There's a difference between a loco running on a given radius curve, and operating on it. The loco in question might run on such a sharp curve, but likely wouldn't operate on it due to the amount of front overhang on curves. The Forneys have similar overhang issues on curves as well.

Bill in FtL

Quote from: InsideTrack on August 27, 2014, 09:27:58 AM
Bill in FtL

We upgraded our server and ran into a few of technical difficulties. You should have no problem when you try to sign up for our newsletter now.

Thanks for your patience,
Bachmann Trains

I think I have successfully signed up, but I tried things again just to check it out, here's what I found:
If I went to the home page, either by entering Bachmanntrains.com into my browser, or by clicking on the "home" button at the top of the "Ask the Bachmann" forums page, I got the "about:blank" page and couldn't see the sign-on screen. If I went to any other page from that home page where the hot text link "Signup for newsletter" was still showing (such as the "contact us" page), it would bring up the sign-up screen just fine. But again, if I just type in "bachmanntrains.com" into my browsers address bar, once that home page opens, and I click on the "Newsletter Signup" link, then I get the "about:blank" screen with no sign-up screen showing. Not sure why the Signup link doesn't work from all pages where it shows, but that's the results I get.

I'm only writing this note as a FYI, not a complaint or argument, in the hopes that this info will be helpful in getting it fixed in case it is a problem for anyone else.

Bill in FtL

Tried it again tonite, and got a URL address bar that read "about:blank" over a blank web page. This was hitting the link button while in Home Page screen. Went to the "Contact Us" page, and noticed the link button still showed when in that page, so hit it again, and it seemed to work. Went back to Home Page and tried it again, and got the "about:blank" page again. Hopefully, when it seemed like it worked, it actually did and I'll get a newsletter, time will tell. I wonder how many others had the same problem, and just gave up? It shouldn't be this difficult or require this much persistence, should it?

Bill in FtL

Quote from: Yardmaster on August 24, 2014, 01:43:40 PM
If you all go to the home page and click on "Sign up for newsletter" you will receive monthly updates direct from Bachmann via email without using social media sites.

Just tried to do that & got the following message:

"Not Found

The requested URL /home-usa/286ahttp://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/newsletter.php was not found on this server."

Bill in FtL

Walthers list Kadee knuckle couplers made with NEM mounting shanks, the short one is sku #380-17. It may be what you need...

Bill in FtL

I would not suggest that you cut anything before running the loco first. I have many Bachmann On30 locos in addition to several in HO and N as well, that I run under DCC and DC power, and I have never found it necessary to cut or remove any components in order to make them run better. That is not to say that it's impossible to have the RF supression components cause a problem, just that it is unlikely. If you run the train first, and it runs OK, then why bother removing components unnecessarily?

Bill in FtL

I have had this problem come up a few times, and when it wasn't caused by dirty wheels, poor connections, or loose plugs, I have switched programming modes from direct to paged, or vice-versa. Sometimes a decoder will program in one mode and not the other. I don't have a Zephyr, I do all my programming with a SPROG II, JMRI DecoderPro software, and my Netbook computer.

Bill in FtL

I seem to remember hearing of others who had this problem, and as a Heisler owner who is about to install a sound card, I would like to know the cause and the fix for this, because I just hate sending products back. I've been told that Bachmann's Warranty Service usually is just an exchange service, since they don't have the personnel to do diagnostics and repairs because of the costs involved.

I wonder if it's possible to go through the CV's and record their values on a good running Heisler, and then compare them with the problem unit to see where the problem is. Soundtraxx' support has been very helpful with my questions regarding Bachmann locos with factory installed sound in the past, and have saved me needing to send items back on more than one occasion. I would certainly give them a call before I would return anything to Bachmann, it likely would save both time and money.

Bill in FtL

Did you try unplugging the sound module, then doing a reset, and test running the loco before you plug the sound module back in? I seem to recall hearing that before plugging in the sound module, a reset of all the DCC module settings should be done first, and then you should redo any changes (like different loco address) after the sound module is plugged in. Also remember to make any subsequent changes one at a time, and test run after each change.

Bill in FtL

Quote from: GreenbrierShay on January 28, 2014, 04:02:58 PM
Can I do anything to rectify this issue ?

