Track Wiring

Try running it in the opposite direction and see if / where the issue appears. If your track is very clean, I have a couple of other ideas.

ejg1950

1. Is the section of track you are having issues with running underneath other track?
2. I assume you are running the isolated track from one tap of your ZW and other track from a second tap - if so run the isolated track power wire to the tap for the rest of the layout and see what happens.

Hmmm...

Allow me to recap...

1. 8 ft. track section...I'm assuming one contiguous piece.

2. 3 power taps to center and outside rails (one outside rail I assume).

3. 4 different Lionel engines all Lion Chief that stall.

Off the top of my head.....

1. Is track itself level (no humps, dips etc)?

2. Were any of the rails "spliced" together from the factory.

3. Is one of the feeds located in the area where the engine stalls?

4. Are the 4 engines the same type with the same wheel configuration?

5. Are the track feeds soldered? Any amount of weight on a bad solder connection can break the connection enough to cause issues like what you describe.

6. What happens when you run through that problem section fast? Will engine(s) clear it and keep going?

Just my 2 cents....

Oops! Just saw you answered #6 in your original post.

Is your isolated section also isolating your Legacy signal.

That wouldn't explain why the LionChief engines aren't working (unless perhaps they're LionChief 2.0).

Mike

Other than a dirty track section, the fact that the shut down does not occur at faster speeds suggest to me, anyway, that it is a mis-wiring/connectivity/short issue in that section of track. It probably does not occur at faster speeds because the locomotive traverses that mis-wired/connectivity/short section of track fast enough to not lose power/signal (if using Legacy), so that it does not shut down the engine.

1. Have you tested for proper and constant voltage with a DVM all along that 4 foot section ?

2. What version of LC engines are these ?

3. How are you controlling them - the 990, dedicated remote, universal remote, BT ?

Now going back and re-reading your post, I'm not terribly sure you have an "isolated rail"(as that would be a particularly long isolated section - but not unheard of, and easy to do with GarGraves track), but rather it appears you are describing an "insulated block" powered by your toggle switch.

Can you clarify exactly what you have there, and what its purpose is - the 8' section?

Also, you have not described any connections to your outside powered running rail(s), only the "three outside rail connections on the isolated rail located at the beginning, middle and end"... hence some of the confusion, since both the isolated & powered running rails would need connections to them to have any purpose.

It just looks like you are losing the TMCC/Legacy signal(making this assumption as you mention the 990 and NOT the LC remotes) along with power in the affected area due to a loss of continuity caused by dirty track and/or traction tire wheels insulating the locomotive from a live running rail connection.

@Mellow Hudson Mike posted:

That wouldn't explain why the LionChief engines aren't working (unless perhaps they're LionChief 2.0).

Mike

@shorling posted:

Is your isolated section also isolating your Legacy signal

Mike,

I do not understand the question.  I apologize but could you explain as to how the Legacy signal could be isolated?

Thanks,

Ed

By the way, the locomotives  are 2.0.

@ejg4000 posted:

By the way, the locomotives  are 2.0.

That might be it.  Your problem could very well be that the Legacy/TMCC signal from the command base is not strong enough in the section of track where the engine problem is occurring.  A flickering headlight is an indication of poor signal.

Now, why would you have a poor signal only in that section?  There could be several answers.  Let's start with the easiest one: Is your 990 command base plugged into a properly grounded electrical outlet?  The wall wart has a ground pin on it for a reason.  The earth ground around you is part of the antenna system used by the command base.  The base must be connected to it or you'll get a weak and/or flaky signal.  Many times the effect will be appear to be random, coming and going, and making no sense.  Check the ground first.

Mike

I have a problem that I just discovered on my new layout with elevated tracks shielding the TMCC signal.  A couple of locomotives, specifically several K-Line A-5 TMCC locomotives, stall the same way under that section.  I laid an Earth ground wire next to the track and they ran fine, so I'll be doing a permanent installation of that soon.

Edit: I beleive my initial post was only partially correct.  I think this is now more accurate.

Maybe an explanation of what the commonly understood terms Isolated vs. Insulated mean would be helpful.

Insulated = The two outer rails are not directly connected to each other by wiring (they are typically used to complete an accessory activation circuit when the train's metal wheel/ axles run through this track section, such as a grade crossing)  Only one outer rail side is connected to the transformer(s) Common and the Legacy track signal.

Isolated = Physically joined track sections have an electrical rail gap. Either side of the gap is powered separately. This can be the center rail or one outer rail.

In the above scenario, where an accessory is activated by the train wheels, each end of the Insulated section needs to have outer rail breaks to completely insulate one outer rail on that section of track.

Isolating a center rail with a breaks at each end of a track section creates what is referred to as a block and/or power districts. Each block has it's own Hot feeder wire from a transformer.

If this is in any way incorrect, someone else please say so.

Is the outer rail that you have the Legacy signal connected a continuous rail on your layout or have you now isolated sections of this continuous outside rail and have therefore lost the Legacy signal in these sections ?

@shorling posted:

Is the outer rail that you have the Legacy signal connected a continuous rail on your layout or have you now isolated sections of this continuous outside rail and have therefore lost the Legacy signal in these sections ?

If both outside rails were disconnected, you wouldn't have power, so no issue with the Legacy signal.

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

I have a problem that I just discovered on my new layout with elevated tracks shielding the TMCC signal.  A couple of locomotives, specifically several K-Line A-5 TMCC locomotives, stall the same way under that section.  I laid an Earth ground wire next to the track and they ran fine, so I'll be doing a permanent installation of that soon.

Yep John - my thoughts when I asked if there was track above the section in question. The flicking lights is an indication. Some say it is a loss of signal but I have read it is too much signal. The signal from the elevated track mixes with the signal from the ground track and confuses the locomotive. The earth ground on the elevated track stops the signal from propagating below it. I also read that the wire does not have to connect back onto itself. One end connected to earth ground is enough.

One club ran copper foil underneath their scenery - expensive but it worked. I tried aluminum foil and it worked but I had to make the connection mechanically to earth ground with a bolt and metal washers. all in all I think running a wire is the easier thing to do.

I have a friend with a monster three level layout. Even with plywood between levels he was having constant issues until he set up the earth ground wire system.

Joe

It's actually a loss of the earth ground side of the signal, the track signal all around swamps the earth ground signal to the locomotive antenna.  I'm pretty sure that a simple earth ground wire around on the underside of the elevated track is probably going to solve the issue.  Of course, since I also make the TMCC Signal Buffer, I could also drop one of those in if necessary.

gunnerjohn,

Exhausted all suggestions and the problem still persists. I tried locating the TMCC signal buffer on Hennings"s Trains website using the link you provided but could not find it. I tried the website search and still no results. I would like to purchase this and see if this alleviates my problem with this track section. I will wait for your reply.

Thanks,

Ed

Send me an email and we'll fix you up with a buffer.