Since the TMCC signal runs through the outside rails would the number of and length of insulated rail sections affect the signal? Would the placement or shape of the negative bus affect the signal at all?
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The outside rail is the "bottom" or ground of the signal. The "top" or hot side of the signal is radiated from the house wiring, specifically the third wire ground. Think of it as an upside down signal system.
To answer your original question, since both outside rails have the signal, there should be no problem with what you are doing.
RoyBoy posted:The outside rail is the "bottom" or ground of the signal. The "top" or hot side of the signal is radiated from the house wiring, specifically the third wire ground. Think of it as an upside down signal system.
To answer your original question, since both outside rails have the signal, there should be no problem with what you are doing.
Roy: I have a somewhat related question: is there a way of measuring the signal strength at different points on the layout? I’m having trouble with losing the signal in tunnels and I do have a “ground plane”.
Bill
Dale Manequin (SP?) made a signal strength tester. It was fairly simple to make and there might be a schematic on his homepage.
Are your tunnels connected to earth ground?
p.s. Thank you for being one of the six people on the Internet who spells "losing" correctly. 
When I see it spelled with two O's it makes me grit my teeth.
RoyBoy posted:Dale Manequin (SP?) made a signal strength tester. It was fairly simple to make and there might be a schematic on his homepage.
Are your tunnels connected to earth ground?
p.s. Thank you for being one of the six people on the Internet who spells "losing" correctly.
Roy: Thank you for the reference. We sure miss Dale.
Re my tunnels, I was using that term loosely as at this point they are nothing more than lower level trackage under a second level tabletop that also has trackage. I have installed ground plane wires between the parallel tracks on the lower level. At first I didn’t have any problems but for about the last year there are a few places where the signal loses strength and the train will slow down or sometimes come to a complete stop.
Thanks again,
Bill
check and see if the ground plane wire has lost it's connection to earth ground.
could you post a picture?
Try running a ground plane above the locos in the tunnel. I attach copper or aluminum tape to the underside of the upper level.
If you have engines that were running fine before and now they are not, I would take the shell off the engine and check on the TMCC antenna wire. I had a K-Line engine where the connecting pin to the antenna was really loose. I had to put a bead of solder on the connector pin to keep it tight. Then I had another Lionel engine where the screw to the antenna plate was loose.
