Everything works but the loco does not move.
It appears to be the loco motor. I checked the volts with a Multi Mater with the loco on the track and as the chuff rate increases in speed the voltage delivered to the motor increases also, but it does not move.
It is my Fleischmann P8 N scale, I have had plenty of trouble with this motor in the past but I worked on it extensively and replaced the carbon brushes and before the install it was working very well on DC. I disconnected and discarded the little electrical component between the two motor poles as one is always instructed to do when doing this type of conversion.  I have disconnected the motor from the decoder and applied direct voltage, even without the little electrical component between the two motor poles  it works fine. Back on the main track with the decoder it does not move at all, the voltmeter still reads from 0 to 6.5 volts and all else works. ?? 

.I have studied the manual and have come to the following conclusions.
Please correct me if I am mistaken.
The only 3 reasons you would need a Service track are:
1. If you own locomotives with old decoders that do not accept Operations Mode programming.
2. If you would want to give (program) your locomotives  addresses  at home and belong to a club that runs over 99 locomotives. However even then it would make more sense to program your locos address at the club instead of going through  the unnecessary trouble of wiring and building your Service (programing) track. 
3. If you want to read the CV values presently programed on your locomotives decoders. In which case you will not only need a service track but also a Dynamis ProBox.

If you have less than 99 locomotives (with newer type decoders) on your layout you can program everything on the main track without having to remove any locos from the track.
If you have more than 40 locomotives on your layout  you would need more than 1 Dynamis, a lot of boosters and  I would imagine also a lot of other special equipment.

I have 8 locomotives, They will never leave my layout , so I am giving them simple logical addresses, 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 & 8. Once they have their respective address numbers I can give (program) a name and choose an icon for each loco,  change individual locomotive decoder speed steps and function settings. I can  also change the CV values of all or any CV. and even  manage consists, all this on the main track.  I can  record on paper or PC or Tablet or mobile phone. doc. the  CV values once I change them.  So as far as I can see I will not be needing a Service (programing) track.

If one would want to build a Service track for a Dynamis controlled layout ,  yow would need to  add a 15 cm long dead end segment connected to your track with a turnout and isolated  on both rails from the main track. The main wires that go from your DC power pack connector on the Dynamis to the track must be cut and a toggle switch installed so that the power is fed either to the main track or the service track segment.

The following statements here quoted from the Dynamis manual have led me to the above conclusions.


"Short addresses ("2-digit") can be written to a decoder using Main Track programming with other locomotives on the track. "

"Long addresses ("4-digit") must be written to a decoder by programming using a Service Track with no other locomotives present otherwise all locomotives will adopt the address. If necessary create a separate length of track powered by your Dynamis for this purposes.

"Once there are 40 roster entries one must be deleted to allow any other locomotives to be run."

"Dynamis has the capability of programming in one of two methods: 'Operations Mode ' (also called 'Main track programming') - other locomotives can be left on the track as the programming instruction is sent to the particular decoder address. 'Service Mode' makes the entire layout a service track. All decoders present on the layout will receive the programming instruction. Other locomotives should be removed from the track if using this method, or the locomotive programmed on an isolated Service Track. Decoders that do not accept Operations Mode programming should be programmed on a Service Track. Service mode also allows decoder CV values to be read: this is possible using the Dynamis ProBox."

Its going on 3 weeks and I still don't manage to get help from the service dept at Backmann, I get tired of waiting for ages for someone to become available when I ring, Laura who answers my emails when I write to Bachmann has very kindly tried to put me in contact with someone in the service dept but this week he has been away. Hopefully, probably next week I'll finally get some help.
But since I've spent months building my first ever DCC n scale layout , it is frustrating not to be able to use it because of the Dynamis.

There is something definitively wrong with the Infrared in my Dynamis, it's maximun range of 3 yards  is far to short and the sender must be pointed straight at the receiver and right on front of it for it to connect. Everything else seems to work perfectly.

I have been reading about infrared and it seems that it is a rather simple quite straight forward sender receiver communication. Which makes the fact that mine does not work properly an even greater mystery. I keep thinking that what prevents it from working as it should must be something rather simple. I've tried without the lights in the room  on and without the wi fi in the apartment on but it still does not work properly.
I have the following questions:
Can one use 2 infrared receivers in different places? I have the chance of buying an extra receiver with an extension cable that I imagine  could be split into two in order to connect both receivers at once.
Will a third party infrared range extender meant for TV work?
Will reflectors work? What type of reflector? Tinfoil? Mirror? Mounted on sender or receiver?
Is the problem more likely to be in the sender or the receiver?

I hope someone can help.

Thanks.

I have   telephoned the Dynamis service number but I am just kept waiting for ever, I tried emailing them but it is only possible through a "form" on their web page and when I press the "send" a  window invariably appears "sorry your message could  not be sent at this time"
That is the reason I contacted Bachmann direct. I hope they forward my letter to the people in charge of Dynamis.

Brand New Bachmann Spectrum item number 36505 E-Z Command Dynamis Wireless Infrared DCC System.

