Alan: I have two questions:
First, your uncle, who is a valued member of this list, has been trying to describe what you have been adding to his trains, but his descriptions haven't been precise enough to replicate. Could you please describe for us exactly what you have done that has proved helpful? I feel that most Gilbert solenoids are robust enough that the large but brief voltage spikes that sometimes occur during derailments, etc, will not harm them because these spikes do not last long enough to overheat the solenoid windings. Of course, any solid state components, small capacitors, etc, are vulnerable to these spikes. What might be more helpful is some sort of inexpensive thermal cutout that temporarily opens the circuit if overheating occurs. Any ideas on this? Second, Gilbert motors arc too much at the commutators. Excess commutator and brush wear result. I have been looking for an explanation and solution for this problem for a long time. Lionel motors, for example, which are about the same size, do not arc anywhere near as much. Is there some kind of device that can be placed across the brush tubes that would reduce this arcing? I have tried non polarized capacitors of different sizes with no success. Thanks for your input. Looking forward to exchanging ideas with you. Tom Jarcho Contributing Editor, S Gaugian Magazine S-Trains list sponsor: http://www.americanflyertrains.com All the Flyer you desire...books and accessories too! To UNSUBSCRIBE from this list send a note to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
