinmiller171 - 06-11-2011
Thanks Ed!
I have found that if I press down lightly on the NW-2 it will regain power, so I am sure that the problem is the engine not weighing enough, There could be other possibilities though, the track could be slightly out of gauge, or I could not have cleaned the track and wheels good enough.
Re: Southern Pacific Switching Layout - FCIN - 06-11-2011
One other thing came to mind Justin. Might possibly be a loose connection in one of the wires from the trucks to the DCC unit. I've never attempted to take my NW-2 apart, but that might be something to look in to on the model. I really think that the BLI NW-2 has more than enough weight for a short 4 axle locomotive.
Hate to hear that you are losing interest in your layout because of these problems. There is often a simple solution to fix most of these things. Hang in there.
Re: Southern Pacific Switching Layout - torikoos - 06-11-2011
I also think it's not so much a weight issue.I mean, when you bought the loco new, did it have these problems? I'm sure it ran well previously?
You probably have a bad contact somewhere. There's either something loose inside the engine, or there's some dirt on the wheels, or the pick ups that touch the wheel (if it's constructed like an atlas or athearn it could be done trough the axle bearings), if they are dirty (too oily perhaps) then you'll loose contact too.
Lastly, as suggested, put the loco on a level surface (perhaps a piece of glass, or a clean kitchen worktop) and have a good look if the loco is touching the surface with all wheels.
Also, does the problem occur on straight track, or only through a curve in a certain direction?
Koos
Re: Southern Pacific Switching Layout - Justinmiller171 - 06-12-2011
The problem occurs on all pieces of track, both straight and curves.
I took the shell off of the engine but I couldn't see any problems
The wheels are slightly oily, there are no visible signs of dirt or other "crud" on the wheels
I did discover that jiggling the wheels slightly seems to fix the problem, but only temporarily
I will check the contacts for the wheels tonight and hopefully I can find the problem.
Re: Southern Pacific Switching Layout - Justinmiller171 - 06-12-2011
Ugh!!!
I cleaned off the wheels (There was alot of oil on them behind the covers) and it runs alot better, but it still occasionally loses power. Also the motors are now running very poorly, they constantly stutter and only work good at high speeds( It also never loses power when going at high speeds)
I now have no clue whats going on, I really like this engine, but it runs worse than a Life-Like train-set engine I have.
Re: Southern Pacific Switching Layout - FCIN - 06-12-2011
Have to admit this is rather strange. About all I can suggest is try doing a DCC reset and see if that helps. After doing the reset and programming in the loco number, you might want to set CV3=16 and CV4=14. Seems to give a little better starting and stopping delay.
Re: Southern Pacific Switching Layout - Justinmiller171 - 06-12-2011
Hmm.... The motor problem seemed to go away, however I am still having problems with the power, My wheels do have some of those black streaks, although I don't know how to get rid of them, Any suggestions?
Re: Southern Pacific Switching Layout - torikoos - 06-12-2011
Black streaks that are oily (you can wipe them off with your finger or soft cloth?) perhaps?
It sounds to me that your engine is over lubricated... I'd clean it out thoroughly, use some non agressive contact cleaner in a spray can(the kind that evaporates fast and feels really cold) , you should be able to get that from your 'local' Radio Shack or similar. Usually they come with a small red tube that attaches to the nozzle to give you more control on where it's going. Careful when attaching it, you don't want this stuff in your eyes! (also, DON'T aim it at your motor, it is intended to clear dirt and carbon residue, there are carbon brushes in your motor, which you DON'T want to damage) Then keep cleaning, and when done then lubricate if needed & use only the tiniest amount on the gears only. I'm talking the size of a small grain of rice on the worm gear and similar on the gear of the axle furthest away from that worm gear. The gear tower is then lubricated on both sides and the running will distribute it all evenly. Only lubricate the gears when they're dry though, if they're still a bit oily, leave them alone, it will last a long time.
The wheel bearings are likely made of bronze or some bronze alloy, which are a bit 'self lubricating' to a certain degree, so no need to lube these. A bit of leakage oil from the gears will probably lubricate them good enough anyway. A little goes a long way. Your track may also have the tiniest layer of oil because of this, and as soon as you run an engine, it will pick it up again. If you don't have a cleaner, use a bit of dilluted detergent (washing up liquid) on a cloth, and wipe of your rails that way. That also contains a degreaser. This will further help, and may even smell clean and soapy. (roses, lemons, whatever :-) )
Make sure it's all nice and dry before you run a train again.
It is possible that this is not at all your fault, but I've had an engine that I lubricated years ago, and did not use for ages. It sat in it's box and was stored properly. This meant that the engine had been laying on one side, and all the oil/grease etc slowly leaked to one side over the years. I ended up with really greasy wheels on one side and not on the other. Cleaning the whole thing out took a while but she's as good as new.
Good luck Justin. If you're stuck, perhaps a local hobby shop, or other model railroader in your area can help you give your loco a bit of TLC. The BLI's are nice locos. I don't own any yet, but seen some in action, and they're normally great.
Koos