I don't think this is a legitimate issue. The Shays are geared much lower than rod locomotives, just like the prototype ones were. They were made for increased pulling power, not speed. Most Shays had a top speed of about 15 mph, and their lower gearing meant that the engine powering them was turning at a fairly high RPM, even at that low speed on the rails. Your model is much the same, it's motor has to turn a fairly high speed for the given speed of the model down the track.

I don't think pulling the decoder and running it on straight DC is a very good solution, it will still have a low top speed, even if you do succeed in getting it to start at a lower voltage, and you'll be throwing away the advantages of DCC control.

Just speculation since the Whitcombs aren't here yet, but most Bachmann On30 locos will run on 18" radius (36" diameter) curves, and just about all should run on 22" radius. Many of the locos will even run on 15" radius curves, but that's pretty small for anything other than industrial trackage in O scale.

Also, running a loco by itself on sharp curves is one thing, but sometimes successfully pulling cars on those curves can be another thing!

Bill in FtL

Quote from: tim2009 on December 13, 2013, 08:30:28 PM
Thanks for all the advice and reply.  Pacific Northern, can you suggest which DCC system that will run with my current setup?  Is it still the Bachmann system?  In other word, can I use the new DCC with my current Digital Commander Ready set?

Thanks.

Hi Tim,

The EZ-Command is a good starter set, but it is somewhat limited in the amount it can grow with your layout as you gain DCC experience and decide you want to upgrade. As has been suggested here, I think you should hold off on your purchase of a booster for now,  there are better ways to spend that $200. For one person to run more than one train on a small layout can be quite a challenge, so you should be able to enjoy your present setup for quite a while without needing the extra booster, but should the time come, look at all your options before spending your hard earned cash. First shop around & look on the web, many dealers will offer discounts off of the list price. Also, you might look into other product lines that won't be as limited as the Digital Commander. I know of at least one large On30 modular club that uses the Bachmann system and is happy with it (but they don't run a lot of trains with multi-headed locos at the same time). It is not unusual for a modeler to think they have to buy a bigger DCC system than they really need.

Bill in FtL 

Quote from: ebtnut on December 06, 2013, 03:21:21 PM
Yardmaster:  I have Peter Witt, which I have had programmed to run on DCC, and it runs well.  However, I now want to run it on the club pike which is planning to go to DCC but is currently DC and it won't budge, light up, or anything.  Do I need to take it apart and put in the dummy jumper to get it to run on DC? 

Hello ebtnut,

Is it possible that when it was programmed to run on DCC, the analog operation option was changed to DCC only? Usually the factory default will allow the decoder to operate on DC out of the box, but many DCC operators disable the analog feature to prevent accidental runaways when running on DCC.

Restoring the decoder settings to factory defaults should fix this, but you will lose any custom DCC settings you may have programmed into your decoder. Another option would be to look up the CV and the value that controls analog operation and reset it individually to allow DC operation. If you have access to a computer with JMRI DecoderPro software and an interface such as the SPROG II, this task is very easy.

Bill in FtL

I found that when operating my Forneys on our module club's layout, the couplers would shift vertically out of the knuckle of the first car next to the loco, when crossing over module joints that were barely (almost imperceptibly) out of level. Our modules use a 22" minimum radius, which is pretty tight, but the real problem was the vertical traveling of the Forney's coupler, which made it impossible to reliably pull a train. By replacing the factory coupler's knuckle with one of the extended knuckles sold by Jerry Kitts at Foothill Models, the problem was pretty much alleviated. These knuckles will probably also be helpful for the front couplers of the 4-4-0's (especially the outside frame version) as well.

Bill in FtL

My Climax suffered the same symptoms, in addition to having the well known split gears problem, and my loco had only been run for about 10 feet back & forth on a straight test track at the time of purchase. The cracked universals have been mentioned enough on this list to indicate it is a fairly common issue, but unlike the gears, it can sometimes be fixed with a dab of superglue. Probably the best fix, however would be replacement of the cracked components, and the parts for mine were included in the gear replacement package provided by Bachmann during their gear replacement program. Contact their parts department for more information as mentioned in this post about the gear replacement program: <http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php/topic,23566.0.html>.

Bill in FtL