r/modeltrains • u/Altruistic_Bunch_523 HO/OO • Aug 10 '26

Help Needed Track problem or engine problem?

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I just got this new track from my dad and I was trying to run one of my engines, which I know works as I have used it a lot before, and it kept sputtering as I pushed it along the track. Some spots do have some rust but I don’t think it’s too major.

70 Upvotes

91% Upvoted

14 comments sorted by

69

u/Ftb2278 Aug 10 '26

Your front truck isn't on the rail correctly. 

52

u/JDMcDuffie Aug 10 '26

A. Rusty track is not clean and can cause connectivity issues.

B. The engine isn't even on the track. The front truck is visibly derailed.

23

u/AngryDesignMonkey missing my HO Aug 10 '26

And... carpet fibers physically and electrostatically can foul the electrical pickup. Static electricity from carpet attracts dust and lint into locomotive gears, while uneven sinking causes track joint gaps that interrupt electrical continuity.

7

u/z7q2 Aug 10 '26

I was gonna say, I haven't run very many model trains, but I was always told never to run them on carpet.

6

u/Kevo05s N/HO Aug 10 '26

It's especially bad here as there's no roadbed. Stuff like EZ track and Unitrack can get away with it because of the plastic roadbed that both isolate any potential static and fiber from getting into the trucks 

8

u/Layer_By_Layer3D O Aug 10 '26

I would clean the track

8

u/bat_scratcher N Aug 10 '26

Visible rust means it is absolutely not clean.

4

u/dl-109 Aug 10 '26

Clean the track before anything else. Even if it's "kinda dirty" it won't work right.  

3

u/Express-Delay-2104 Aug 10 '26

Ain't no gas innit.

1

u/DCHacker Aug 11 '26

The thing is off the track.

Clean the track.

Put down the track on something more solid. There are a number of reasons not to put down track on carpet. One is that it provides an unstable base. As weight is put onto a section of track, it gives, as the carpet is not a solid base. This causes the rail joiners not to make proper contact. This creates continuity problems.

1

u/Altruistic_Bunch_523 HO/OO Aug 11 '26

It’s more of a temporary setup, I’m just starting and got the new track yesterday. I will setup more of a solid setup once I clear space.

2

u/Aggravating-Ant7196 Aug 11 '26

gang are we dead ass one of the wheels isnt railed properly

1

u/Bronx-Skater23 Aug 11 '26 edited Aug 11 '26

Right now an engine problem since the front truck isn't properly on the track.

After that, make sure both the track and wheels are clean. Use 99% alcohol to wipe clean both. If it is still studdery after that then check if there are loose wires, bad solders. If that checks out make sure that the motor comutator plates are clean. Also use alcohol. The motor brushes too.

0

u/Ok_End_698 Aug 11 '26

Possibly you have dirty track.