what did I do?

[UP5511]

I sprayed scenic scement on my ballast and it got on the rails. i cleaned it up and my DC locos didn't run at all and my dcc ran badly. I sanded the top of the raild and my dcc engines run but my dc don't what to do?

[SteamGene]

Unfortunately, you did all kinds of things wrong, if you really did what you said you did.
You should not spray Scenic Cement on rails to fasten the ballast.  What you need to do is use an eye dropper after the ballast is in place and perhaps a brush BETWEEN and BESIDE the rails before spreading the ballast. 
Next, never SAND track. 
Now, try this.
Get a track cleaner, the one that looks like an art eraser and rub along the track, going in the same direction as the track.  See if your locomotives work now.  You mnight follow up with soe 91% alchohol.   That's the denatured kind.
I assume you know that you can run only one DC loco on a DCC layout at a time, right?
Gene

[UP5511]

Ok i'll try that and I only run one dc loco at a time but the dc locos stutter and jolt and I don't know what happend to them. I think i had somthing to do witht he water in the scenic cementb

[SteamGene]

Have you given the ballast time to dry yet?  You could be getting a short if the ballast is not totally dry. 
Gene

[UP5511]

Maybe it isn't dry but now some of my dc locos work and some don't.

[GN.2-6-8-0]

Also be sure to throughly clean the wheels on your locomotives,they may have picked up adhesive from the track while you were trying to run them....again 91%denatured alcohol using a Q tip works wonders.

[SteamGene]

If the ballast is not dry, don't turn on the power.  As noted, clean your locomotive wheels - all of them.  While you're at it, if you had any cars on your layout, clean them, too.
Gene

[ebtbob]

Good Morning all,

     First of all,   the ballest application seems to be lacking some info from both the original poster and the follow ups. 
      Ballest application needs the application of either "wet water" or isopropyl alcohol as a wetting agent.   The spraying on of the scenic cement was not wrong,  in of itself.   But sprayed on without a wetting agent applied to the ballest caused that glue to sit up on the upper crust of the ballest and not soak into the ballest.   The second mistake was once the spray was applied,   the railheads should have been cleaned immediately,  not after a period of drying.   You need to get rid of the spray immediately.
       The mention of never using sandpaper,  or emory paper for that fact,  is totally correct as is wiping the track in the direction of the rails as opposed to across the rails.   Any kind of abrasive paper will cause scratches in the railheads which become collection points for dirt and crud.   Even the use of the eraser type cleaners must be done with the greatest of care.   When using one of the "erasers"  let the block do the work,  do not put a lot of pressure down on the railheads.  In my opinion,  the block offered by Peco is the best out there.  It is softer than the others with a bit of grit built into it,  but again,   little pressure to save the rails.
        The subject of applying ballest and cleaning track has been covered here in many threads in the past.   Two suggestions.....first,   Woodland Scenics has a wonderful spiral bound scenic manual for about $10-12 and covers the application of ballest.   Go to the GATSME Model Railroad Club website at www.gatsme.org,  and we tell you how we clean our track once a year.
       Two final thoughts......first,  one way to help keep track clean is to run your trains regularly with rolling stock equipped with metal wheel sets.   Secondly,  if you have never done something like ballesting before,  take some scrap track and mount in a board.   Then practice your technigues there,  NOT on your railroad.  That goes for any type of scenery, weathering techniques,  etc.   Never,  never practice on the actually railroad

Bob

[UP5511]

I do need to clean the loco wheels, thanks everyone.

[RAM]

also clean the inside of the railhead.

[UP5511]

If you talking about the side of the rail i have ALOT of crap i have glue on it and just a whole bunch of stuff.

[Hoople]

If you talking about the side of the rail i have ALOT of crap i have glue on it and just a whole bunch of stuff.

Quoted, Reported. Swearing is not for forums, Kobi. We have younger users here too.

[Paul M.]

Welcome to the future, Plasser. You can edit your posts here in the future, so if you make a mistake OR SAY SOMETHING THAT MAYBE YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE (ahem) , then you can change it.


Except that Hoople caught and reported you.

[r.cprmier]

Hoople;
What Kobi said is not foul language.  Not very nice , perhaps, but certainly not foul or vulgar.  I will  concede that it is, by popular choice here, rather inappropriate, especially from out of the mouth of a child; but so isn't "hell" or "damn"; both which have been used here.  I would be more inclined to take Gene's stand, and help these people here who cannot/will not spell properly learn to do so.

Rich

[Hoople]

Rich, I guess it's not swearing, but the point is we have younger users on that shouldn't be reading such language.