I feel like throwing in the towel!(SOLVED,WELL, SORT OF!

petercharlesfagg · October 17, 2015, 12:51:00 PM

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!

Bassman · October 17, 2015, 02:00:12 PM

I don't have the answer but I do feel sorry for you and share the frustration. Hope you get it sorted soon.

Ditape · October 17, 2015, 02:00:57 PM

That is definitely a head scratcher of a problem.

jonclox · October 17, 2015, 02:13:29 PM

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

dodger · 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

Toneeze · October 17, 2015, 02:56:07 PM

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.

Tony

scruff · October 17, 2015, 03:22:33 PM

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

Newportnobby · October 17, 2015, 08:50:59 PM

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

JasonBz · October 17, 2015, 08:58:05 PM

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?

austinbob · October 17, 2015, 09:08:18 PM

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.

joe cassidy · October 17, 2015, 09:28:43 PM

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

beachutman · October 17, 2015, 10:03:31 PM

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

NeMo · October 17, 2015, 10:06:51 PM

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

MJKERR · October 17, 2015, 10:15:22 PM

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

David Asquith · 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