I'm actually impressed

It's a credit to N scale manufacturers that they've gotten their equipment to work as well, and better, than HO scale equipment. 

Some days are like that

Some days are like that.  Sometimes the best you can do is wait for tomorrow and a fresh attitude.

Vent as needed

I'd like to think we've all been down that road.  The GF just finished an atypical grumble fest with her ham radio setup, I've been elbows-deep in a model railroader's estate "sort 'n clean" that leaves me grasping for context at the sorry state it was found in, so my own hobby activity is pretty close to nil.

My plan for the evening is to read a couple back issues, doodle some more on a track plan, but otherwise stay away from the hardware for the night.  My budget will thank me later.

Have yourself a quiet evening!

Tim B.

Maybe Try This...

I know everyone will come up with a ton of suggestions and why you shouldn't do this, but I'll just say...

When I finished our train show display layout and took it to the very first show, I couldn't get a train to run reliably regardless of what I did. I cleaned the track non-stop along with all the locomotive wheels and nothing would help. It stalled constantly. I had no idea what to do until my friend, Dallas, at Dallee Electronics said "Put a dab or two of oil on the track." Now, that scared me because I imagined all sorts of gunk building up everywhere, but I tried it at the next show. Just a few dabs and the problem was solved, just like that! The only time an engine stalls is if it's just a poorly running one, which almost nothing will fix. All the others ran perfectly and have been ever since.

That was over ten years ago and the layout has been run at shows for years. After that first show I was ready to give up and never take it anywhere again if that's what I was going to deal with every five minutes.

Jim

I use ATF, atomatic

I use ATF, atomatic transmission fluid. A few drops here and there and every thing runs fine, DCC w/sound.

I've had the layout sit still for mts. In a damp dirty basement. Apply the ATF, may have to help a little at first but after the first trip around all is good

Been There Too

And the issue is enough to drive you around the bend sometimes. Like Sue and Jim mentioned I have used oil also, although mine is some sort of track cleaning oil and it is amazing for what it can do for poor running locos.

Steven probably knows the ins and outs of this if he is working for Atlas. Could be that some newer folks don't and a lot may get written about again here. A lot of folks like to use graphite on their rails. Tried that too and at least for me it didn't work as well. No idea why though. I used an artists pencil.

Like Steven, I too got frustrated one day and pulled out some N scale Locos to see about running quality. We have a Kato U30 that is somewhere around 20+ years old. Near as I can tell it still runs like new. 

Jack

Vent, get things off your

Vent, get things off your chest. You are among friends here. We have all had those days. I have had to take every locomotive I have bought apart to clean and properly lubricate. But when I am done they run very well. Same thing with all rolling stock so now I only buy kits, I no longer need to turn the rtrs in to kits if I start there in the first place.

Your next project might work better or be less stressful.

This is why I only do kits and I tear down every locomotive.

Agree with Jim

sort of.  Because three engines are displaying the same symptoms, that implies the problem is the track.  Joe has shown that some cleaning substance will actually cause electrical problems.  Instead of oil, I would try graphite.  Many threads here have discussed how much and what type.  Much like Jim’s experience, the track becomes a non issue for long periods of time.

There is an older gentleman....

who comes into the gym regularly.  He had a brace on his right leg.  I asked him if he got his computer fixed and pointed to the brace.

Nick

A New Day

Thanks to all for the advice and encouragement, it is very much  appreciated. I'm hoping that a good night's sleep and a fresh start to the day today allows me to get over this hump. I'll take a couple of the problematic locos to work to see how they run elsewhere. The Genesis issues are well known, I know what has to be done to them. Same with the MP15DC, that particular factory is known for leaving oil residue on the wheels. So that is likely the easiest fix. The Athearn RTR is cogging, I suspect that one will have to be torn apart, checked for flash, binding, etc.

Been there, done that

It might not be like you to vent but there's nothing wrong with it and it's healthy for you to a certain extent. I tend to vent here about all sorts of things, usually about trends in the hobby I don't like but sometimes about clunky equipment too.

The Athearn RTR is cogging, I

Could be the motor as well - the quality of them varied during some productions runs.  Athearn QAQC was spotty, especially during the first 6-8 years of the RTR line of engines.  Some were coffee grinders.  I've read lots of complaints between 2002 and 2008 about them and since the too but to a lessor degree.

Leg/Foot Braces & Track Cleaning

I resemble that remark,....I just fractured a bone in my left foot,...with just a LITTLE twisting motion. Sent me crashing to the floor, and almost striking my head on a HD coffee table.Now I'm on crutches and one of those new style foot cast/braces. Sure has cut down on my layout work.

Seems to me about a month or so ago that joeF or someone HIGHLY recommended NO-OX-ID A special electric conductive grease. I went ahead and and got some so I would not forget it when it came time for needing it,....particularly as I have some track in an 'outdoor helix', and other track in an outdoor shed. It wasn't too expensive

Sad

I agree, and isn’t that a little sad?  I have a number of great looking HO locomotives in a drawer because of operational issues like these. It’s enough to make me want to change scales if not hobby.  With the price of a new locomotive today, why can’t they at least come properly adjusted, lubricated and with solid electrical pickup?

Biggest Frustration...

...for me is engines (and rolling stock) that doesn't perform to my satisfaction.

Engines especially. NOTHING frustrates me more than an engine of lesser quality (or poorly designed) so that it is erratic and tempermental.

