Troubleshooting
Everything on model trains, model railroads, model railways, locomotives, model train layouts, scenery, wiring, DCC and more. Enjoy the world's best hobby... model railroading!
Noisy Motor and Upgrade To Wheel Set
Peter asks readers for advice:
“I have two HO questions. Firstly, is it possible for me to upgrade the wheel sets on my Bachman B23? This was bought some years ago. The wheels that are on the diesel get dirty very quickly. I thought it would work much better if I replace with silver wheels.Where can I purchase if possible?
Secondly, I have recently bought an Athearn Diesel GP 38. Only problem is that it is very noisy compared to my Atlas diesels.Can this be rectified?”
Add your feedback below.
Pests On Layouts
Bryan asks a question that has been asked before. He is not alone with this problem:
“I have used flour and water paste for paper mache on chicken wire to form hills etc on my oo gauge layout, but I now find I am suffering from what appear to be weevils, can anyone help please?”
Readers can comment below.
N Gauge Bachmann Switches Causing Problems
George asks readers:
“I have switches that every time I try to run my engines the power change direction. If I change the direction of the switch the engine runs on through the switch and jumps the track. I can’t seem to get a handle on it. These are N gauge Bachmann switches.”
Add your thoughts below.
O-gauge Electrical Question
Al has a question on O-gauge. Please comment below if you can help him.
I am building my first permanent highrail layout using an MTH Digital Command System ( Proto 2.0 ) linked via a star pattern power distribution network with Gargraves track.
1. How do I wire Lionel and Z-stuff signals without having to use the bulky under track contacts?
2. What is the best way to divide the track plan into electrically isolated blocks ? I cannot seem to find any Gargraves nonconductive track pins anywhere.
Many thanks to anyone that can help.
Derails On Radius
David asks readers for help and asks:
“I have an ho 4-6-4 with a tender that has 2 , 6 wheel trucks and a 2-10-2 engine with tender. Both are steam. For some reason they both keep falling off track. Is there anyway to adjust them to make them stop derailing? They are running on standard 9 inch rails and radius and they only derail on the turns. Both are bachmann. Can someone please help me?”
Comment below.
Sneak Peek Inside The Model Train Club
My new online Model Train Club is proving really popular and the feedback from members is very encouraging.
Randy has kindly made a video with a quick inside look around the club. I’ve put it on the blog for you to watch. Click here to read more about the Model Train Club.
Tender Derailing
Peter wants advice from readers:
“Hi guys. I need some advice. I recently purchased a 4-6-0 pacific from Bachmann. It comes with a rather odd HO locomotive to tender coupling set up. It looks like a type of fork coupling. The problem I am having is that once this is clipped into position the tender derails on slightest radius curve. I have tried every adjustment but no go!”
Comment below.
Derailments Railcar Jumps Track
Bob
“I’m getting pretty frustrated with my HO track. I have attached an oval loop, with an outside loop siding to a piece of plywood. I have soldered some of the joiners which seemed loose or not making a good connection. I am being very careful to get a good flow with the solder. I’ve been trained in electronics.
My biggest problem is keeping the cars on the track. The locomotive alone will go around just fine. Add so much as one railcar, and it jumps track. Not necessarily the engine, but the car, or cars, oh yeah. The cars won’t even make one lap. Has anybody got an idea or two about why this may be happening? I have tried placing weights in various cars, but they still won’t ride the rails reliably. I have found and repaired a few obvious problems, but they still fail to keep these cars on the track. I am getting desperate…what do I need to do please?”
Comment below.
Power Problem
Michael wants advice from readers and asks:
“On both of my trains I have seperate transformers but on both I can’t keep either train running at the same speed. At one point on each track the trains slow down to almost a complete stop. The “O” scale I have new track which is about 14′ in length which I run my pre-war 259 Lionel. And the Standard scale track is about 18′ in length which I use the original track which came with the Lionel 10E handed down to me. On both tracks I have two lock-ons from each transformer. But when I try to add a third one I end up with no power at all. Thanks for any help I can get.”
Comment below.
Train Whistle Won’t Sound
Gary is having a problem with train smoke and a train whistle and asks readers for advice:
"I bought an inexpensive Lionel steam engine (Scout) for my grandson. I am using a Lionel 1033 transformer, but very little smoke comes out and there is no whistle. Does anyone have any ideas please? Thanks!"
Add your suggestions below.
Read about Model Railroad Clubs
Humming Engine
Steve has a question that is already answered in my Model Train Help ebook. However, someone might like to offer some advice here:
“I have a dcc engine and it moves but it makes a load mumming noise. What could be wrong with it?”
Readers can offer suggestions below.
Faulty Engine
John from the UK has a question for readers:
Could you please offer advice (or could somebody on the site if you do not feel able to), on a problem with electric multiple units in OO gauge. This is a purely electrical question, a question which is based on the mysteries of Kirchoff’s Law.
If you have a double headed loco hauled train I have found by experiment that one transformer/controller unit will satisfactorily convey the current draw of the two locomotives without overheating and tripping out through being overloaded. My layout is absolutely flat. There are no gradients anywhere. This is deliberate because I want to run trains of reasonable length.
