Not computers, but you folks are probably pretty smart.

[LAS14]

We're trying to revive my husband's train for our 7 & 8 year old grandsons. We paid big bucks to have everything refurbished. Our problem was that the power would only light the lights faintly, make a faint noise, and no motion. We took it to the train store, and, of course, it worked fine on one piece of track. We brought it home, made a circle, and had the same problem. So we added pieces of track one at a time. It worked until it didn't. The piece of track that caused the failure had the 1/8 inch tip broken off of one of the pins. How could that cause the problem. Note also that when the train did not run, the wires and the terminals got quite hot when it was turned on to faint light.

So our problem is solved, but the mystery isn't. Can anyone tell me what's going on?

tia
las

[TreasonousBastard]

1. Resistance. Either the broken pin or something else reduced...

the electric flow in that piece of track. That things heated up is a big clue-- depending upon the current load, voltage, and a few other things, resistance causes the "blocked up" electricity to turn to heat instead of the work it's supposed to do.

Good thing it didn't start a fire.

[TexasProgresive]

2. First you did a great job of troubleshooting.

With any device with multiple parts it often is a process of elimination. As to your question, this is a guess as I can't put my hands on it, but I believe that there is an incomplete short circuit in that one piece of track. If it was a complete short nothing would work and it it might trip an internal circuit breaker on the power source.

It's been a long time since I handled electric train parts so I can't remember how the power is passed from one piece of track to the next. If I had it and a known good one in hand I would use my ohm meter to measure for the short. I doubt that piece can be effectivly repaired.

I am surprised that there isn't an electric train forum on DU. My far distant brothers-in-law are train nuts with great layouts in their basements.

[Phentex]

7. I just had a smell memory...

the smell of an electric train running around a track. It's strange how these posts took me right back there.

[marble falls]

3. Clean the tracks with very fine sand paper meant for that purpose. Some sandpapers will actually ...

make the problem worse. Oxidation will interfere with conductivity. This happens with track that doesn't get used regularly.

[Locrian]

4. the old fashion erasers work for that too - n/t

[marble falls]

5. Forgot about that one. Worked good for me many, many years ago. We brought out or trains at ...

Christmas. Polishing the track was part of the ritual.

[eppur_se_muova]

6. Heh ... old historical connection between computers and railroaders ...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tech_Model_Railroad_Club