How Too Fix Problem With Lionel Fastrak With Voltage Drop

Thank you for posting this!

I will tighten them up tonight!

Great info.

Art

Your welcome Chip!! Thanks Art!! 

It is definately my track.

I found pins so loose on one track section, it was making static type electrical noise.

Had to replace that piece.

The straights where it goes from slow to rocket fast were, kind of dirty, I cleaned them and the engines run  much better, but there is still voltage drops.

Even worse, i have a very very low voltage spot that causes trains to stall out and loose all power, unless you are going very fast, and it is very hard to get to.

I will have to lift off that part of the layout, kind of a pain...but I am more concerned with what will happen of this ever happens again when the layout is done.

I dont want to rip up scenery.

i do have an access hatch there, but man...my body cant take getting down, crawling, and all that bending and kneeling.

I am gonna have to do it no way around it and get it RIGHT.

Kind of sad, because for about 10 minutes they were running pretty nice even for Pullmors.

Jeff, 

Thanks for posting. I no longer use FT but had such problems last time I did. I wound up tossing it and going back to tubular. We do have some FT on the National Capital Tracker modules and will remember your tip!

Has anyone tried to solder the center and outside rail pins?

Can it be done without any overheating and damage to the plastic roadbed?

I would think it would be a more permanent solution?

Good pointers chessie!

If I may add,

1. I've found when crimping fastrack joints it works best to insert just the tips of either track into the open rail.

Then, gently crimp the open rail just past where the tips are inserted, this prevents overcrimping. After crimping push the track all the way together.

2. Fastrack is not the "golden power delivery" of track. It works very well, but its only as good as the transformer and more importantly the buss/feed wires going to it.

I have a 10'x 16' fastrack layout with roughly 150 linear feet of fastrack powered with 1 Lionel 180w brick with a 14ga buss and 14ga feeders soldered directly to the power tabs underneath about every 10'.

I initially started off fiddling with spade connectors to fit on the tabs but scrapped that idea went with soldering so I wouldn't have issues with loose connections in the future. Best thing I ever did.

This includes 9 turnouts and 2 operating crossings all powered through the track.

There are zero voltage drops anywhere, power out of my TPC unit is the same at any given point on the track anywhere on my layout.

The  one and only fastrack "joint" issue I had was with an 1&3/8" fitter and it was easily fixed crimping in the method I described.   

My layout has been up 9 years.

Its really quite easy chipset, heres a link to Mike Reagans video as the visuals along with description will be easier to understand than my typing. 

Go to 4:23 to get right to the hooking up:

Thanks Rick!

Good tips. I've also discovered pieces of fastrack where the rail wasn't seated all the way down to the roadbed. When this happens the plastic guides on top of the roadbed the rail is supposed to rest between can prevent the rail from being pressed against both sides of the pins. On these occasions I turn the track over, open the tabs. Using a c clamp and two wooden shims,  squeeze the rail down into place making sure it rest against the roadbed between the plastic guides on the top then bend the tabs back into place.

Good points guys!!! 

Thanks for the Videos I am just beginning to build a new layout and will use this information. Reseeding joins sounds like a good Idea for me.

Thanks Again 

Your welcome Bill!!

so cleaning track with wd40 won't affect traction tires?

Hello chessie1971.....

I didn't know about that and I have rusted rails near the pin areas.  Is it possible for the track to make it draw 4 amps when running with the dual pulmor motor F-3s ?  I checked to see if the engine is drawing that much but wasn't, its coming from the track ?  The engine slows down one affected area then speeds up leaving that area. The FT is about almost 2 years old and been used a lot. Chessie did you received my E-mail I sent few days ago ?

the woman who loves the S.F.5011,2678,2003,200

Tiffany

Coulston no it does not. I been using wd40 for almost a year now and also when i set my track up i clean it with Alcohol before i run trains on it.  

Yes i did get your email Tiffany.  

I purchased a used vise-grip clamping type plier that is mainly used in welding. It has a 2 1/2" x 1" plate on either jaw. I intended on cutting that pad down to the size of the rectangle that you can see on the rail from the factory crimp. It was going to be a pain cutting them down. This would give a powerful crimp without messing up the rail.

I then went with the power and common drop every 5- 6 track joints approach first. That resolved all of the problems. The two tabs push one another apart when the track is connected, pushing against the rail. The rattlers don't bother me anymore.

I second Rick O's advice. Good gauge wire and sufficient power and common feeds. You'll have a reliable track.

Moonman feeders does not do any good when you have feeder four feet away then the track not making good connection in between the feeder wires because i tried it just as simple crimp the center rail and at the club we use fastrack at the shows and we have no feeders hooked up because we make sure the track is tight together when we screw it down. 

Which is sufficient. Because it is moved, and checked more often. More wires = longer tear downs. Cheaper without the feeds. Etc, etc. But copper buses and feeds move power more efficiently. And you would need two problems at once on the center rail (more on the outsides) and both between 2 feeds before even being noticed. It also narrows all weak links to one area quickly. I check out connections by default. Having done electronic servicing its natural. Your suggestions on improving them is great. But for more permanent, or large use, I'd say its smarter to stay on the big bus tip.