We put in extra cross ties on the incline and it definitely helped.
Also, we tried to put the lights on, but the sideways clearance was not enough when the train came back around close to the original track. That is one design problem that should be easy to avoid with the Thunderbolt model. I would really like to be able to use the lights on the finished product, especially after seeing the coaster track at Hersheypark Saturday night. 🙂