Why does the left green LED start flashing every so often for no apparent reason? The manual says it indicates a short on the track so I checked with a multimeter and this is absolutely not so.
I suspect that the Peco turnouts motors I have draw so much that the infrared signal is weakened and is lost. I have noticed that just after sending the signal to activate a turnout motor the signal weakens to 0. When the signal returns a second later the motor is activated.
I also suspect that the Dynamis is defective because the infrared signal and the power to the track comes and goes erratically , sometimes it might stay on for a few minutes, then all works correctly, sometimes it will stay of for a few minutes and nothing works.
I tested the infrared  range of the Dynamis by pointing the hand set  straight at the receiver and increasing the distance by backing up slowly, I invariably lost the signal completely at 3 yards distance.

I am not just ready yet to give up on Dynamis.  It was not exactly cheap. As  my last resort I am going to connect the Digitrax D64 decoder controlling 4 peco motors directly to 12 v. Which is an option.

The Bachmann 2 8 8 4 and 4 6 0 have DCC pre installed but no sound, it seems wasteful to buy a complete other decoder just to add sound. There must be an inexpensive solution for just adding sound to these locomotives. Any suggestions please?

I understand it is always advised to isolate/insulate  the motor from all else when installing a DCC decoder. Has anyone advice on the best way to do this? How exactly it is done? With What materials?
I imagine there are a few variations on how to do this depending on the type of motor, how and where it is mounted and whether it is DCC ready or not.
Here is a list of the n scale  locomotives I plan to convert:
At least 3 of these have the  motor and pickup on the tender so if there is no space anywhere I will mount decoder and speaker in car behind.
Bachmann American 4-4-0.
Atlas Mogul 2-6-0
Arnold  2546 KBAY P42  4-4-0
Fleischmann piccolo 7159  4-6-0
Kato 2007-2  C57  4-6-2
Bachmann Spectrum B&O EM-1  w/DCC - Baltimore & Ohio #7614 2-8-8-4
About the non Bachmann locomotives I have seaked advice in the nscsle.net forum.
Thanks in advance.

I have read the articles in Trainbuddy.com  "Bachmann 4-4-0 decode with Train Control Systems M1 decoder Space" and also the article "MORE 4 4 0 Jupiter questions."
Yet I feel I need more foolproof graphic step by step instruction on opening the tender of the Jupiter to be able to insulate  the motor and connect it to the decoder. Preferably with pictures or a video.
Too much to ask? I hope not because I really want to hear that Jupiter shuffing. I don't need space because I will install decoder and speaker in the following car, I just need to get to the motor.

.

As you will see from my worries I am a total newbie to n scale. I just ordered a fair amount of BACHMANN NICKEL SILVER EZ TRACK on grey bed. It appears it is only sold with the grey bed. I would prefer not to use any track bed at all. Have I wasted money on the grey bed? Is the grey bed glued to the track or just on it? Must I use it?

I understand the Con-cor  Rivarossi 2-8-8-2  n scale is no longer in production so I hope I am not infringing on Bachmann forum rules.  Would be nice to know how they  are different , how they are alike, specially in size and detailing , but also in other ways.

 
I just bought a "Jupiter" - 4-4-0 American Locomotive & Tender + passenger car and Post car.
I would like sound for this, I don't really understand  DCC  very well so I have a number of questions:
Are battery powered locos a must for DCC or can it all run from track power?
I believe that to have sounds  one must have a decoder , a  sound module and a speaker correct?
If none of the above fit in  the loco or  tender and I suspect they don't, can one fit them in the passenger car?
Which would be the most adequate sound system? Which the cheapest?

4 of these were left unanswered in previous threads I posted and  1,  the last one is new. I hope someone can help me with the answers:
Q 1. Best glue for Bachmann plastic and best glue for Bachmann to other plastic.
Q 2. Little advice from members on lubrication of Shay and 4 0 6. I saw on a youtube video someone  say car  motor oil works better on plastic gears than specialized products?
Q 3. How to replace damaged nylon toothed gear wheel on wheel axle of a 406 chassis and where to find a new wheel.
Q 4. Middle pair  of drive wheels on both my 4 6 0 chassis do not touch the rails, they stay constantly 1 cm above. It would seem that since both chassis exhibit the same characteristics it is either deliberately so or a general construction defect.
Q. 5. I bought a Dallee sound card with sound for my 38 ton two truck Shay, I removed the fuel bunker according to instructions to access the main PC board. For the simple installation I want The Dalle card needs only be connected to the right and left rail pickups. So which connectors on the PC card are these?

Thank you for your help.

I've just bought a Dallee #911 Shay sound board and realise I need a speaker and perhaps a battery also. Can I use any 8 hom 1 or 2 watt speaker of the appropriate size or is it best to buy a speaker from Dallee or Phoenix?  I intend to use this particular loco exclusively indoors.
About the battery, is it absolutely necessary?  I suppose it must be bought from Dalle?

Thanks in advance.

