KEEP EXPLORING
Stalls or flickers
Clean rail and wheels, inspect pickup wipers, verify electrical continuity and look for dead frogs or poorly powered track sections.
Jerky low-speed running
Check for dirty commutators on serviceable motors, binding gears, hardened lubricant, wheel quartering issues on steam models, and decoder motor-control settings.
Unusual noise
Grinding may indicate gear problems or debris. Clicking can indicate cracked gears or wheel interference. A sudden new sound deserves inspection before extended running.
DCC diagnosis
Read decoder address on a programming track if possible, verify motor isolation, inspect solder joints and reset the decoder only after recording custom settings when practical.