GEC's Layout Progress

[Green_Elite_Cab]

We use the clipper oil at the club. The track on the layout gets cleaned annually. We just go along with a bit of alcohol and rub it on the rail heads, then put a thin layer of the clipper oil on afterwards. I'm starting to use this method at home and finding out it works really well at keeping the track clean.

Well, I suppose this method must have merit to it! I'll have to investigate further. It seems counter intuitive to put oil on the tracks.

Just out of curiosity GEC? Have you run feeder wires to all of your track sections? Electrical is not my strong area however, I wonder if you are experiencing enough of a voltage drop when the train reaches the middle of the section to stall the loco?

I did before i just ripped up the track. The only reason they aren't installed now is because I still have about 4 more sections of flex track to install (along the outside oval), and i wanted to get everything together before i started breaking out the soldering iron.

That said, in the location that the trains are stalling, there ARE feeders on one rail in the near by yard, which is attached to the Atlas switch that diverges off the main track (the problem track), so there is basically only one rail joiner joint between the track in question and its feeder. The layout was Common Rail wired back when I had DC, and the common rail feeder is also not very distant from that spot (though yes, it is on a different section that is electrically connected).

The only common denominator here though, is that its the same pieces of equipment stalling in the same places. The locomotives in question stalled in the same spots i'm having trouble with now, even when though that block was completely wired in before i installed the flex track (and it was a short block, only 3 or 4 sections of track soldered together). I strongly suspect something is up with this locomotive, so I'm going to have to investigate further. It won't surprise some to know its my Athearn Genesis GP15-1 with Sound. that one appears to be giving everyone grief in one form or another.