I have spent hours and hours getting my track level and electrically correct, I have solved the short circuits and reassembled the doorway/bridge track and connections.
The first locomotive I ran over the layout was my new Japanese Kato DD51 and it sailed around with no problems.
Then I tried my new Dapol Class 66!
First no movement, then stuttering, then a bogie climbed off a straight. Checked B 2 B OK, checked track OK.
Tried opposite direction same result different section and still stuttering.
Cleaned track, again, cleaned loco wheels, no change!
Tried old German Fleischmann loco 0:10;0 brilliant, no problem, same with Hobby Train shunter!
Tried Dapol "William Shakespeare", no go at all!
Tried old Minitrix 2:10:0 ran like a dream!
GF 0:6:0 08 shunter, normally no problem but today hardly any movement at maximum controller speed!
I GIVE UP!
I don't have the answer but I do feel sorry for you and share the frustration. Hope you get it sorted soon.
??? :confused2:
That is definitely a head scratcher of a problem.
I am tending to look at foreign manufactures these days as the main British locos (although build in China) fall far short of EU and USA locos.
I certainly sympathise with you and all your problems Peter
I've found that a number of new Dapol and Farish locos have poorly adjusted pickups which coupled with the wheel colouring make current collection intermittent. This slowly improves with operation.
Dodger
:hellosign: Don`t throw the towel in just yet, get yourself a long piece of track and using the controller your using for your new layout test the Dapol 66 . ( Dapol and Farish recomend Gaugemaster controllers ) this will tell you if your controller is the problem. Or turn the loco upside down and touch the wires on the wheels,I sometimes do that just to get the loco running. You`ve probably tried it ,but I thought I`d mention it. :thumbsup: Tony
Whatever you do, Don't run the new type farish diesels with the pull out bogies upside down. It makes the large cog strip/damage on the worm gear.
Cheers
mark
This needs someone with a lot more knowledge than me but I agree with Tony and suggest you obtain a brand new length of flexitrack and try again.
Quote from: dodger on October 17, 2015, 02:29:15 PM
I've found that a number of new Dapol and Farish locos have poorly adjusted pickups which coupled with the wheel colouring make current collection intermittent. This slowly improves with operation.
Dodger
The only problem with that suggestion, Dodger, is that Peter can't get the locos to run so can't operate them :doh:
The "stuttering" you mention sounds very much like a problem related to the pick ups, and general electrical continuity.
Have you tried touching the wires to the motor (or wires from pick up ) past the wheels?
Quote from: petercharlesfagg on October 17, 2015, 12:51:00 PM
I GIVE UP!
Peter - you mustn't give up my friend!!!
I've been following your progress over the last couple of years and, with a little help from you friends, you've moved forwards in leaps and bounds.
As you probably know I've posted many times about problems I've had with British outline locos - I won't name the two worst culprits as everyone knows who they are. My philosophy has always been - 'If it doesn't work properly then send it back.. Every loco I've bought I've gone through the running in process recommended. If, at any stage, the loco doesn't work properly then I send it back to the retailer. I've probably done this with about 15% of my locos - but you have to run them to check they work ok.
I don't know your situation. Maybe you bought your British outline locos and haven't run them until now cos you haven't had anywhere to run them. If they're still under warranty then send them back for repair replacement. Even if you've had them for a while and they don't work properly you probably still have a case for getting them replaced or repaired.
Whatever happens Peter - PLEASE DO NOT GIVE UP - and in particular don't give up on this forum. You have presented this forum with so many interesting, and sometimes frustrating, challenges that we would sadly miss your friendly input .
In conclusion - at least you've laid your track - I'm still putting that chore off cos I'm scared stiff of screwing it up... At least you've had a go!!
Stick with it please.
:beers:
Peter, don't throw in the towel.
You will find a solution because :
- all your friends on here will help you
- you have patience
- you are a nice guy and you have good karma
Best regards,
Joe
Hi,
I had exactly the same problem, two locos run perfectly, ( one dapol, one gf), but a gf 060 shunter stuutered, stopped, and performed atrociously. No amount of track cleaning or wheel cleaning changed anything.
