Nice. I read the review in Model Railroader Mag. They commented that you need near perfect track work in order for it to run smoothly. Can you comment on that? Any problems so far?
Well, I don't know how "perfect" his track is, but it's Atlas code 83 laid on Woodland Scenics foam roadbed over foam. It's held in place with push pins every 4-6". It ran at full throttle through #6 turnouts, 24" radius curves (with easements) and a 30' crossing.
Jerry believes in "natural" looking track, so his straights aren't perfectly tangent, his grades aren't uniform ramps, there are gentle dips and rises, and this unit handles them all with aplomb.
Now OTOH, if you've slapped down some snap-track on the living room floor, over obstacles and stuff, then yes, you might have some problems. As you can see from the picture, the units are pretty low-slung, so there's not much room for bumping around.
I didn't see the break-in, but he did the recommended. He says after about 3 minutes it was smooth and quiet, and has been ever since. About the only thing I can say "bad" about it is that at full throttle the wheel and drivetrain noise overcome the sound system, but he hasn't really secured his track and roadbed, so the noise will probably abate once he gets everything secured down and sceniced.