I am building a number of UK Southern Railway electric multiple units. Each unit consists of a trailer car and a motor car with one motor bogie based around a Mashima 10/24 motor. I intend to run a six coach train.
On the face of it, two pairs only will be motored as this is commensurate with the double headed loco hauled train which we know imposes a safe level of current load. The third unit pair will have a dummy motor bogie i.e. it is in fact two trailer cars only. Thus each motor bogie is hauling three cars each only.
Here comes the question.
If the third unit is motored there are still only six coaches total. So that means each motor bogie will only draw two-thirds of the current as each will only now be powering two cars instead of three. Therefore if I am interpreting Kirchoff’s Law correctly, then the transformer/controller unit will still not overload.
What do you think? I would respect your opinion – especially as American freight trains have as many as five locos in multiple. Please don’t tell me that it can only be done using DCC!!!
If that is your opinion I will cry tears of blood!!
To comment on John’s question, or to offer a solution, please use the green Comments link below.
Hot Trains
A reader asks:
“I would like to build my Layout in my shed which is partly lined. With the summer months coming up it gets pretty warm in there. Money is the problem for me and is the reason why I havent completed the lining job on the shed. My question – how will my trains get on in the heat?”
Readers can comment and offer suggestions below.
More Coupler Problems
Carlos is also having a problem with couplers and asks:
“I am always having problems with the couplers. They are too high in between them or they uncouple when they pass or throw a switch. I use two kinds of couplers: kadee and the normal black mantua coupler or similar. Some some advise me please?”
Add your comments below.
Note: The new 303 Model Railroading Answers ebook has several excellent solutions to coupler problems.
Couplers
Jacks wants to hear reader’s opinions on couplers (brand not stated) and asks:
“How do the new type of HO coupler (what I think as new) work? The ones that look like a real train coupler. I find they don’t hold well. Is that bar at the bottom the issue?”
Comment below.
Avoiding Problems In Tunnels
The fascination with tunnels is when the train disappears into the darkness and then, all going well, mysteriously reappear on the other side of the mountain. However, what happens if the train stops or derails inside the tunnel? It can be extremely frustrating if you know exactly where the train is, but are unable get it to it without doing some damage.
The simple solution is to always have a method of accessing or removing your trains from tunnels. Some model train hobbyists build a secret removable panel into the side of the mountain for easy access.
Another important thing when building tunnels is to carefully calculate clearances when building tunnels.
Always check there is enough space for your biggest locomotive to run through the entire stretch of tunnel especially if the track does not run straight line.
You wouldn’t want to apply paper mache to the chicken wire frame of the tunnel (if that is the construction method you use), only to discover your biggest loco is too high to get through the tunnel.
Tunnels can look unrealistic if the clearances are too low or too narrow. A tunnel also needs to accommodate the longest freight or passenger train you might ever want to run. The other thing to consider is that steam engines were taller than the model diesel locomotives.
So, if you ever want to run steam locomotives, then make sure there is enough clearance top and sides throughout the entire tunnel length (allowing for bends in the track).
My suggestion is to make tunnels higher. I see so many tunnels constructed for modern diesel locos which are not as high and much shorter than steam trains were. They don’t look real. When you see photos of real railroads, the tunnels are often quite old, and many were originally built to take steam engines which were higher. The tunnels had to accommodate the taller engines and the plume of smoke they belched out.
Look at photos and measure the proportions of the tunnel entrance in relation to the distance between the rails. You might find that some tunnels are 4½ times higher than the width of the rails. The width of the tunnel might be 3¾ times wider than the rail width. A narrow tunnel might cause derailments with longer cars.
If the engine is nearly 12 inches in length, has 8 axles, and is about 3 inches wide, then the tunnel should be long enough, high enough and wide enough to accommodate the engine as well as the other cars. This is especially true if you have parallel track flowing through the tunnel.
Building your own model railroad tunnels can be a lot of fun. You can buy ready-made tunnel portals (ends) to add a touch of realism. They look much more realistic at a tunnel entrance than a rough-cut hole. You can ‘weather’ them with gray-wash, chalk, etc. You can also purchase plastic kit-set tunnels in different scales. Finishing off the tunnel with matt paint and adding some ground cover can be very effective. Some model train shops and online retailers even sell tunnels that have bends, or can be extended, or joined together. The possibilities are endless.
To blacken the insides of tunnels use a flat black paint on all interior surfaces – walls, ceiling and floor. There’s nothing worse than a beautiful layout with a plywood-colored tunnel interior. Tunnels should be dark and mysterious.
More model train scenery and structures ideas
Ant Infested Trains
Dave has an unusual problem with his HO trains that he is hoping someone can help him solve:
“I have a limited edition Gresley Brittania from Hornby, the Royal loco with the white roof. It, and my other trains have been in storage at my parents place as I now live in Phuket (Thailand) and have not yet had opportunity to bring them over safely. On a recent visit to Australia I went through all my stuff. While in storage the whole thing, especially the electric motor in the tender became infested with ants. Rubber bushes and tyres no longer exists, steel tyres have fallen off the wheels, and more. Is it possible to fix? How would I go about it?”
Comment below.
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