Steve:

HO offers SUPERB running engines. You owe it to yourself to shelve those frustrations and replace them with a KNOWN GOOD brand. I have nothing but praise for my Atlas Gold HO diesels which consist of several different models: GP7's, RS-1's, S-2's, HH660's. Every one of them perform superbly: Slow, smooth, with long running times before the wheels need a quick cleaning. I'm talking 1 MPH or less coupling speeds, slow, smooth starts, all of it. This aspect (excellent engines) of model railroading is paramount to my enjoyment of the hobby. I simply do not enjoy the hobby without it.

BUT, IMHO, it's not just the engines, it's the track and switches as well: "Nickle silver" rail, quality switches, and good track laying practices.

AND, there IS something to this "metal wheel" concept. There are NO plastic wheels on my nickle silver track/switches. I have gone to considerable expense to equip every piece of rolling stock with metal wheels. Since getting my layout 100% functional last month, I have been running a LOT of trains: Switch jobs, locals, through trains all up and down the line, many times hours on end. It has been right at 1 month since cleaning the track and single engines (switch jobs and locals) STILL do not stutter. During my plastic wheel decades, this simply would not have been possible. (Typically had to clean track/engine wheels every 4-8 hours of operations.)

If you so choose, HO can do better than you describe. FAR better. BUT, you have to get the criteria right in order for it to do so.

Best of luck whatever you decide to do!

Andre

Hmm

I've bought Atlas, Bowser, Rapido and Kato locos since I got back into the hobby almost 20 years ago now.  I also have had a couple older yellow box Atlas/Kato loco I'm guessing is from the late 80s?  While I expectedly had to do a bit of cleaning and lubing of the older locos, I don't think I've had a single operational issue with any new loco I've bought in the last 15 years from those four companies.  I did have one issue with a Rapido loco that went back for warranty work, but that was the lights.  The loco itself ran fine.

Is this more of an Athearn issue than hobby-at-large issue?

@ Dave...

I also have vintage Stewart (Kato powered F's, and whatever powered Baldwin VO's) that run like Swiss watches. I have a recent mfg'r Bowser "Executive" line Baldwin DS-4-4-1000 w/factory installed DCC/Loksound that runs and sounds superb. Even BLI's Paragon 2 (DCC/Sound) EMD switchers run excellent. (Sound rather Sci-Fi though... like a whirling flying saucer!)

I have ZERO Athearn "Genesis" type engines and I don't see that changing. I've seen enough of them that belong to my friends via test running on my DCC layout to know they are just not up to par with the others. Agreed, my friends brand new Genesis models look fabulous, but straight out of the box they are often fraught with issues. Some won't run out of the box, some have DCC volume/function issues out of the box, some have parts fall off in the box, and NONE of them have ever performed as smoothly and slowly as the brands I've mentioned.  No thanks.

The above is only THIS modeler's opinion based solely on what I've seen in person. (And, to a degree, by what I've seen of the performance of the Genesis engines in reviews on YouTube.)

Andre

Man, all these depressing

Man, all these depressing posts.  First some one almost left the hobby.  Now disallusionment.  Next thing you know, someone is going to "almost cut their hair" like the Crosby Stills and Nash song sings!  

Oddball has a message for y'all!

And ...

And lastly, remember what Bobby McFerrin sang:

In every life we have some trouble
But when you worry you make it double
Don't worry, be happy
Don't worry, be happy now

Track and engine problems

Maybe as an insider you can convince Atlas to develope RTR battery powered engines so we don't have these problems? .....DaveB

Sad

Actually I expect to do that on every locomotive. Sometimes it is just a bit of cleaning and lubrication sometimes more. I look at it as dealer prep that I do and once they are set up and programmed things work better than advertised. I am fine with doing it myself as I expect I am more particular than the manufacturer.

No-ox

There are a bunch of different kinds of no-ox.  Some have recommended the no-ox id A special grease.  Some have even had success with it.  The key, I suspect, is to apply extremely sparingly.  Whatever you think that means, use even less than that.  It's very easy to get too much.  And when you get too much on the rail, you will (after considerable swearing and hand-wringing) discover just how hard it is to clean grease off track.  Hint: however hard you think it is, it's much harder than that.

I think you're probably better off going for one of the variants that's not grease, or one of the other things recommended in the recent MRH thread/article on track cleaning.

Extremely Sparingly?

I believe I recall reading the 'sparingly' bit, but did not realize it was 'extremely' Thanks for the bit of info.
 

This product sounded like a great one for not having to re-apply that often as well??

Bachmann

They have their fair share of detractors and some of their stuff isn't great quality but I have to say my "Sound Value" Mogul and Spectrum two truck Climax which is the latest run have been flawless since I got them. As far as NO-OX, it's great but there is a very specific set of application instructions that an old N-scale friend of mine "Gary60s" wrote up for it's use. He's a big proponent of it and even sent me a small dab in a plastic bag years ago which I still have. That's how little it takes! I believe Bar Mills was selling it and  at one time they copied his application instructions verbatim for their packaging. Many swear by graphite though I've never tried it. Despite assurances to the contrary,  I have a mental block against putting something on my track that I associate with being a resistance. Years ago, in my N-scale days, I used to mix powdered graphite with Testors enamel paint to make resistor wheelsets. I wouldn't recommend it for the layman though as it's not an exact science and resistance can vary greatly!

Extremely extremely sparingly

No-ox id A.  My current theory is that the best way to use it is to not apply it at all.  Instead use something like deoxit d5 or something else in the non-polar section of the handle table in this article  https://forum.mrhmag.com/magazine-feedback-was-ezines-891776.