I haven't had this problem with mine for the most part, however I did have one particularly bad turnout that caused frequent derails. What I did was take a needle-file and file down the point so the transition from straight to divergent (when switch was thrown to divergent) was a little smoother. This fixed it for me.

Edit: Also possible that the cars/loco decoulper lever might be grabbing the point, I had that happen once too for a coupler that was a tad low, bending up the lever fixed that

I too am curious, especially since old-run russians are regularly avail for under 150 in the second-hand market.

Quote from: jonathan on November 11, 2019, 05:55:43 PM


OK I get it.  bridge is 70 feet high and 500 feet long. scaled up.  I'll make it work.  I kinda like it now... especially after all that work.

Thanks guys!

Cheers!

Regards,

Jonathan

I like it, I think it looks good, you find a place for that thing!

Love it so far. A properly Handbuilt Trestle is something I've always wish i had the skills (and patience) to do. for now, there's no space on the ol 4*8 for such a thing anyway so i can just pretend THATS why i dont

Quote from: ebtnut on October 17, 2019, 11:44:10 AM
FWIW, I try to match the 4 chuffs per revolution at fairly low speeds.  Once you get up to "road speed" you can't really see whether the rate is exactly 4 per rev, whereas at low speeds you can see if the chuffs and revs are in sync.

I think it depends on how you run it. i very rarely have the pacific crawling, it spends 90% of its runtime at speed step 50/128, stock motor CVs, so thats where i matched it, and i can definitely tell that its in sync. for a switcher, if i HAD any with sound, i'd match lower.

its been a while since i did mine, but as i recall it was roughly 85 to match closely at "road speed". its a tad fast at crawl but really close at speed.

Quote from: ebtnut on September 09, 2019, 09:53:40 AM
What is the radius of your curves?  If they are 18" (or less) it is likely that the loco is binding a bit on the curves due to its long wheelbase.

This 100%, there will always be some slight resistance on curves, but given how drastic yours is being described as, and the long wheelbase of that loco, sounds like your curves might be too tight for it.

IF the motor is spinning but the wheels aint, sounds like a problem in the mechanism, something like a cracked drive shaft or gear thats broken/not meshing. I'd remove the shell and observe the mechanism to try and find the problem if you are handy

Solid suggestions folks, i like the shelf liner idea, assuming it can be fastened to the pink foam decently (I had exected a need to fill the empty space would be required, neat to know that an underlayer will do it). i may pick up some to test

Quote from: rogertra on July 16, 2019, 09:26:32 PM
None of my ten year old Spectrums run anymore.  Motors spin, on two of them and the third one the wires between plug and motor broke away from the plug.

Oh what to do as they have all been detailed, new stem dome, new sandbox, new stack, modified teners etc..   If I send them back to Bachmann, I wont get them back and what I will get back won't be Spectrum.  :-(
Yes, what to do?

Roger T.

I know what you mean. I sent my last Russian back recently and recieved a usra Pacific instead. It's a nice engine, good runner. But I looks bland next to my Connies and sy Mike. Bachmann has definitely taken several steps back in the detailing dept, but prices continue to climb.

Quote from: Trainman203 on July 15, 2019, 10:21:45 AM
On the several DCC ones I had, the only mechanism problem was the crosshead guides being a hair too close to the drivers and binding sometimes.  A slight bendout  fixed it.

The engine didn't run smoothly or pull anything because the default DCC decoder settings were direly incorrect. The motor was using up all its energy fighting itself.  Once I finally figured the correct settings out, they ran like champs and would pull 10 or more cars up a straight 2%.

The new decs are getting what appear to be high end luxury decoders, although I'm not familiar with WOW.  Most performance issues have probably been addressed.  We will see.

The main reason i was curious was because I have three Connies, two  older Blue-Box (Post Spectrum) DCC Models, and One Newer Sound-Value one (with the brighter white headlight). The SV on runs far  FAR better. its smoother, better at low speeds, pulls better, and is even less prone to stalling on the accidental incline (table isnt level). I was curious if similar advancements have been made.

The older Decapods (early black box runs) which i no longer possess had known issues mechanically including a short from a bent pickup plate (which I had to fix) and the crosshead issue you mentioned, among others, so they were not perfect.

I really want to know if the 2-10-0 mechanism was improved at all to justify picking one up vs a new-old stock earlier run at that price

So, after QUITE a long time idling, i have the funds set aside to move forward with my layout and actually start adding scenery and such. Now, one thing i have to do is actually fasten down my track, and I used EZ track when i set it all up like four years ago. were i to do it again i'd likely use regular track as i imagine making the too-high EZ track look good is gonna be a task, but its what I used soo, it is what it is. That said, one thing i'd really like to accomplish is to deaden the noise caused by the big empty space. My first thought was some kind of expanding foam, but then i thought that that would likely lift the track causing issues, has anybody found a good material to use to reduce the dead space and therefore the noise?

my god, i know Bach Steamers are usually well below MSRP but still, at that price it likely wont be found below 350. at least for a while.

I just had the last of my older russians replaced by Bach Service actualy, failed in a way i couldnt repair, they are sending a 4-6-2, and now the re-issue is coming. figures.

I'm tempted but... on the other hand, i know a LHS near me with 2 older DCC Ready russians priced at 95 and 115 respectively, and you can get 2 half decent decoders for like 40-50 bucks. i wonder if they fixed any of the originals issues to make it worth considering a new run one instead

Quote from: rich1998 on July 04, 2019, 02:04:18 PM
Great troubleshooting.
I have read in many forums that this is a fine loco.

Rich

Oh yes, I quite like it, I already had two and this will add another to my fleet. Its nice looking, looks decent on both the 18 and 22 curves on my little 4*8 (well, as nice as one CAN look on 18), and is the only steamer in my collection that can really pull the 4 old athearn coaches that make up my passenger set (they dont roll real well).

I'm still curious how the wheel got twisted, but it seems to be holding up fine. i've run it for a few hours now with no signs of returning to that prior state.