I've been losing power, and net connection like crazy for days, so between waits...
I worked on the trucks for the "new" Marx El Capitan cars with oil, and wire brushes.
A few sessions over the next few months should cure it.
With most of those cars up and running enough (at least one dark[dim] dome is prototypical)
I replaced two of the pick shoe springs with a Dremel brush spring, cut in half.
So I got all the lights "working" and realized a tin tab type coupler would mate to the Marx twist couplers! I though I was going to wait to build a transition car with different couplers on each end, and have to pull them with Lionel lobsters till I got a cast Marx Santa Fe.
It can wait so I've decided on 4 new wheels on two long axles, and a coupler fabrication for the transition car. I want to leave 2 matching Marx trucks on it.
So I ran them for a few hours behind a Marx SP A-A.
At first, it had trouble with 2 cars alone behind the power unit.
Without time to sit, oil wasn't helping traction.
After more oil, and an hour, 3 cars...another 1/2 hour, I added the dummy A back.
Then swapped in the fourth for the dummy for an hour.
Then finally, it pulled them all & the dummy.
Another hour later it was smooth and without trace of wheel spin.
With heavier metal to pull, the motor growls like a Pulmore .
Eventually the cars wheel connections cleaned themselves up by running too. I was oiling, running, repeating, and now the sliders actually produce a steadier connection than most rollers do. They seldom flicker even the slightest bit. You'd think they had capacitors in them.
I really like my "new" cars.
I added 7 more layout lights with old motor winding wire you can barely see.
I put them in a diner I made from a Marx M-10005 car, two mini switch towers, I made a C-channel light fixture for under the el. platform, and I built a c-channel cover to turn the yard spots crossbar plank into a "box".
I want to do a set of flag pole base mini spotlights at the flagman's shack. (I put Old Glory up on a square based chopstick for a flagpole vs cross-bucks)
Accessories were making the lights dim when #90's get used. So I dug out a generic 12vac transformer for hvac/doorbell use, and began rerouting lights to it.
I forget if I mentioned it but I got one of the shelves I put wheels on cut down to 30" and rolled it under the layout.
I think the C-channel guides will work well once in place.
In a minute I'm going outside to upright some G-scale the last storm blew off the rails.
Time for a load