Bachmann Bluetooth?

What's this all about?

Cheers

Roger T.

I have installed some non sound DCC decoders into several Bachmann DCC "ready" steam locos as a quick and inexpensive way to get DCC up and running.  The locos are 2-8-0s and 4-8-2s, both light and heavy versions.

All the engines came with the 8 pin DCC plug on the circuit board.  However, none of the headlights work on any of these engines.  While it's not really a major issue, considering steam didn't run with headlights on during daylight until quite late into the steam era, it would be nice if I could get the headlights to work.

I have an NCE system using NCE PowerCab throttles and I program the engines using JMRI on a separate programming track.

Any ideas?

Cheers

Roger T?

It's probably premature and a marketing secret if you are but do you know if Bachmann has any plans to add a "keep alive" capacitor to your DCC equipped locomotives?

It's not that an expensive addition to DCC decoders and is really useful, especially on sound equipped locomotives.

Cheers.

Roger T.

Just thought I'd share this little story.

I'm not one who sends locos back for warranty work unless I'm completely beaten.  So far, in fifty years as a model railroader, I've only done this twice.  First time was when I was fifteen years old and one of my Hornby OO A4 Pacifics died and the second time was August 14th of this year when one of my Alco 2-6-0's right hand main pin broke and I didn't have the tools nor the eyesight to fix it.  So back to Bachmann it went and Bachmann had , 10 days later, fixed and returned the locomotive August 23rd.  

I've been having derail problems with one of my FA-2s over the past few months.  My staging is entered at both ends via an Atlas code 100 wye switch.  Eastbound, as a trailing unit and running in reverse over this switch, I'd have no problems but eastbound as the lead unit, the rear truck would derail on the wye switch.  Strangely, it would have no problems with the western end of the staging yard.  Same switch both ends.  At the eastern entrance, when acting as a lead unit, the front wheels of the trailing truck would lift from the rail, resulting in a derailment and, of course, a short circuit.  

This has been, as you can imagine, a most frustrating problem.  I've checked the alignment of the 36" radius curve leading into the staging yard, I've checked and rechecked the gauge of the Atlas code 100 wye switch at the yard entrance, checked more than once the gauge of the wheels, check the play in the truck, taken off the body to see if any internal wires were getting in the way, etc., etc..  The only difference between the east and west entrances to the staging yard are the east end is entered from the previously mentioned 36" radius curve and the west end is entered from a five foot straight.

Today, I finally figured it out.  Months ago, I'd replaced the coupler retaining cover plate on the rear coupler as I'd dropped the original on the floor and couldn't find it.  So I made a new cover plate and used that in place of the original.  I was checking out and comparing my other FA-2 units to the one with the problem and noticed the stock coupler cover plate on the other units was ever so slightly smaller than the one I'd made.  It was just that much larger the rear end of the rear truck would foul the cover plate when the engine was running nose first.  Out with the flush cutting pliers, snip-snip and the less than one millimetre excess was cut off and BINGO, loco no longer derails.  Ta Da!!!

Entering from the curve must have put just enough pressure on the trailing truck to make it snag the slight overhang of the coupler pocket cover plate while eastbound, entering from the long straight away, it didn't foul.

So, it just goes to show that persistence pays off.

Cheers

Roger T.

Anyone point to a guide or give instructions on how to add a "keep alive" capacitor to Bachmann DCC locos, especially sound locos?

Steam or diesel as I guess the procedure would be the same for both.

Cheers

Roger T.

Kudos to Bachmann.

I sent an Alco 2-6-0 for repair on August 14, 2014.

Today, August 27, 2014 13 days later, I received a replacement Alco 2-6-0.

Well done Bachmann.

Please pass along my thanks.

Cheers

Roger T.

Added a couple of more tracks in the temporary staging yard and lengthened all the tracks to enhance operation.  Two longest tracks will now take 21 car plus van freight trains and motive power, either steam or two diesels.  This is up from 14 cars previously.  The yard throats at each end were reconstructed using wye switches as the first switch to give a nice fan to the yard, which gained a few car lengths on the six original tracks plus another four feet was added to the benchwork at one end which enabled me to get the 21 car length tracks.   Obviously, a little refinement is needed, tracks need a final straightening up but, as this is temporary and it's staging and it works, I may not bother.  

Track number one still needs to be double connected at one end.  Hobby shop usually has lots of Atlas No. 6 code 100 switches in stock and not that many code 83.  I use code 83 for all visible trackage and code 100 for staging as code 100 is slightly cheaper.  Yesterday, lots of code 83 switches but only three No. 6 code 100 left hand switches and no right hand switches.  This explains why track number one is only connected at one end.  D'oh!!!

YAY!!!!!!!!

While it's sadly not Spectrum, Bachmann have announced a Sound Value USRA 2-8-2 in three versions.

Sound Value MSRP $379.00

DCC Ready MSRP $299.00

http://www.bachmannindustriesinc.com/pdf/NMRA_2014.pdf

We'll take it anyway.


Cheers

Roger T.

Just thought I'd post a photo.  Obviously, scenery not even started yet.



Cheers

Roger T.

Several of my UK discussion groups are talking about a 20% price increase for the Bachmann UK product line.

Can we expect similar price increases for the North American market?

One of my FA-2s has started to get pick up problems.

