Does track go dead over time.

[crazynitwit]

Ive just finished building a new layout and the thought popped into my head.

Does track go dead over time, obviously I don't want to be digging up track 3 months after I've built the layout.

Any help would be appreciated.

[BlackRat]

Depends what you mean by dead!

 

What sort of track?

 

Most track, if properly looked after........ will last decades!

[Nick G]

Dead as in no power?

[crazynitwit]

Depends what you mean by dead!

 

What sort of track?

 

Most track, if properly looked after........ will last decades!

Just some Hornby set track. And by dead I mean no locomotives work on it.

[peach james]

Try cleaning it with Isopropanol (IPA) on a piece of paper towel...that, and the wheels...that would be my first guess.

 

(or even simpler, to see if it is dirty, rub a fingertip on it, if the fingertip turns black, you know you need to do the above...)

 

James

[Hilux5972]

As Black Rat says, properly looked after track shouldn’t go dead. I clean mine at least once per roughly every 10 hours of running. Some of it I have had for years now. As long as it’s clean then you shouldnt have any issues. Nickel Silver track is very good. The old steel track used to have issues with corrosion and rust in humid or damp conditions.

[MartynJPearson]

One thing to consider is how you feed the power to the track. If you solder the joint then you should have years of trouble free running, unless the joint is not good in the first place. However, if you are using the Hornby track connecting clips I'd imagine that over time they could either lose their spring or the contact may become tarnished and less effective.

 

Sections of track that are fed via points may also have issues, so the key is to keeping the contacts on the points clean particularly if it is the point blades that are providing the power.

[crompton 33]

Are you use'ing a bus bar and droppers. Or just relying on fish plates for the power if so this can be the problem.

Edited November 7, 2017 by crompton 33

[TheSignalEngineer]

Oxidation can take place between the rail and the fishplate, causing a thin film which causes high resistance or at worst no contact. Fishplates can also relax over time leading to poor contact. I use solder at non-insulated joints and multiple connections to the rails. I've not had any problems with that method and keeping the rail head clean.

[Chris M]

The metal rail will always conduct electricity; it just is a conductor of electricity and will be so forever. Fishplates occasionally work a little loose due to expansion and contraction causing electricity to not flow though the join so may need a little maintenance or an extra dropper back to the main wiring to ensure continuity. Obviously the rail surface, loco electricity pick up wheels and pick ups on the loco chassis from the wheels need to be clean for electric current the to pass between them.

[tamperman36]

I've never heard of track going dead, usually it is a dry joint where a feed wire connects to the rail or a dodgy point. Usually the only regular maintenance needed is track cleaning which is best done with a fluid cleaner, if you use an abrasive cleaner it causes micro scratches in the railhead meaning it will get dirty quicker and become harder to fully clean.

[crazynitwit]

I've never heard of track going dead, usually it is a dry joint where a feed wire connects to the rail or a dodgy point. Usually the only regular maintenance needed is track cleaning which is best done with a fluid cleaner, if you use an abrasive cleaner it causes micro scratches in the railhead meaning it will get dirty quicker and become harder to fully clean.

I made that mistake when I first got into the hobby.

[BR60103]

Summary:

Track can get dirty. Clean the rail top and inside corner with something.

Rail joints can stop connecting. Varies between loose joiners and glue inside joiners.

Wires no longer connect to rails. Get out soldering iron. Also, wires no longer connect to controller/power supply. 

[locomad]

I think I know what you mean, I reckon it goes off with time especially nickel-silver you can tell brand new track straight from the factory when compared to stuff just a few years old even if it's not been used, brand new is very shiny, when aged it tends to go duller.

 

Course lot depends on the quality of the manufacturer, I've some Hornby-dublo 2 rail at least 50 odd years old still in boxes yet it's extremely bright, yet some other bits of track have aged and now quite dull, when you run your fingers on it it's very green, must be the oxide, it's the same colour you get when dealing 2p's & 1p's.

 

Sometimes you see it on the track when the rail shifts and where the chairs where are the bright bits.

 

Course I reckon it does not conduct electricity as well so cleaning is the only solution, I just clean the tops as the dirty sides become quite realistic, same with real rail sides rusty, tops when used nice and shiny.

 

I've found when used on a layout peco track goes green quite quick within a few years so I don't bother painting mine now and leave it to age.

 

Fishplates can because problem I find using a pliers just slide them back and too seems to solve dead sections of track, inside point rails are another weak point they need more regular cleaning

[crazynitwit]

I think I know what you mean, I reckon it goes off with time especially nickel-silver you can tell brand new track straight from the factory when compared to stuff just a few years old even if it's not been used, brand new is very shiny, when aged it tends to go duller.

 

Course lot depends on the quality of the manufacturer, I've some Hornby-dublo 2 rail at least 50 odd years old still in boxes yet it's extremely bright, yet some other bits of track have aged and now quite dull, when you run your fingers on it it's very green, must be the oxide, it's the same colour you get when dealing 2p's & 1p's.

