Your description of the controller is a bit vague. Three step controller? If this is a Hornby product can you advise what the product R number is. If not a Hornby controller then what brand and model? Motor capacitors have to be fitted by all manufacturers to comply with current Radio Frequency (RF) interference legislation set by the EU and any country they export to. If you decide to remove them is up to you! You wont get arrested for snipping any out. But if you're a manufacturer you have to fit them by law!

You really do need to tell us more about your controller so that we can give a more targetted reply. In fact, Tri-ang used to reccommend that, if interference was caused by a layout, extra power clips were fitted (with no wiring). This put more capacitors across the power feed.... Thirdly, although they can be used 'straight out of the box' as is. To get the maximum benefit of Electrofrog points then I recommend implementing the full 'switched frog' modification. It is an easy mod for most, but modellers who struggle to understand the wiring of a plug, may struggle with this mod. And based upon some of the electrical questions I see and respond to on this forum there are many on here that I consider fall into that category. For example, take Controller 3 in the schematic below. The power connection location is positioned such that it feeds into all the 'Toe' ends of the cascaded points creating the central sidings and TT area. Whichever siding that has the points set for that route will have power. All the other sidings will be electrically dead. This ensures that any 'parked' locos on those other sidings will not move in error. The Insulated Rail Joiners located at the 'throat' of those sidings ensures that Controller 3 can shunt locos within that siding area without impacting upon locos on the ovals. Having looked at the plan on your link, the best places (if you are using Hornby power clips rather than soldering your own wires) to supply power are on the far right hand side of both ovals - where the plan suggests a double level crossing (I think). This is assuming you have two power controllers, one for each oval. So you would have to do without the level crossing, and just use plain single straights + power clips.

For clarity, I have used three colours to denote the three separate controllers and associated power distribution. Turquoise for Controller 1 for the outer loop and upper sidings. Red for Controller 2 and the inner loop including the lower platforms. Blue for Controller 3 for the central sidings and TT area. Some others may suggest not having Insulated Rail Joiners and just rely on the power switching action of the points to provide electrical separation. Yes it can be done this way, but in my view it needs more concentration because when you want to traverse a loco from one section to another you should ideally ensure the destination controller is set to zero (ideally to be safe from controller damage) before throwing the points linking the two sections together. Then you drive the loco onto the next section, reset the point, then take up control with the other controller. As well as the concentration needed, it means having to stop the loco whilst you reset points and controls etc. The inclusion of the Insulated Rail Joiners makes the layout control 'idiot proof' well at least as far as one can, and in my view simpler to operate.

Including your first pinned down layout up to a couple of loops and some sidings - DCC point clips are likely to work fine for some time, noting their current-carrying limitations as above and that very long term this is likely to be made worse with some corrosion developing. Melting points can happen but rare (including gitter above, I can remember only 2 users with melted points on these forums, the other being yelrow). With modern tv (satellite or cable, and uhf) the capacitors are really a waste of space, but as they are about 10 for a penny, they are still installed on a just-in-case basis. If I could hazard a summary whilst avoiding Marmite (where I come from, the liking and promoting of Vegemite is mandatory): When designing power distribution of DC Analogue....... I am assuming Analogue because firstly, your post is not in the DCC forum and secondly you used the term Controller s as in plural i.e more than one. Points - insulfrogs do and will work for many but have the risk of stopping by short wheel base locos at low speeds particularly if points are not dead flat (need pinning in the middle). Remember the different geometry of some when thinking of mix and match.Note also the Yellow Dots in my schematic. These represent Hornby R920 Insulated Rail Joiners. Do not omit to fit these at the locations shown. They are required to give electrical separation between the different sections of the layout controlled by the different controllers.

This the very first time I have ever seen this question raised on the forum, so either others have not seen this issue or they have resolved the issue themselves without seeking advice. I'm just wondering if you are trying to insert the wire terminal into the wrong place on the connector, hence my request for a photo. When a power source is unregulated. It is quite normal for a voltage to read at a higher level when the output of the power source is not connected to a load. With an unregulated power source, you need a load attached to read a more accurate value. The load would normally need to be at about half the maximum output capability.I have modified a R.487 to use with DCC, by carefully removing the clip base, which is held on with three small eyelets (rivets). Similarly, the 'Bypass' loops in the main ovals will only have power when the points are switched into a particular path (route). Thus, trains can be parked stationary in those 'Bypass' loops when the adjacent points are set away from that path (route). Instead of a fixing peg [made of your own design and implementation] you can use the X8011 terminals I mentioned earlier.