I am almost giving up. I am having a hard time getting my train to run outside so considering battery power.

Dear OP - there is no such thing a a 2 Amp 14 volt battery - that is the minimum DC requirement to run a large scale train on TRACK power since you seem determined to do that in spite of the awful conditions you are trying to run in.

Dunnyrail above has given you good advice, as have many of us here over the last hundred and a half posts. Your MAIN problem is trying to run at ground level in what appears to be the middle of a construction site, with track lying on the ground at the risk of constantly getting trampled on or covered with some kind of crud.

Until you can get your track at least a foot off the ground all round you are wasting your time and effort.

I really can't offer any more advice, except for you to call up John in Guelph - Winona Garden Railways - and tell him that you've spoken to us at great length with no tangible results, and ask for HIS much-nearer advice. HE might even come over and see your location - he's a good guy,
 
Greg Elmassian said:
Didn't we go through all of this already?

OK, still need to know what type of joiners, but once you have clean rail ends and joiners, any kind of automotive wheel bearing grease will work, get from NAPA, and I use the black stuff in the can, that has Moly in it.

There are fancier greases, but this will do. BUT!!!! If your rails and joiners are already oxidized you need to clean them.

Now, are you getting grease or what on the rails? How is this happening?

I KNOW I gave you a link on track cleaning.... go to the grocery store and get a swiffer and the wet pads, not the dry pads and not the one that squirts water.

The Swiffer is on the link:

Track Cleaning

Greg Elmassian web site on large scale trains and garden railroads, cigars, and computers
www.elmassian.com www.elmassian.com

Greg
Click to expand...

Greg, please email me if you get a minute.....TVM.
 
Ya I just might buy it in Canada with the price of fuel added to everything. ..looking for the Swiffer now
 
tac foley said:
Dear OP - there is no such thing a a 2 Amp 14 volt battery - that is the minimum DC requirement to run a large scale train on TRACK power since you seem determined to do that in spite of the awful conditions you are trying to run in.

Dunnyrail above has given you good advice, as have many of us here over the last hundred and a half posts. Your MAIN problem is trying to run at ground level in what appears to be the middle of a construction site, with track lying on the ground at the risk of constantly getting trampled on or covered with some kind of crud.

Until you can get your track at least a foot off the ground all round you are wasting your time and effort.

I really can't offer any more advice, except for you to call up John in Guelph - Winona Garden Railways - and tell him that you've spoken to us at great length with no tangible results, and ask for HIS much-nearer advice. HE might even come over and see your location - he's a good guy,
Click to expand...
Ya I have been to the Guelph store in March. I got 2 boxes of straight track. He is 2 .3 hours away
 
Swiffer in supermarket... get the one with the multiple sections, after a while you will wear the rubber pad out, when you buy a second one, you can add another section the the wand, and you can stand completely upright while wiping off the track.

The wet wipes are infused with a degreaser that is friendly to plastic, after you wipe on one side, remove the pad and use the other side.

Works great.

Greg
 
TTaannggss said:
What kind of grease should I put in the rail joints? Won't it just get washed away anyways? Today I had a good run. I almost shot a video of it but I still have the shell off if my engine. Then the tracks got all dirty and grimy again. If I stay with track power I need a very good track cleaning car. I do appreciate your input. If I was not here I would of bought stuff I do not need and have no use for. I did not have any joint issues today ...just one possible one which is not bad at all. So now I have power to the track and can almost say no track connection issues. Yaaa
Click to expand...

As earlier: (and no, it won't wash away)

We have graphite paste as picture below. This is applied to the rail joiners. It helps quite a lot with conductivity. and stops water, mud etc. getting into the joints over time.

1654469415352.png
 
I did one wipe with the Swiffer ..then did the random finger on the track test and was amazingly clean. Storm coming and will have to do a run tomorrow.
 
Those Swiffer wipes are made for a smooth kitchen floor. My track is on the rough side and those Swiffer wipes will not last long. I really like the spongy pad feature and will probably be used with thicker stronger wipes. Greg do you use a track cleaner car?
 
Post 106 has the link to track cleaning cars, the link is there, and I feel that you did not look at it.

In my case, yes, I have several, but the swiffer for degreasing, and I have stainless steel rail, so it never needs "sanding" or "rubbing" since it never oxidizes.

I also have a sweeper car to get rid of leaves.

Sweeper Car

Greg Elmassian web site on large scale trains and garden railroads, cigars, and computers
www.elmassian.com www.elmassian.com

there is the link...

you are using the swiffer "long ways" with the rails yes? If you get hangups, then you have severely misaligned track, check your joiners. You should not be having issues. The pad is just a bit wider than the rails.

Rough track that tears up the swiffer pad is misaligned.
 
Yes because of all the twists and turns there are small gaps here and there where the tracks do not touch. In my video you can hear all the clicking from the rails not being even. I really should have the tracks taped together. Having the tracks not touching will wear the Swiffer. The new swiffers are 1.5 times bigger for the same price. It came with wet and dry pads. I am 5' 10 and have no problem using the swiffer upright. I just thought I would try a wet pad first. After I did clear 2 spots where the earth came close to the tracks and onto the swiffer. There is a Hope in British Columbia and with my g scale staying track powered.
 
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You cannot get the pre-wetted wipes in the larger unit, and it won't conform to the track as well.

You really need rail clamps if you gaps are tearing the swiffer. Remember you don't need to press down hard on it.

Running it "long ways" on the rails will give you plenty of cleaning surface.

Greg
 
As well I couldn't use the pre cut tabs to secure the Swiffer pad ...it would just not stay in place so I just duct taped it on. ...Jim
 
Just did another wipe after the storm. Tracks are clean but I see what you mean by too wide. There is dirt on the wipes from the ground not the tracks. Oh well will have to push away the dirt from the tracks even further. Ok you just poke the wipes in the slots. The wipes are so wet now it would not take much to tear them. Thanks again. Yaaa
 
The train didn't go. I am breathing all this crap so I gave up. Last I saw the lights were on but the train was dead otherwise. I looked under the train it has a white on one side of the truck. A red on the other. The wires are so fine my wire cutter does not go that low. So used a blow torch to melt the wires. Still nothing but I still get the lights on inside
 
Ya
 

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I hope my train is not toast. We just had lots of rain maybe something got wet
 
So it is not the battery. There in now something wrong with the engine. See how much brighter it is track power. The 9 volt will make it go very slowwww
 

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It was working 20 minutes before the first post of it being dead. I cleaned the engine using the 9 volt battery belly up. Then put it in the tracks where it struggled big time. Went under a wet evergreen then this happened.
 
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