 

Sometimes you see it on the track when the rail shifts and where the chairs where are the bright bits.

 

Course I reckon it does not conduct electricity as well so cleaning is the only solution, I just clean the tops as the dirty sides become quite realistic, same with real rail sides rusty, tops when used nice and shiny.

 

I've found when used on a layout peco track goes green quite quick within a few years so I don't bother painting mine now and leave it to age.

 

Fishplates can because problem I find using a pliers just slide them back and too seems to solve dead sections of track, inside point rails are another weak point they need more regular cleaning

Thanks.

[bike2steam]

Depends how good your soldering is, and how many ( if any) dry joints you make.

[The Johnster]

The rail itself is nickel silver or steel (which rusts), but mostly N/S these days.  it is solid metal and conducts electricity; it cannot actually 'go dead'.  As discussed. it can (or to be more accurate, will) go dirty and whatever means of connection to the power supply it has can fail, dry joints in the case of solder and dirt or distortion in the case of 'fishplate' rail joiners.  Rail joiners are designed so that the track can be dismantled and relaid, train set style, but are very bad at their job unless handled with the greatest possible care, and can very easily become damaged and distorted; pull them off with a pair of pliers and replace them with new on

 

If you are experiencing running problems, check that a) the power is reliably connected to the feed rail, b) that the electrical connections between rail sections are passing current properly, c) that the rail joins are smooth and level, and d) that the rail head is clean.  The best tool for this is a cheap volt meter.  Make sure that points are closing correctly if you are using them to pass current; crud builds between the blade and stock rail where the electrical connection is made and broken, as arcing occurs here and a carbon deposit builds up; you will need a small needle file to get in between there and scrape the contact surfaces clean.

 

Then have a look at your locomotive wheels and pickups.  The wheels need to be scrupulously clean on the tyre surface that contacts the rail head (yes, railway wheels have tyres), and on the backs of the tyres which contact the pickups.  The pickups need to be cleaned regularly as well.  You will find that different locos have their own quirks; some need more cleaning than others and some will need the pickups adjusting occasionally to ensure they bear on the back of the tyres, and some will seem to run effortlessly smoothly without any attention at all.

 

It is true that both track and locos that have been out of use for a while will need a bit of TLC before they run well when re-used; locomotives will need deep cleaning and re-lubing even if they are still in the box as the original lube will go solid after a while and become the opposite of lubrication!

[Ron Ron Ron]

...Does track go dead over time...

 

 

I don't know about track, but I've seen a fair few layouts at exhibitions that seemed to be dead, with nothing happening on them for ages. 

 

 

.

[roythebus]

I don't know about track, but I've seen a fair few layouts at exhibitions that seemed to be dead, with nothing happening on them for ages. 

 

 

.

 

Do you want to borrow my tin hat now or later, but I agree with you.

[Nearholmer]

Another thing to check is the flow of electricity through points.

 

A long-disused layout will sometimes appear 'dead' because of poor conduction at the points, especially if they are of the "live frog" type, but with no additional micro-switches added.

[crazynitwit]

Depends how good your soldering is, and how many ( if any) dry joints you make.

I don't solder my track

[Legend]

So three main reasons for track going dead

 

It needs to be cleaned . Unusual to get complete dead section more likely to be characterised by stuttering

 

Dodgy fishplates . Seemed the most common one in my case. Tighten them up make sure clean

 

Dodgy points . Perhaps not conducting properly. In a lot of cases possibly because not laid flat.

 

I have a fairly large three track oval . I run pickups to two points on each circuit to avoid power drops .wiring while not two wires is fairly rudimentary. I don’t really have much in way of problems .

 

Edited to say running DC with electronic track cleaners

Edited November 6, 2017 by Legend

[crompton 33]

I don't solder my track

But do you use Dropers as well ?

Edited November 7, 2017 by crompton 33

[Chris M]

That is more like the reason you have a problem .

I have never soldered my track so rely on rail joiners. I have only had one joint cause a problem and this was quickly fixed by giving it a little tweak. I have two exhibition layouts and they live in a shed so they have a hard life.

[The Johnster]

My current BLT, built to ensure simplicity and reliability, has no soldered joints except at the feeds; track is joined by rail joiners.  It has been in operation for about 9 months now and has proved 100% reliable except for one or two glitches at insulfrog points where there is a build up of carbon at the closure point of the blades, solved with a bit of scraping with a small file.  My theory is that the more wiring and the more joints you have, soldered or clamped, the less reliable things are.  The rail joiners are painted over with rail colour after the track is laid, to hide them, but I reckon this has also protected them from dirt getting into the joins.  

 

All wiring is above the baseboard, points and signals are operated by the Finger Of God, and the basic principle is simplicity of installation and maintenance.  Points switch the current where it is intended to go, and I have not found any problem with locos stalling on insulfrogs; mind, I have no 0-4-0s.  Considerable attention was paid to level and smooth track joins.