What I know about DCC?

Greg Elmassian said:
Actually, aren't there 6 pickup points? the 4 wheels and the 2 skates? Pardon my ignorance if I am wrong. ;)

Back to your point, I agree, I run a limited pickup loco... like a Lionel Pacific, so that the short wheelbase depends on the switches having power to the point rails and the frogs... (that loco only picks up from the drivers, no where else... crazy...

Greg
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Well yes and no, on a Stainz the wheel with the Traction Tyre cannot be entirely relid upon for pickup. Plus the earliest Stainz did not have Track Wipers either.

As Greg says in post #57 a meter is not always the best indicator to a poor joint.

I rather like the loco and pliers solution which will give a very good indication. Just ensure that the rails that have the track connection on are perfectly clean, test your loco will run back and forth ok on that admittly very short length and slowly then proceederound the circuit fixing each problem as it appears. On your short track on the patio if I remember it this should be a fairly quick process Sarah.
 
I suppose if I hadn't lifted all the track, it would have been relatively easy. However, I have just bought 2 boxes of cotton buds and with some sort of cleaning liquid I intend to spend the day attending to every fishplate and rail end just to satisfy myself.

In addition I hope to buy a length of gravel board and experiment with my adjustable support system.

Such a busy life.

Sarah Winfield
 
"Plus the earliest Stainz did not have Track Wipers either".

Interesting comment, My stainz has plunger type pick-ups pressing on the back of the drive wheels. I have incidentally cleaned the back and the periphery of the wheels.

Sarah Winfield
 
Sarah Winfield said:
"Plus the earliest Stainz did not have Track Wipers either".

Interesting comment, My stainz has plunger type pick-ups pressing on the back of the drive wheels. I have incidentally cleaned the back and the periphery of the wheels.

Sarah Winfield
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The very, very earliest Stainz (around 1968-69), with the original "growler" gearbox ("Heuler" - howler - to the Germans, so-called because of the sometimes horrendous noise from its drive gearing!) did not have pickup skates, just the wheel-back pickup plungers. The skates were first added when the "clamshell" gearbox was adopted just a very short time after LGB was launched, as i think they realised that the original growler gearbox was going to be a problem and needed replacing with something better.
Your 2020 Stainz is probably an early-to-mid-1970s one, with skates and a clamshell gearbox.

Jon.
 
PhilP said:
Americanism for 'skates'..
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Also occasionally referred to as "pickup shoes", though skates seems to be the most common terminology. I have to say that "track wipers" is a term I've not really come across much, if it is an Americanism then that would probably explain it.
All means the same thing though!

Jon.
 
Sarah Winfield said:
What are "track wipers" please?

SW
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If you have them they will be the things between the wheels that also touch the rails.

We are a broad church from many different Countries and use different names for effectively the same thing at times. I have even been known to do it as well!
 
Good morning.

Once again my mind has been working overtime. Just to recap how this situation arose.

My interest in my garden layout re-kindled about a month or so ago. I've had this stainz locomotive for a couple of years. I never pursued my interest at that time due to other factors. Then about a month or so ago I decided I would to try and build a garden layout.

I purchased several pieces of LGB track and formed an oval on my bedroom floor. Everything was fine with the locomotive merrily chugging around my oval in both forward and reverse.

Then about 2 weeks ago with the acquisition of more track I decided to extend my oval and to put it outside. For the first couple of weeks once again it would travel round my oval quite unconcerned.

Suddenly it began to show signs of disruptive behaviour which is where I am now. During the period prior to my problems we had several heavy rain storms. I always cleaned the rail prior to running my locomotive.

I'm not trying to get members to jump to any conclusion but perhaps they might have a eureka moment.

In the meantime I'll continue with my cleaning and hope that dirty track is the simple reason.

Sarah Winfield
 
Sarah Winfield said:
Good morning.

Once again my mind has been working overtime. Just to recap how this situation arose.

My interest in my garden layout re-kindled about a month or so ago. I've had this stainz locomotive for a couple of years. I never pursued my interest at that time due to other factors. Then about a month or so ago I decided I would to try and build a garden layout.

I purchased several pieces of LGB track and formed an oval on my bedroom floor. Everything was fine with the locomotive merrily chugging around my oval in both forward and reverse.

Then about 2 weeks ago with the acquisition of more track I decided to extend my oval and to put it outside. For the first couple of weeks once again it would travel round my oval quite unconcerned.

Suddenly it began to show signs of disruptive behaviour which is where I am now. During the period prior to my problems we had several heavy rain storms. I always cleaned the rail prior to running my locomotive.

I'm not trying to get members to jump to any conclusion but perhaps they might have a eureka moment.

In the meantime I'll continue with my cleaning and hope that dirty track is the simple reason.

Sarah Winfield
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If you are saying your Stainz ran OK indoors then it would appear that dirty track and poor connections will be the problem more like.

1 Have you tried to nip up the fishplates so that the fit is tighter?

2 Did you do my suggestion of a back and forth test on the short length of rail where the power is connected?

If 2 works try running to the next rail (passed the rail joint) and see what happens if you get poor running that would suggest that your cotton bud treatment or fishplate nipping needs to be looked at again.

3 try your circuit with justbthe curves to see if that runs ok.

4 if that works add a couple of straights on each side and try again.

You can tell that I used to be a Computer System Tester by this I hope, leave no possibility for faults unchecked!
 
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