This is absolutely NOT a condemnation of track power. I wanted to share my negative experience with track power, with as many facts as possible, that others may make better decisions.
First off, I never planned and don’t plan to use track power. I don’t even like the concept, find it confusing, and won’t be using it in ‘production’. But, as a way to get my little layout up and running, I thought it would be amusing to try running a short train using my only immediate source of power–an LGB starter power supply and ‘cab’.
Track power enthusiasts everywhere are saying, “Well, duh!”. So let me first acknowledge that from the start, I had NO expectations of success powering 100-150 ft of outdoor track with a micro-watt power supply. SO, that’s why I said to begin with I’m not judging track power as a viable option for folks to use. K?
I have what appears to be perfectly clean nickel silver handlaid track–about 150-180 ft of it, and have the little LGB power supply connected at one end. The track is not bright, but is also not apparently corroded. You can run your hand over 2 ft of it and pick up a LOT of silt. That’s SE Colorado–sand is everywhere, and not a week can go by you don’t have to dust the silt off of everything.
Putting the unit on full power will sometimes get the S4 rolling, but it can suddenly stop for no apparent reason, doing the expected crush on the 4 or 5 cars that follow. Manually nudging the S4 gets it going again, until it once more finds a dead spot. These dead spots cannot be spotted with the naked eye–there’s no way I can tell where the track conducts and where it doesn’t.
One thing I DO notice though is the horrible noise of the S4 electrical pickups sliding on the rail, over the silt, grinding their lives away on the rails.
So I guess my only observation is this: if after only one season of normal weather, this track is barely useable as is without cleaning, cleaning would be a requirement if a fella were to use track power. Granted, a real power supply would probably do better, cutting thru the crap so to speak. But, I’ve already had enough after only about 30 minutes of total run time. It ain’t for me. I knew that already, but this proves it.
The non-related issue, not related to your source of power that is, is the issue of realistic throttle control. This is my first experience running an electric train at all, and the first issue that has to be handled is bringing a ‘fast’ loco to a smooth stop via a smooth deceleration. As a rank beginner, I’m amazed at how hard this is using something like the child’s throttle I’m currently using. Sure, you wouldn’t expect much–but lord, it takes a steady hand and a lot of concentration to keep this train from jamming up.
Anyway–one thing that track power with kid’s equipment DOES do really well is demonstrate how dirty outdoor track gets, and how much it affects good operation. It has convinced me without question in my military mind that some form of track cleaning is a good thing, regardless of power source. For me, cleaning the track is a requirement even under battery power–'got nothing to do with power delivery, it has to do with that horrible SOUND!!!
