# Odd power pick-up problem



## riderdan (Jan 2, 2014)

I have an LGB 2085D Mallet that's my go-to locomotive for pulling passenger cars around my main loop. It's had an odd problem that I have thus far been unable to resolve, so I'm turning to the experts for help. Background: the Mallet has a Zimo sound decoder and I have the 10amp NCE system. Power drops are every 10 feet, 99% of joiners are brass split jaw

Here's a typical scenario: In the early afternoon, I clean the track and take out the locomotive and a few cars and set them up to run while I work in the garden. I set the throttle to about 50% and go putter around pulling weeds and whatnot. After about 20-30 minutes, the locomotive starts to have power pickup problems, slowing down and the sound dropping out. This gets progressively worse until it is coming to a full stop and needs to be joggled to continue.

The stops always occur in the same places on the track (on the same day). Additional aggressive cleaning will resolve the problem at some spots, but it appears that aside from Brasso-ing the whole track, cleaning is not a complete solution.

On a following day, the loco will again run fine for the first 20-30 minutes, and then again start to experience cutting out. The places where the stalling occurs are not always the same.

In an attempt to resolve this, I've added power pickups to both axles of my Harz baggage car and wired a connection between the loco and this car. The locomotive wheels are relatively clean and the pickup brushes are new(ish). I've considered capacitive keep-alives (the Zimo decoder is set up to make this easy) but my experience with those has been less then satisfactory. 

I do not experience similar difficulties when running other (mostly skate-equipped) motive power.

Thoughts on how to trouble-shoot/resolve this?


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## toddalin (Jan 4, 2008)

"Relatively clean" is a subjective term. When was the last time you cleaned the wheels really well?


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## riderdan (Jan 2, 2014)

toddalin said:


> "Relatively clean" is a subjective term. When was the last time you cleaned the wheels really well?


Most recently in the Spring, probably April. The train ran two or three times in June and not at all in July. I've run it four times since August started, but haven't looked closely at the wheels since I cleaned them. 

It does still seem to occur right after I've cleaned them well... but maybe I need to thoroughly clean them and really pay attention.


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

Dan

There are a only a few LGB engines that give me problems, the three mallets and the Zillertal tank. These are also the only ones I have without skates. I have found that the wheels on these engines crud up very quickly. Back when I used to run in the dark, I could see sparking of the wheels on the track, also unique to these engines. The wheels need to be polished far more often than any engines by LGB or any other manufacturers.

Try polishing your wheels and see if you can get more than 30 minutes the first time out.

Chuck


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## toddalin (Jan 4, 2008)

riderdan said:


> Most recently in the Spring, probably April. The train ran two or three times in June and not at all in July. I've run it four times since August started, but haven't looked closely at the wheels since I cleaned them.
> 
> It does still seem to occur right after I've cleaned them well... but maybe I need to thoroughly clean them and really pay attention.




Mine need cleaning after just a couple hours of use. When I do open house, after running for 4 hours on Sat, I have to clean all the engines' (at least 9) wheels by Sunday to run again.


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

Thanks Todd, I've always worried that I was the only one with a that problem.

I have other two motor engines without skates by other makers and I don't have similar wheel build ups.

These include 2 USAT SD 70 Macs and an Aristo Mallet. 

Chuck


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## toddalin (Jan 4, 2008)

chuck n said:


> Thanks Todd, I've always worried that I was the only one with a that problem.
> 
> I have other two motor engines without skates by other makers and I don't have similar wheel build ups.
> 
> ...




I assume that you also have the problem that they run like crappola after dark? I attribute this to the additional moisture on the track as the dew point drops that interferes with conductivity, as well as additional "bleed" between the rails.

If I put an ohmmeter acoss my tracks, I can watch the resistance drop after dark when the dew point drops.


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## Dan Pierce (Jan 2, 2008)

I have never cleaned my 2085 wheels (bought it used) and have a Zimo decoder in it and no keep aliove.
I ran this for hours one day with no problems and when I ran it again, still no issues even after sitting a year and not being cleaned.My track is all LGB and USA trains brass.
I suspect a power pickup on one of the trucks, make sure when it runs poorly that you lift one end to see if it still runs and then try thew other end.


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