This has been resolved, I figured it out. Thank you!

Quote from: Len on November 20, 2025, 04:29:45 PMIf it's used, have you tried a factory reset to clear any previous programing, such as an address change?

Len

I haven't. How do I do that?

EDIT: I have the Bachmann EZ Command Control Center, not the new EZ Command Plus one

I just got a Bachmann Spectrum 4-4-0 second hand and it wont run. It has dcc and sound, it has its headlight on constantly, its making the various idle sounds, but none of the buttons on my controller work. What do I do? I NEED this thing up and running ASAP or I've wasted $250!

Considering you say you're willing to pay up to 300$ for the engine and tender alone, that leaves quite a big selection. I personally would recommend getting the Daylight Special set. Even though I haven't gotten it, it has a DC 4449 and a few passenger cars that get the job done. Since you have such a big budget for an engine, I'm assuming you have a fair bit of dough, so you can get a few more passenger cars and a lot more track to have it feel a little better than just a measly 4-8-4, 3 cars and an oval of track. Make sure the absolute minimum radius you buy is 22", as both the engine and cars require it. That being said, don't go for regular switches either. They mimic 18" radius curves with their diverging track. I would say #4 at minimum would do.

Sorry for the inactivity, turns out all I had to do was let it sit for another short period and now it runs good as new! It's on-and-off in a few places, but that's less of an engine problem and more of a never-buying-second-hand-track-ever-again problem. Long story short, no more problem!

Noted. Thank you!

I have the older EZ-Command Control Center (not the plus version we have on the market today) with an engine that runs with it (a 2-6-0 from the Echo Valley Express set). I've been on a kick to "give it some friends", and I decided on the Roadname-Specific 0-6-0. However, it runs on the newer variant. Will the 0-6-0 run on the older version of the Control Center that doesn't have as much of the bells and whistles as the current one we have today?

Quote from: willis on January 04, 2025, 07:53:08 PMHi, Biggie
i am confused
you said engine ran with old module?
what does that mean ?

 you are saying you have the same DCC system that engine ran correctly with , is that correct ?

By older module I mean the old Bachmann Digital Command Control Center. I got the engine with that controller the same year they announced the one they have now. Saying I was upset about that was an understatement...

When I say another DCC module, I mean the older version of the Digital Command Center. The one without all the lights and three pages and all the other cool stuff I wish I had.

Quote from: Terry Toenges on December 26, 2024, 01:24:18 PMHas your track been laying on a table for months and, if so, have you cleaned it?

Yes, Yes it has. No I have not cleaned it as I never really used it after my last loco started to smell like battery acid. All of my engines now have something wrong with them, so I'm looking for a new one at a good price.

Quote from: trainman203 on December 26, 2024, 09:54:20 PMClean EVERYTHING, surgical clean.  EVERY point of electrical contact, that means the wipers on the inside face of the drivers with a thin piece of cardboard, then blow it out with a keyboard air can. Clean the wipers of the axles on the tender trucks with isopropyl alcohol. Spin the drivers on a paper towel laid over the rail.  People are always surprised to learn that these little trains need maintenance and cleaning.  Even if it's not the problem, they need all of this more often than you think.

Then, you say the controller is fine. It ran another "module" properly? Which must mean another loop of track or something.  So it might be the connection to the new track is defective?  The rail joiners are loose?

And you are "oiling" the engine ?  Where? How much?  What kind of oil?  I have one of those moguls just like your train set engine and it came with too much oil in it already, needed to clean it out.  So there's a very big chance that there's so much oil in it now that it's compromising your electrical contacts.

One thing I can say, is that these engines don't like to sit around forever without being run. I have the opposite problem you have, I have over 50 locomotives but only run a few of them most of the time.  I have to get all the others out at least a couple of times a year just to run a little bit to keep them limber.

There's so many places and things that can go wrong. I'm sure I missed something. Try all the stuff above, I know it's a lot, and report back what you find.

I don't really do a lot of "Take it apart, do something with a wire, put it back together" stuff. I'm a moron at those things. I would need to take it to someone if that was the case...

That's the thing. It's my only controller. That's my only DCC engine. I would upgrade it but... you know... It's kinda expensive. The problem is in the engine, anyway. Not the controller. The controller's fine.

I've been wanting to ask this for a long time, considering that the problem has existed for a long time. I laid my DCC & Sound 2-6-0 From the Echo Valley Express set on my table, and it sat there for a few months. I went to go run it again, and it wasn't doing the things it should. No sound and barely any movement. I think I just need to dust the engine and oil it again, but I feel like that wouldn't solve the sound problems giving that they're inside the tender. I want to run it again, and preferably really soon. What should I do to get it working again?

EDIT: I forgot to mention that it runs on the older DCC module. The new one was announced right after I got the set.