My local shop kindly replaced the loco, no quibbles, but the new replacement is exactly the same.
In the end i just put in a drwawer and forgot it. The others run perfectly, so does a new recent DMU, ..... But like you, i just scratch my head.... No idea what the problem is and i decided to refuse to worry about it or let it spoil my enjoyment. ( it did for a couple of weeks).
Good luck and don't give up.
Richard.
Isle of wight
Is anything else on the track? Perhaps in a siding even if not behind the locos being tested?
One time I thought a particular loco was playing up, only to find out that the wagon I had behind it was somehow causing a short circuit. Fixed that, and all was well.
Do you have some Kato Unitrack? Even if you don't plan on modelling with the stuff, a Unitrack circle or oval is excellent for acting as a "control", limiting the range of variables you have to consider. Properly clipped together it's perfectly flat on a normal tabletop, allowing you to determine whether it's the loco that isn't working, the transformer, or the way your track on the main layout is laid.
Cheers, NeMo
Quote from: petercharlesfagg on October 17, 2015, 12:51:00 PMI tried my new Dapol Class 66!
First no movement, then stuttering, then a bogie climbed off a straight. Checked B 2 B OK, checked track OK.
Tried opposite direction same result different section and still stuttering.
Cleaned track, again, cleaned loco wheels, no change!
I had this same issue, and was only on the latest (as it was then) Dapol DCC Version Class 66
This is one of the reasons I swapped my layout design
The Farish Class 66 was more reliable
Hi Peter,
Sorry to hear about your problems. I know how you feel. Two steps forward and two back for me. Finally got my track all laid and wired up. Point motors and switches fitted. Decided to have a break from that side of it and do some scenic work. Got one and a bit of a board covered in some nice moorland and a station and then we had a horrific hail storm and I kid you not some of them were as big as tennis balls. Found that they had damaged lots of stuff around the house, garden and outbuildings and the car I was about to part exchange. At least it wasn't the new car. Didn't go into my trainroom for a few days but when I did found that the hailstones had made lots of holes in the corrugated fibre board roof letting in lots of rain. Most of it on the new scenery but lots of other places. Some of the track had lifted because the PVA had softened and where the droppers were soldered to the rail I had lost electrical continuity. Don't know why the rain caused that when the PVA hadn't. Anyway working through the problems and testing as I go along I decided to use my new GF Class 70 to test. I had run it in as recommended and then fitted a decoder and everything seemed alright. Now I'm using it in the main layout I find that it runs a little intermittently. It stops for no apparent reason and when it is at rest the lights are not always on and they go on and off when running. Checked the pick ups and found they seemed to be okay but adjusted them upwards slightly anyway. Looked at where they contact the body and found there was lots of oil covering it and the bogies. Cleaned loads off and then tested and it was a little better. As was said above it may improve with more running.
So you are not alone Peter so please don't throw the towel in. I get frustrated sometimes but usually find if I find something else to do, sound off a bit and get some advice (on the forum!) then go back to the problem it doesn't feel half as bad even if you don't solve the problem. My last but one bee in the bonnet was I was going to bin all my Peco track and go for Kato as I couldn't get it to lay or join properly. Then the Yorkshire in me thought about all the money I'd waste and how expensive Kato track was and that thought was put to bed. Anyway I don't like to be beaten by inanimate objects.
Stick with it. Even if no one else did you will get some help and probably a solution just because you are the guy you are.
kind regards
Dave
At times like these one realises just who your friends really are!
The latest to write David, has almost hit my nail on the head!
After a long time of cursing, kicking the cat, verbally abusing all and sundry and generally making myself hugely unpopular, I took myaself off the the Village Harvest Supper, mixed with more good friends and started analysing rather than getting hot under the collar!
My layout is in a third of my ex-workshop and the walls and roof are double skinned with insulation and give a nice snug place to work, apart, that is, from the floor! That is single skin with a gap of 2 inches underneath resting on concrete. We have had some rather damp weather recently?
I think it is damp that is causing my problems?
My wife is off on a holiday this next week so I will try again while my time is not being recorded! (You know what I mean?)
Peter.
