I recently bought a Bachmann On30 Forney at a swapmeet. It has factory fitted DCC sound but is rather a stuttery runner with the sound frequently cutting out. I have got the impression that the trailing truck picks up current as well as the drivers. However I'm not sure how the current gets from the wheels to the 2 small terminals from which are a couple of flimsy looking wires leading into the DCC circuitry because the bogie frame seems to be made of plastic. I feel that if I can get the current from the bogie then the running will be improved.
Does anyone have any ideas to improve the running of this loco?
Has anyone managed to fit a Stay-alive to the factory circuitry or is it a matter of a complete replacement of the chip with another plus a compatible Stay-Alive?

Many thanks

Dave Ellis

Hello everyone from here over the "pond". I wish to replace the front headlight in my Spectrum HO Russian Decapod. The light was never very bright and I think I may have blown the bulb when I converted the original analogue model to DCC sound. Apparently you need to be careful in this type of conversion if there are any lights on the model. I have some replacement grain of wheat bulbs which I think are the recommended type for lights with DCC locos. However has anyone out there done such a replacement? I have seen a you tube video of someone doing some work on this loco with the body off and when he was replacing the body it looked like a real trial with all the pipes etc having to be located where they came from. If there is a step by step guide out there that would be great and maybe I'm going to have to take some pictures to remind me when I start of where everything goes!! The bodies of our British models these days can be a real pain but there aren't quite so many pipes and bits and pieces on them!! My decapod is a good runner and I really don't want to end up sending it to the scrapyard!

Many thanks

Regards

David