Track or Loco Issues?

[Lanky Atlantic]

Hi all, apologies if this is the wrong area for this kind of post I'm still relatively new here, having some issues with a Hornby Sentinel, it'll slow down on some of my curved track pieces, they are the large 2nd radius ones often found in the Hornby train sets, but speed up again on the straights and some of the other curves, there's 2 in particular that it doesn't like, but when testing some of my other engines they seem to go along fine, but my Hornby Railroad LNER A1 shares the same issue with the slow downs in that particular area, I have checked and the fish plates are connected properly, is this a problem with my track? is it the controller? (my current controller is the standard Hornby train set one, though I do intend to swap this out in future for a better one) or is it a problem with the locomotives? Should anyone willing to answer need a video or something to show the problem visually, do let me know, though any advice would be greatly appreciate, thanks!

[spamcan61]

Do you have a way of measuring the track gauge? I would think there's a small but finite possibility the gauge is a bit tight on these specific pieces of track. (This fault had been reported by some people on the TT:120 track) 

[Lanky Atlantic]

I don't really have anything to measure the track with, but I'm using OO gauge, it could be a bit tight though, if that's the case is there a way of fixing it...?

[ITG]

Are you relying on rail joiners to conduct power through each piece of track? They can be a weakness, and a better approach may be to provide power via soldered joins to each individual piece of track. Of course, in theory, that problem should affect every loco, but some draw more power than others, depending on various factors. So any power weakness may manifest itself differently.

[Lanky Atlantic]

I'm just relying on the fishplates to conduct power, yeah, soldering is probably a good idea but my experience with it is very limited, the bog-standard Hornby 0-4-0's make it around fine with no slow downs, but some of the bigger engines, like the A1, seem to struggle as mentioned

[33C]

Back to backs might be too far out, wide to gauge?

Edited December 25, 2022 by 33C
Missing letter.

[Lanky Atlantic]

Possibly! But no idea really, I'm quite the amateur with this stuff, still learning, might just end up buying a couple of replacements to see if I can fix the problem that way, not sure yet

[F-UnitMad]

Assuming set track here - those pieces might need the rails cleaning.

[Lanky Atlantic]

I cleaned them all a couple of months ago, so could be time for a clean, I'll give it a go shortly and see if it changes anything

[hayfield]

If its happening with 2 different makes of loco, then the likelihood is its the track 

 

Small 0-4-0 locos may have issues with pickups, but it would be power loss not slowing down, as said it could be the wheelbase of the locos coupled with the back to back of the wheels. Is it the radius 2 curves where there is an issue ?

[Chimer]

 

17 hours ago, F-UnitMad said:

Assuming set track here - those pieces might need the rails cleaning.

 

17 hours ago, Ruston65 said:

I cleaned them all a couple of months ago, so could be time for a clean, I'll give it a go shortly and see if it changes anything

 

While you're at it, have a look at the wheels of the locos which stumble ..... they get dirty too. 

[33C]

Are the pick ups staying pressed against the wheels as the loco navigates the curve?

[TheSignalEngineer]

6 hours ago, Chimer said:

 

 

 

While you're at it, have a look at the wheels of the locos which stumble ..... they get dirty too. 

And not just on the tyres. I've had new locos where the contact rubbing area has been dirty from new and I now clean them before running in.

[The Johnster]

Crud buildup on railheads, wheels treads, wheel pickup surfaces, and pickups needs a rigid hygiene regime, and I’d recommend cleaning more frequently than every couple of months unless the layout is in almost daily use.  As well as cleaning the places mentioned, make sure that turnout flangeways are kept clear of debris (stiff pain brush good for this).  Clean the area between point blades and the stock rails in the same way to ensure that the blades close hime properly.  Make as sure as you possibly can that track is laid level, smoothly to adjoining pieces, and that pickups are properly adjusted, especially on new models; don’t rely on the manufacturers, they’re frankly not reliable!
 

As you’re new to the game, and, please, pardon me if I’m teaching granny to suck eggs, you probably don’t possess a back to back gauge; my advice is to buy one set to 14.5mm immediately.  They are not expensive and will repay the cost over and over, you place them between the back faces of wheelsets and move the wheels along their axles until you get a tightly sliding ‘interference fit’ which ensures that the gauge is correctly set, a basic pre-requisite of good running and current pickup particularly with setrack.  Check all your wheels and make this check the first course of action if problems arise in the future
 

Try not only to remove crud, but the causes of crud.  Replace any plastic wheelsets on older coaches and wagons with metal wheelsets, and clean the metal wheels occasionally.  Plastic will spread crud around your layout, as will any traction tyres; if you can, remove them and replace the wheelset with metal wheels with properly shaped rims, not the traction tyre groove. 
 

Lubricate about once a year, as in the service sheet that came with the loco, more often if it os obviously needed, but always (and I can’t stress this point too strongly) sparingly, as sparingly as possible.  Less is more, use the smallest amount of lubricant you can get away with, and remove as much of any excess that you can.  Lube attracts crud and needs to be contained.  I use a syringe for this job, but of you don’t have one a tiny drop of lube on the end of a pin can be applied to awkward crooks and nannies.  Use non-mineral lube, not WD40 or 3-in One.  Overlubing picks up crud, dust, and fluff, which affect smooth running, and, as the crud builds up around the axles, picks up grit which chews your gears, and restricts the sideplay necessary for your locos to manage curves, again, especially on setrack where the curves are sharper. 
 

If you haven’t got the service sheet, they can be downloaded free from the manufacturers’ websites, but you’ll need to quote the exact model number, the R number for Hornby.  This can be an issue with secondhand models, but an enquiry here will usually get you sorted out.  

[RobinofLoxley]

Is the track absolutely level? Longer wheelbase locos may get part of the wheelset lifted by undulations. Check by pressing down slightly on the loco and/ or tender where running is poor. 

 

Other faults may also respond to this test such as poor fishplate contact

Edited December 27, 2022 by RobinofLoxley

[Lanky Atlantic]

The track isn't level on those curves, no, it bends up slightly because the track itself bent for some reason so half of it is level, the other half is off the table, if that makes sense, could this be the issue? I will be fixing it in the future as I'm already planning on nailing the track down

[DCB]

I get it all the time on my floor layout which I take on holiday, there is more resistance around the curves and combined with less than level floor locos, especially the large ones, like a Heljan class 67 and long wheelbase 0-6-0s, slow annoyingly.  The cause is the cheap and nasty Hornby and similar resistance controllers I use, because the same locos run just fine at home on steeper grades and almost as sharp curves but using  variable voltage controllers, which deliver a selectable voltage and as many amps as needed to maintain that voltage rather than a certain wattage as per the resistance controller. 

 

[Lanky Atlantic]

I've still not solved the problem, but judging by what you've said DCB, might it be worth upgrading my generic train set controller to something like the HM2000? If not, a gaugemaster? If you have any recommendations however, please let me know!