Please don't think I am picking on you. I had this problem early on in HO scale, and it resurfaced in G scale at first. What I found was the type of control and boards in the engine, made them more picky about the track. I must sound like a company spokesman. The MTH engines I run don't have this problem. To be fair, the Broadway limited HO engines, and the Atlas gold engines I ran in HO also were much better. I had an E series NYC and a PRR steamer from Broadway LTD that were my favorite to run. Thinking backwards to that time, my track issues were getting better but I was tired of fixing the tiny detailing after going inside my other engines and cars to work on them.
When I first tried a larger G scale loop, my DCC engine also ran poorly and would stop on any track defect. I acquired a MTH Challenger and a Dash 8 that ran around perfectly without any changes, except for the control unit. So that made my mind up for me to pursue more MTH stuff. My favorite brands in HO did not make any G scale stuff to buy. My first DCC command stuff was too complicated and did not perform well at all.
So when I went into O scale, the choice was already made. Our grandsons want a HO layout built and I can't help but to follow in the same path if I do it. I realize that DCC has come along way finally. I just don't wish to invest tons of time and money in wrong directions anymore. I'm not wealthy, and can't afford to be a product tester for stuff that requires specialized add-ons.
