To give you some more info.i am running this engine on just 2 pieces of new flextrack and the joiners are done correctly,as for wiring its just 2 wires coming from the variable dc terminals on the back of the controller to the track, the controller is an MRC Tech2 Railmaster 2400 and is DC,
funny you should mention nudging the unit as that does make it come back to life,but more often than not the unit just recycles by itself.When it does run the control dial has to be set at 3/4 power position before the train will move.
My best guess at the problem would be some kind of power misconfiguration/discrepancy between the power pack and the engine resulting in the engine throwing a breaker of some kind.but as to how to solve the problem i feel like a blind man in an art gallery.
If a nudge causes things to start working again, you definitely have an open circuit somewhere. A decoder recycling itself is another indication of an open circuit. What happens is that the electrical circuit to the decoder is somehow interrupted momentarily. When that happens, unless there is a keep-alive capacitor installed on the decoder, the decoder loses its active memory and starts itself over. Flickering lights or lights going out are another good indication of an open circuit.
An overload condition caused by a cracked gear or something similar would not likely cause a decoder reset, nor would a nudge get things going again.
There are several common causes (and it is often a combination of these!) of this circuit interruption:
- dirt on the track
- dirt on the wheels
- power pickups installed on the locomotive not contacting correctly
- broken wire or solder joint
I would try another locomotive on the same track. If it stalls in the same spots, the problem is most likely the track or the wiring to the track.
If the other locomotive runs fine on the same track, then the problem is in your SW8. First start by getting the wheels perfectly clean. If that doesn't solve the issue, you have to take the locomotive apart to find the problem or return it for service/warranty.
The 3/4 power setting is normal for a sound decoder equipped locomotive running on DC. Sound decoders are designed to run best on DCC; running n DC is an afterthought. Running capability and control on DC will be limited because the sound electronics typically need 7-9 volts DC just to get going.
Which brings up one other (unlikely) possibility. If you are running a locomotive with a sound decoder on DC right at the minimum voltage, just the slightest change in circumstances could be enough to drop voltage to the decoder below minimum, causing it to recycle. Make sure you are testing significantly above the minimum voltage on DC.
hope this helps