Quote from: Espantrainfan on October 17, 2015, 11:07:25 PM
Hi Peter,
Sorry to hear about your problems. I know how you feel. Two steps forward and two back for me. Finally got my track all laid and wired up. Point motors and switches fitted. Decided to have a break from that side of it and do some scenic work. Got one and a bit of a board covered in some nice moorland and a station and then we had a horrific hail storm and I kid you not some of them were as big as tennis balls. Found that they had damaged lots of stuff around the house, garden and outbuildings and the car I was about to part exchange. At least it wasn't the new car. Didn't go into my trainroom for a few days but when I did found that the hailstones had made lots of holes in the corrugated fibre board roof letting in lots of rain. Most of it on the new scenery but lots of other places. Some of the track had lifted because the PVA had softened and where the droppers were soldered to the rail I had lost electrical continuity. Don't know why the rain caused that when the PVA hadn't. Anyway working through the problems and testing as I go along I decided to use my new GF Class 70 to test. I had run it in as recommended and then fitted a decoder and everything seemed alright. Now I'm using it in the main layout I find that it runs a little intermittently. It stops for no apparent reason and when it is at rest the lights are not always on and they go on and off when running. Checked the pick ups and found they seemed to be okay but adjusted them upwards slightly anyway. Looked at where they contact the body and found there was lots of oil covering it and the bogies. Cleaned loads off and then tested and it was a little better. As was said above it may improve with more running.
So you are not alone Peter so please don't throw the towel in. I get frustrated sometimes but usually find if I find something else to do, sound off a bit and get some advice (on the forum!) then go back to the problem it doesn't feel half as bad even if you don't solve the problem. My last but one bee in the bonnet was I was going to bin all my Peco track and go for Kato as I couldn't get it to lay or join properly. Then the Yorkshire in me thought about all the money I'd waste and how expensive Kato track was and that thought was put to bed. Anyway I don't like to be beaten by inanimate objects.
Stick with it. Even if no one else did you will get some help and probably a solution just because you are the guy you are.
kind regards
Dave
David, my problems are infinitesimally small in comparison!
You have my deepest sympathies, nothing worse than building something using all your emotions then having it all undone!
I sincerely hope that you get your dream back in the race soon!
Peter,
Peter I don't know if this will apply to an English shed, but my layout is in the garage where the car stll gets parked, and I put carpet down on the concrete floor abd it made a huge difference in comfort.
Maybe just some carpet? ???
George
Quote from: petercharlesfagg on October 18, 2015, 10:38:19 AM
I think it is damp that is causing my problems?
Might be an idea to get yourself a hygrometer, calibrate it, then see what reading it gives at track level. If the reading is high, or fluctuates a lot, you might need to install a dehumidifier. Here in The Hague, in a downstairs apartment built in the early 20th century with no central heating, I need to have one running all the time to keep the damp to manageable proportions.
It's when you talk to exhibitors at shows that the whole 'interior climate' matter really does affect good running, so I hope this could be the end of your troubles in that respect, Peter.
As I mentioned many threads ago I used our old bedroom carpet in my garage where my layout it..whilst its not damp it definately gets cold in the winter and I have a couple of electric heaters on the go...best thing about the carpet is not crawling on concrete to fix anything under the board!
Glad to hear your towel is back where it belongs, Peter. It sounds frustrating, but I'm sure you'll get there with it. I have no practical advice, but i can keep my fingers crossed if you think that'll help?
Peter,
Thank you for your good wishes and I am pleased that things are looking a little better for you. I had a couple of those christal type dehumidifiers in my train room before the hailstorm but increased it to four afterwards and everything is now drying out nicely. The train room was half of a concrete block built garage which was converted to a stable and then my train room. I have tiled the floor but probably should have insulated under the tiles. If you can get some polystyrene sheets under the floor between the joists this is a cheap and fairly effective way of insulating the floor. In the UK I stuck one inch thick sheets to the inside of my garage door and it made a big difference. Good luck with it anyway and keep us informed. The answer to your woes may help many of us!
kind regards
David
Good luck and hope that both Peter and David resolve their problems!
Never give up! Never surrender!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8NyviD3PR8 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8NyviD3PR8)
;)
Dave G