My 8 year old son and I are working on our first layout. For various reasons, we decided on True Track from Atlas (HO code 83). We've got it all connected with rail joiners. We've tested the electrical load all around the track with our tester. We've done the "quarter test" around the track as per our Digitrax Zephyr manual. We've reset DCC board (QSI Quantum Revolution A). We've cleaned the track. We've double and quadruple checked all of the track connections. However, the train still goes around and just stops all of sudden as if it has no electricity. Sometimes, you have to push it and it'll start up again. Other times, if you bump it, it'll go. And, there are still times where it'll start up again in the same spot it just stopped. Sometimes it'll stop, and I'll have to push it 3 or 4 feet before it picks up again. My hypothesis is that it's a train truck pick up issue. It has pickups on front and back. The train is an Atlas Trainman UP GP-38 #2372 with a QSI Quantum Revolution A DCC board installed. But, since the train has pick up wires on the front and rear wheels, shouldn't the possibility of losing connectivity be quite low? It was doing it before I installed the board, too. That is, when I was running it as analog with the original board installed. So, my deductions thus far are: It's not the amount of electricity or the Zephyr since the quarter test and electricity tester showed everything as fine all around the track. It's not the DCC board since the problem was happening with the original board and the new one. It has to be the train. But what is it in the train? Please, can some wise HO sage provide some insight and advice? Thanks, Does anyone have this experience? Anyone able to help me? My son (and I) are getting very much frustrated.
It does not seem to be happening in one particular place, so this really wouldn't seem like a track issue. I wonder if it's something in the engine such as a poor contact or connection, and it vibrates enough while running to cause an intermittent stall. Boxcab E50
try running jumper wires on that section of track sounds like poor connection threw the rail jointers
I don't know that I can shed much light, but it might still be the track. Yes, the engine could have 'issues', but it would be quite a bit more temperamental than you describe. Broken solders/wires would probably show up every right or left hand curve, or something like that, or every time the frame jiggled as it went over a frog on a turnout. I am inclined to think it is feed to the rails (improperly hooked up, although your quarter test would suggest it is okay), but maybe the quarter is not mimicking the engine in the way that replicates your symptoms. A quarter ways an ounce or something like that...what effect does it have on the nearest rail joiner(s)? Probably not much, whereas an engine weighing thirty times as much imposes different stresses on the joints. If your tracks can tilt or dip under pressure, it may be sufficient to break the contact with a joiner. Where, exactly, does the engine seem to show a pattern of troubles? Is it inconsistent, over a turnout, at one or two joints...?
Crap. I just typed a follow up only to have it not post because I guess I took so long the system logged me out... here goes... Stressed track seems plausible, but the problem occurs on solid ground as well as areas where such a stress could happen. I tried adding feeders and jumpers, but there was no improvement. After reading more online about soldering wires on the DCC board versus clips and loose wire on truck pickups, I did some more testing... Train on track. Power up. No sounds. Give power for forward. No movement. Test voltage around train on track. All good. 7+ volts per side. Remove top access. Test voltage on rear left and right contact on DCC board. Good. Remove train from track. Remove shell. Put back on track. Sound starts with "power up" sequence. Odd. Give train forward power. It starts moving. Stop train. Sounds continue. Remove from track. Put back on track where it started. Sounds startup again. Test voltage on from left and right contacts on DCC board. One reading 2 volts lower. Did I touch it correctly? Maybe I slipped. Tested again. All okay. Give power to train. Nothing. Sounds continue, though. Test "reset" contacts. They test at 3+ volts instead of the 5+ they tested once before. Test leads to motor. They test at less that 1 volt each. Double check transformer...train should be rolling around the track on "3." Remove rear leads from contact on board. All other readings still the same. Possible conclusions: 1. Something is wrong with the board. Power is not being allowed to "flow" to the motor even when the transformer tells it to. OR 2. Something is wrong the the transformer (Digitrax Zephyr) that the signal to more is not being sent properly. BUT Am still puzzled that the problem happened with the first board as well. Though I didn't do any testing on it prior to switch out. Will try old board tonight and see what happens. In the meantime, comments are welcome. How does one test the transformer to see if the signal is going out as intended? I only have the one engine for now, so I have no other with which to test. Ideas?
