Engine gets starts slow then speeds up

Posted By W3NZL on 06/11/2008 4:46 AM
Like Nick said, a good commutator cleaning will fix this 99% of the time..
Seen, and fixed this problem numerous times over the years, mostly caused
by over-zealous oiling in most cases I think...
Paul R...





I have had this problem in smaller scales and learned to not oil things very much and only do it when necessary. I have a feeling this is the problem.

Art

OK....just though of something....try a different power supply....if they ALL act the same way maybe it is the power pack you are routinely using.

By trying a different power supply maybe we can narrow the problem down....to it being a faulty power supply.

The give away is that they all act the same way....that is not the norm or possible, as problems with a locomotive are always associated with that one loco and NOT the whole stable of locos!

For giggles and grins get a differnt power supply with the same rating as the one you are routinely using....making sure that it works properly for the person you are brorrowing it from....THEN get one that has, at least double or tripple the power of the one you routinely use.

But try ALL the locos on both power supplies!

This will tell you 2 things, by process of elimination....

1. If in fact you ARE having an issue with your power supply in question.

2. It will isolate if you ARE having a problem with any of your locos....or having an issue at
all with the locos.


Remember that this process is only going to be succesful if you have already eliminated the track problems....dirty track, and conductivity....the sliders will tell tale when you run all of the locos...you could also remove the sliders for testing AFTER you have tested as suggested above.


I can't wait to hear the results.

Hope this helps

Bubba

Depending on the age of this locomotive depends whether or not my comment is valid.

BUT - LGB had an electronic 'delayed acceleration' or 'soft-start' system integrated into some of their earlier locomotives.

I don't know enuff about LGB to give the correct title to this feature, but maybe an expert can name it.

Maybe THIS is the 'problem'...it's not a problem, but is there intentionally.

On the other paw, 'starter set' locos tend to have had a hard life, with over-oiling being just one of the hazards they experience at the hands of newbies who may be keen to 'improve' the performance of their loco.

tac

From his first post,
"I'm trying to figure out why my engine seems to take a while to warm up. When I first bring it out, it runs very slowly and then after several runs, it eventually seems to go faster."

Possible something on the engine that frees it self up after it warms up....


Another of his posts,
"Something that I did not mention before was that this problem occurred indoors as well. When I would first start running the train on the starter circle, it would go really slowly and then perk up. This perk up would happen after half a pass around the starter set, so I ignored it. Is there something I should be doing to 'oil' my engine? Does the smoke fluid clean the inside of the engine?"

Possible thick or dry grease made worse with the addition carpet fibers, cat hair, floor stuff, etc., it's surprising what small piece of hair or thread can do wrapped around an axle(s)..?


His last post,
"I found that if I spray wd40 at the wheels, it gets up to speed quickly. This makes me think I've got some sort of gunk or corrosion or bent something. While it has no trouble with a small 20' gondola (LGB Toy Train), it still can't manage to haul my new 40' gondola around the track."

Probably, the WD40 helps the above problems, but doesn't fix it, thats why it it doesn't pull like it used too....

Bubba, I've used several different power packs, the best of the lot being a PH Hobbies PS-3, and I noticed the slow start, later speed-up phenomenon with all of them. For me, the locos seem to run at a reasonable speed right from the git-go, but after a few laps they begin to speed up. I prefer a moderate pace for my trains; don't like to see them racing around, it's not prototypical. So I throttle back until they are back to the slower speed that I like.
But your point is certainly valid, and that's a really good way to check on one's power pack! And yes, since ALL of my engines exhibit the same phenomenon, it would have to be the power pack. Unless...as the train runs, its sliders (or pick-up skates, if you prefer) actually act as track cleaners, so there is more current available to the locomotive???
SandyR

Ok, I think I have some helpful results.

1. I just received a new aristocraft Eggliner and when I set it loose it runs fine. Fast, steady on the up grades, and has no trouble pushing a little gondola.

2. When I tried to run both trains on the track at the same time, things just did not work right. The trains went very slowly and would simply stop for periods before moving forward a little again. As soon as I took off the LGB 2-4-0 starter engine, the eggliner did great again.

So, this would seem to eliminate a few possible problems because they would have had the same effect on the eggliner, right?

- it can't be joint continuity
- it can't be brass track cleanliness (i didn't even clean it tonight)
- it can't be the grades
- it doesn't seem to be voltage drop due to my long power cord

In fact, it would seem to point straight at the lgb engine itself. The other night I did some tests on that engine. I turned the engine upside down and using small jumper wires, applied power to the pickups and it sped up quickly and whirred away nicely. Then I took the engine out to the trackside connections and applied power to the engine there. Again, slightly slower, but still fine. In both cases, it went slowly at first, but then sped up after a few seconds. That may be normal lgb behavior.

Given all this above, I have three possible culprits:
- for some reason when on the track, the pickups/wheels are not conducting properly.
- there's something wrong with the innards of the engine that is preventing it from operating under any weight
- something is wrong with the electronics that is causing a significant voltage drop.

Thanks for all the help! I realize this is going on for much too long, but I'm hoping it will help someone else someday...

For reference, here's my layout stats:
75' of brass track, mix of aristo and lgb
5-10' radius curves
2-4% grades
using aristo train engineer (not basic) using linear mode
20v 1A lgb starter set controller

Posted By jimtronic on 07/13/2008 8:07 PM
Hooray! My problem is finally solved. It was indeed a power supply inadequacy. I'm happy to say I'm sitting outside on a beautiful summer night, drinking wine, and watching my little black engine pull all four cars up and down the grades with no problems.
I upgraded my starter set LGB power supply (20V 1A) to the MRC Power "G" (22V 10A). I chose the MRC instead of the Aristo Elite (recommended above) because I could get it locally and had read online that it worked well with the Crest Train Engineer and specifically LGB trains.
Thanks for all the help. Sorry for not understanding electronics.
Jim







I think I stated this solution on June 26th....better late then never.

Bubba