@Vernon Barry posted:Again, electric train basics. Just the wheels rolling on the track carrying current to something as simple as a light bulb. There are millions of make and break contact events that happen in just rolling a few inches. As soon as we add motors and electronics, now we are adding capacitance and inductance that is experiencing this constant make and break contact.
As a simple proof of concept, take just about any postwar loco and some alligator clips to a simple transformer. Hold the loco in the air and ensure with one hand, you are both touching the 3rd rail pickup and the frame of the loco. Now slowly turn up the transformer. If you can hold on- I'm impressed.
The reason is, you can touch powered track or wire leads of a train transformer easily and not even feel a shock at say 12-14V (as long as not wet and no cuts in your fingers). However, if you have a postwar train on there, and make and break that contact- causing a collapsing magnetic field- and your hand is in parallel- I promise that is going to hurt when that several hundred volt spike hits you.
Now imagine the abuse your controller takes every time you run the train- let alone a derailment.
I think this puts it right into field of view 
