Rail Truck RealiZm

[John Ramsden]

Product quality 104.

I set set my new rail truck (82396) out on the track for it's second run and I was amazed at the realistic cloud of smoke that emanated from the truck as I applied power.  The truck continued to run and the smoke dissapated. After a few turns around the layout I parked that truck and tried the RGS truck.  OOOps,  Bummer,     no smoke.  That sort gave me clue. The first truck had a problem.  Yup.  Something shorted,  red wire from RR wheel to board, and yellow to RF melted insulation.  Woderbar, bare wire city.

Then I looked at the PC board in the Back of the truck.  Gee Wizzz.  Got enough diodes, resistors, transistors and capasitors to run an energy plant.
The truck might need at most 3 resitors, 1 capacitor, for the lights.

What the heck are all these parts in there for.  No wiring diagram to show how they are used,   or not.  DCC??? for what??    DC or RC  I believe is major focus in 1:20.  Or are we using all that stuff when the switch is set to NMRA.

Bmann,  Can I get a schematic??  Or should I just toss the board and rewire??

[glennk28]

As many members of this board are aware, most electronic devices are filled with smoke at the factory. This must remain inside for the device to work.  If you let the smoke out, the device stops working.    8^)    gj

Seriously, you did something wrong--and will have to replace the electronics.  I think those units have a DCC decoder built in--if you are not using DCC and know your way around a circuit board and which end of a soldering iron gets hot, you can probably bypass all that stuff and make it work.  Or call Bachmann Service about getting it fixed. 

[John Ramsden]

Thanks Glenn.

Watch for smoke when you diagnose the next problem you have no fnn clue on.

[Jon D. Miller]

John,
First, Glenn is wrong in that there is no DCC decoder built in.  It appears obvious that Glenn does not own one of the railtrucks, or if he does he's never seriously looked at it.

Easiest fix it to yank the circuit board.  Wire the LED lights in series with a resistor in series with the lights.  Value of the resistor I don't know.  You could trace back to the circuit board, find the wires that feed the lights and determine the value of the resistor (s) used.

Wire the motor direct to the track pickups.

Or send the whole truck back to Bachmann. It has a warranty. 

My choice would be to fix it myself by eliminating that circuit board and installing wiring to run the lights and the motor.

I'm not aware of any wiring diagram for the railtruck.

JD