Model Railway Forum

hi can anyone help me i am in the process of changing from dc to dcc my layout consists of seven loops and few sidings each one is wired with a bus wire with droppers fitted at short intervals i am going to use a hornby elite.when i connect it to the circuit the locos do run but stutter and stop i want to be able to run each loop like a real railway ie locos running in opposite directions to each other .please can anyone be of assistance do i need to rewire my complete layout any help would most welcome the system runs well on dc but not on dcc regards bob clifford ps the layout is 17 ft x12 ft

Hoping all the locos got decoders in them. How many locos are you trying to run at once, the implication is 7 which could be overloading the output which I believe is 4 amps.

hi mike i have been trying only two locos today with my elite unit and they run very poorly they will run and stutter and stop then go again if run one only its the same any ideas they run well on dc regards bob

hi on one of the loops does not have a bus wire as it was added to my layout recently when this connected to dcc the locos all run as they should just connected to the controller regards bob

Remember that with DCC the track and loco wheels and pickups need to be scrupulously clean. What’s OK for DC ain’t OK for DCC.

Hi
How are the feeds connected to the rails? If you use any Hornby push in Power Clips or their Power Track sections then the DC version contains an internal capacitor which must be removed for DCC use. Simply flip open the cover and snip out the little capacitor found inside. Even just one on a DCC layout will cause problems.
Next, as WTD has stated, all rail tops, loco wheel rims and inside faces of these wheels where the pick up wipers rub must all be spotlessly clean. I use a fibre pencil followed up with a cotton bud dampened with 99.9% pure Isopropanol Alcohol (IPA) Its also useful for rail cleaning too when applied via lint free cloth dampened with IPA.

Finally if all the above doesn't improve their running, remove any motor RF suppression capacitors which are usually found connected directly across the motors wiring connections but on some modern locos they are on the PCB. There may well be more than one!

hi brian the droppers are all soldered to the track and all the points are wired for dc working all works well as i say on dc. exception being the last loop i added to the layout this one is just wired straight to the track and this all the locos run as they should dc or dcc when connected the correct power units regards bob

Hi Bob

You mentioned your layout was a DC layout originally with a bus system, what you did not say is what the bus wire specification is. Too thin a bus will on a large layout introduce voltage drops which might explain the stuttering.

Since it was a DC layout I assume you had switched sections if you have simply switched each section on this could be another issue especially if these switches are in a control panel thus thin wires are stretched across the layout. These in effect have become the new droppers for these switched sections and again the cause of voltage drops.

Richard

hi guys from the feedback i am receiving on this problem i think it is best to start again and rewire to the whole layout from the start a see how it goes not a job i am looking forward to as my dc layout has been down for 2 years and everything is in place stations etc regards bob

I suggest you do one loop and get that running correctly then test as you go as you add the other droppers. You will soon spot any potential mistakes and short circuits.