Loco's Have Started To Stall At Various Parts Of Layout-Need Suggestions

[billincarmel]

N gauge layout using Digitrax Zephyr and mostly Digitrax decoders. New LL 2-8-8-2 w/sound and Kato Mikados have started to stall at different parts of the layout. The 2-8-8-2 will stop or hesitate then resume to speed. I have cleaned the track, loco drivers, and tender wheels and pickups but it has not cured the problem. I am wondering if the Zephyr might be dropping power or signal and then coming back online. Any help or suggestions would be most welcome.

Thanks in advance.

[wm3798]

How many feeders do you have connected to the layout?  If you have a lot of track and only two wires connected, you'll get signal and voltage drops.

Dirty wheels or track would have been my first guess, but you say you cleaned everything...

Lee

[ednadolski]

Hm, what did you use to clean the track & wheels?

Since it is several locos at once, I'd be more inclined to suspect the track or DCC system. Do you notice if the problem is any more (or less) acute at any particular track locations?

Another thought - if you hook the Zephyr to just a (clean) section of test track, do the troublesome locos behave any better?

[davefoxx]

You can check to see if the signal is a problem by performing the coin test on the track to see if the breaker will trip in the DCC system.  This seems doubtful since it hasn't always been giving you trouble.  Of course, if you lost a solder joint, for example, the feeders could be a source of trouble, as Lee suggested.

I would still look to the track as the cause of the problem, though, especially if the problem is occurring only in certain spots with multiple locomotives.  On my layout, I developed stalling at the turnouts and ended up powering my frogs, because I think that it's asking a lot for the switchpoints (which receive power through contact with the stock rails or some other contacts) to cover for the unpowered frog.  On my four-axle units on Atlas #5 code 55 switches, it works out that one truck is on the points and the other truck is on the frog.  That can be a recipe for stalling, if the frogs are left unpowered.

Hope this helps,
Dave Foxx

[billincarmel]

I have drops about every 3 feet and the funny thing is my diesels do not stall. I'll work on track cleaning and check the soldering connections on the drops. Stalling does not happen at my Peco turnouts.

[Chris333]

I'm sure you know most steam will only run as good as the tender pick-ups allow. Those listed should have good pick-ups though so just be sure to clean the tender wheels as well as the locomotives.

[billincarmel]

OK, the stalling ghost has disappeared and everything is running fine. I still cannot tell you why! I did chant some unmentionable words at the layout and maybe it worked!

[davefoxx]

Hmm. Sounds like you were visited by gremlins.



DFF

[Bob Bufkin]

OK, the stalling ghost has disappeared and everything is running fine. I still cannot tell you why! I did chant some unmentionable words at the layout and maybe it worked!

Always works for me!

[wm3798]

But it is important to say them in the right order...

Lee