I've cleaned the backs of the wheels but it seems the bronze pick ups that rub on the backs of the wheels do not have enough pressure to maintain constant contact.

I've put my multi-meter across the front wheels to the rear wheels and there is not always continuity depending on which side the wheels and axles are slid to.  If that makes sense?  If I put the meter on the bronze pick ups, I always have continuity so this is why I feel the issue is with the bronze contacts being too flimsy and not applying enough sideways pressure on the backs of the wheels.

Anyone else have experience with this?

I've attempted to dismantle the chassis with the goal of replacing the flimsy bronze contacts with something stronger but I have problems with close up vision, which even an optivisor doesn't help with, so I gave up.

Cheers

Roger.

I've noticed a few problems people are having with the Alco 2-6-0.

Sound decoder seems to be one of them.

Drive wheels lifting or wobbling seems to be another.

Another seems to be the main pin that holds the main rod and the eccentric crank onto the drive wheel fails or the eccentric crank hole goes out of round resulting in the eccentric crank dropping down and not rotating.

This latter failure has just happened to one of my two 2-6-0s.  The right hand eccentric crank and eccentric rod now just hang down and foul the right hand rail causing a short.  

Carefully trying to push the main pin back into the driving wheel has resulted in the main pin failing.

Now, do I try and find parts on line?  This could be pretty difficult as many parts manufacturers for kitbashers and scratch builders are no longer being made, or do I send my detailed and weather engine back to Bachmann for repair and get another engine as a replacement?

Guess I'll contact Bachmann repairs and see if I can just send the locomotive chassis back as I don't want them to replace my detailed and weathered engine with whatever they happened to have on hand.

BTW, if you don't understand steam engine motion technical terms, here's a guide: -

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0a/Baker_valve_gear.jpg

Cheers

Roger.

http://ttp://web-choices.com/aj_new/index.php?keyword=bachmanntrains.com

Mr. B.

Is the above for real?

Mr. B.

Rumours have been circulating on some of the scale model railroad groups that Bachmann may be scaling back the Spectrum range of excellent locomotives if favour of cheaper, less detailed models that come with DCC and sound at the expense of the well detailed Spectrum range.  The less well detailed but DCC and sound equipped 2-6-0, of which I have two, is often sited as an example as are the FA-2s with no road numbers etc..

There does seem to be a lack of re-runs of the Spectrum range lately which tends to promote the rumour.

Can you comment?

Anyone else experience intermittent power loss on their DCC + Sound FA-2?

One of mine will run for a few minutes and then stop and go silent.  One of my FA-2s  and other units in the same consist keep running and will drag the dead FA-2 for a foot or two or three and then the dead FA-2 will start running again.  Running solo, not in consist, it does the same thing.  Runs for a while then stops and goes silent.  Pushing unit back and forth a few times gets it going again so I suspect poor electrical connection somewhere.

I've removed the shell, not easy as the front coupler pocket is longer than the shell and requires very careful flexing of the pilot (Bachmann please note) and can see no obvious loose wires etc..

Next task is to open up the trucks and check the pressure of the power pick-ups on the backs of the wheels and make sure they have enough pressure keep in contact while the engine is running.   Haven't yet figured out how to gain access to the trucks.  A little Googling is in order to find the data sheet.

Any other help would be gratefully rec'd.

BTW, when I reassemble the unit, I shall be removing the leading edge of the chassis coupler box enough so that it will easily slip inside the shell.  Again, Bachmann please note.

This shot is looking across the west ladder track looking at the industrial area.  





Here's that Rutland RS-3 again.

From this: -





To this, so far.  Freshly roughed in scenery.





And this: -





Well it's a start.  And yes, I just noticed I didn't replace the roof correctly.  D'oh!

If you click on any of the above images, it will take you to my album where can can see more, if you're interested that is.

Yes people, there is a spell checker on this site, though you'd never believe it seeing some posts.  

However, it seems to be acting up, at least for me.  

When I click on the Spell Check button at the bottom, it now goes to full screen and the Spell Check highlights the spelling errors, or what it thinks are spelling errors and looks as though it corrects them.  

Once that's done, there's no longer a way to get out of the spell checker except by using the back button on the browser.  Of course, this only sends you back to the uncorrected spelling so there's in effect, no spell checker.

Could your I.T. department have a look at it as it does appear to be broken.  While you're at it, perhaps you could get them to add common railway/railroad words into the dictionary that we commonly use, words like Athearn, Bachmann, Peco, etc., etc., all of which it highlights as spelling errors.  :-)

May 2013  RMC.

Page 54. "The Columbia & Western" by Mark Dance. A really good Canadian model railway and to make it even better, who took the photos? Why, Tim Horton that's who!

What could be more Canadian than that?

Canadians among us will get this,

The Americans and every one else will not.

I know this is just hopeful wishing but any chance of the RS-3 coming out in other railroad schemes?

I was looking and listening to one in the CPR "Pac-man" scheme.  Nice looking, running and sounding units and I would have purchased both that they had on the shelf except they were in the Pac-man colours which is too late for my 1958 GER.

How about CPR block lettering something in the not too distant future?

Yes, I know marketing decisions are made based on the colour schemes.  The perception in the marketing departments of companies the size of Bachmann are that colourful paint schemes sell better than more subdued schemes.  May work for the toy market but not for the scale hobbyists.