DCC loco stalling

[Jailor]

Hi to all you experts just a quick question. I have the Majestic set and have put power clips onto all of my seven points. I Have three trains and two run across the points without any problems.

The Peppercorn loco that comes with the Majestic set at low speed stops momentarily on all of the points. As I am new to all of this I would really appreciate any words of wisdom as I am at a loss as to why this happening. Thanks in advance.

Ron.

[RDS]

Hi Ron

Are all your points mounted perfectly flat.  I do not have the Peppercorn Loco myself but with it's 4-6-2 configuration, I would think that it has many pickups on it's wheels, certainly I imagine that the middle 6 are all likely to have pick-ups.

I guess that when one of the wheels passes over the plastic part of the point, that this is when the Loco stops.  Is it always the same wheel?  If so, have a careful look at the pickups on the other wheels on the same side of the Loco, because the one that stops on the plastic may be the only one that is providing your pick-up when it runs well.

What is the wheel configuration of the other 2 Loco's that pass over the points without problems?

[Jailor]

Thanks for your reply RDS I will look at that tomorrow. The points are certainly completely flat but I will check the pickups. The other trains are the class 42 diesel that comes withe Majestic set and the Princess Helena steam loco that I bought. The Helena has the same wheel config as the Peppercorn and the diesel has 6 wheels both front and back.

Something completly different but I noticed that although all the wheels on the diesel run freely off the track, just one will not turn when the train runs. Is this normal as it does not effect the train in any way?

Thanks again for your sound advice.

[Graskie]

Is it the same on each side of that diesel wheel axle, Jailor? If so, a bit of cleaning and lubricating might help to free them so that they run.

[Jailor]

Thanks Graskie I will try that. As it is brand new I did not think about lubrication but its worth a try.

[ff2nd]

Hi Jailor. If it's the middle wheels on the bogie that don't turn when it runs, don't worry. They are not geared, and are there simply to make the number of wheels correct! As long as they turn when it is on the track, it should be fine.

[Jailor]

ff2nd thanks for the reply. I though it would be OK not turning but thought I would ask as I don't want to cause any damage. Had two problems from day one with the peppercorn first time I ran it a screw was missing in a drive wheel so got it replaced with a new loco. First time I ran the new train it would not move due to faulty valve gear. In fairness to supplier and then Hornby I received first class service but was disappointed that Hornby did not publish my two posts asking if there was a problem with the set.

Regards Ron.

[Michael_A]

Jailor, what do you mean by you have put power clips on all the points? Are you talking about the little wire springs that sit between the rail and the point blades to make the points permanently live? If so, could it be that they are not clipped in prooperly, and that the loco is either lifting or shorting as it passes over them? Could you remove them from one point and see if that cures it?

[Fishmanoz]

By the way, the correct name for those little springs is DCC point clips, just to make sure there is no confusion. 

[Jailor]

Yes sorry guys I do mean DCC point clips, told you I was new. Tried your suggestion Michael but no better but appreciate you taking the time to help.

[Fishmanoz]

Not familiar with the Peppercorn loco but there really must be something wrong with it if behaving like this. For a start, given all the pickups are correctly positioned and tensioned, that's 3 sets of driving wheels that should be picking up, and does it have tender pickups too?

For a stern, I'd be looking at all of those pickups carefully, and if it has tender pickups that the contacts on the draw bar are correctly positioned too. 

If you are still having problems, it sounds like a warranty issue to me, so either back to the supplier or contact HCC to see what they think. 

[Jailor]

Thanks for that. I am away from home at the moment due to family I'll health so will again look at pick ups when able. When you say adjust pick ups is it just a case of pressing them against the wheels? 

As regard warrenty I sent the loco to Hornby recently due to a faulty valve gear which they replaced, i did explain in a cover letter about the stalling but think they did not look at this. Had so much trouble in first few weeks of new hobby returning the peppercorn to dealer and Hornby I have probably wrongly decided to push on and except the issues as none of them stop me using the set and due to mobility problems find it difficult to post.

[Michael_A]

So Hornby didnt give you a report of their repair either? That doesnt sound like good practice.

Appreciate your mobility issues, but will you ever be happy with soemthing that doesnt work correctly? Your issue (and contract under the SOG act) is with who you bought it from, not Hornby. Depending on how long you have had it you should reject it, ask for a refund or replacement.

You can do what has been suggested, make sure the pickups are contacting the wheels, (Yes you can gently bend the pickups, but this may not work as ther my not be enough gap to actually bend the pick ups to make better contact with teh wheels) and that if there is an electrical connection between teh loco and the tender, that the conection (could be a plug and socket) is secure.

One other poetntial cause is the wheel spacing. The loco could be jamming in the point guide rails. If you measure the distance between the wheels (back to back of the wheels) on the loco and tender with a good quality ruler or gauge, it should be about 14.5mm. Not over optimistic on that one, but worth checking. Even if incorrect, might be difficlut to correct as the wheels might be fixed or very tight on the axels.

[Jailor]

Thank you.