Please help me decide between the two.
What are the differences,  what the similarities, advantages, which is stronger,  which is bigger, they look so alike on web pages.
Thank you.

Good Sunday morning to everyone.
I am coming around to wanting quality sound but I still think the loco should cost more than the sound!

Soundtraxx Tsunami Steam TSU-1000 Sound Decoder Light Logging.
Is it possible to install this on a Bachmann Spectrum G scale 36 ton Shay? If so are there instructions on how? I suppose a speaker and SOUNDTRAXX 810038 STEAM EXHAUST CAM KIT are necessary? What else would be necessary? Would this installation be advisable?

Soundtraxx Tsunami Steam TSU-1000 Sound Decoder D&RGW K-Class --or-- Bachmann Industries Plug and Play module for locomotive car meant for small gauge.
Is it possible to install these on a G scale  LGB car? If so are there instructions on how? I suppose a speaker and SOUNDTRAXX 810038 STEAM EXHAUST CAM KIT are necessary for the TSU-1000? What else would be necessary? Would these installations be advisable?

I know the opinion I am about to express will not be very popular and even sound disrespectful to the real experts and to some manufacturers, so first let me say I admire all you people tremendously and I really like this forum. Still I am aware of being new not only to the forum but the world of G and as such I am expected to mess up occasionally which I naturally do. I don't like expensive sound systems on trains, I've really tried to like them, I've listened carefully to Phoenix and Dallee and the more I listen the more I feel like it sounds like a little toy with a recording of a big train inside. Like a Swatch sounding like Big Ben, I prefer the simple shuff of my $30 Bachmann locomotive,  after listening and seeing videos of Shays with veery expensive sound setups I saw a video of a garden railroad in Poland , a 36 ton  Shay and five or six passenger cars without inbuilt sound , you hear so clearly the sound the toy train makes as it passes by and it sounds so real because it is real, the clicking sound of the imitation engine is great. Like clockwork, and the shrill of the wheels against the track is superb. The synchronization is of course perfect and you hear when the cars shake from a bumpy track. I am very much into music, I'm sure you all know that distorting or rather enhancing a musician's studio performance is old hat, for years studios, even home studios have been able to with music software record an out of tune singer singing out of rithm with a lousy voice and transform this in minutes into a recording of a singer in perfect tune, perfect timing and a beautifull voice. This being possible I'm sure it is possible to amplify "live",  the sounds a toy train makes transforming them  instantly as they sound into sounds that resemble real train sounds, without exaggerating, retaining some of the toy sound. Like with music software control in the sound of the toy train the amount and type of reverb to emulate different environments and to balance in the mix the proportion of pure toy sound and distortion (or enhancement) .  That I think I would pay for gladly, and am sure could be achieved at no more cost than the sound systems available. Or does this already exist?

I don't want remote control, I want my train to automatically  leave the station every half hour punctually from 11am to 10pm, perfectly synchronized and preferable driven by  a wall clock , go around the track once ,  whistle a few times on the way , and stop gently exactly on the spot where it started. With my nonexistent knowledge of electricity and wanting to spend as little as possible to achieve this goal, this is what I have been planning: Buy an electric clock mechanism and a dial, build a case for it, place a minute hand inside the clock as well as one outside, attach a small magnet to the inside minute hand and two sensors with cables placed behind the dial , one directly at 12 o'clock and the other at 6 o'clock . This will be attached to a small simple hopefully inexpensive electrical board that will switch power on the track when the cable sensor is very near a magnet. In the same way I will place a sensor cable  by a rail where the train must stop so that a magnet hanging from a car will send a signal thru the cable sensor to the board to switch power of the track. Possibly another magnet and cable sensor will make the train slow down a lot before it stops. The 11 am to 10 pm schedule I can easily achieve by plugging the power supply to a  simple wall timer.   Does  this make sense? Are there simpler ways to achieve this keeping cost down to a minimum? And the most important question.  Is there an inexpensive electrical board I can buy readymade that will suit this purpose?

This is a crazy but I think wonderful idea inspired by Kevin Srong's unbelievable work, which I have recently had the pleasure of discovering by following the link to his blog. Transform the already gorgeous Bachmann"SPECTRUM"2-6-6-2 Saddle Tank Articulated into the amazing Baldwin  2 8 8 2t built in 1935 for Ferrocarriles Nacionales de Colombia. This perhaps by somehow segmenting it, elongating it  and adding the necessary 4 wheels ? My great grandfather was from 1910 to 1915 in charge of Colombian Railways , an absolutely fantastic Railway system that during the last 50 years disintegrated into nothingness out of shameful neglect . If someone. .Kevin can.

This is a coment on a topic called Car sizes? A  very informative  topic that has not been posted in for at least 120 days so I was advised to open a new topic.

I'm  just starting on G, my first ebay acquisition was a rather expensive LGB OLUMANA, the auction bids just rocketed towards the end.  I was so disappointed when it arrived to see it was so small, really tinny.  It is very beautiful, has a grand story  and runs great so I like it alot  even though it is so small for a G.  My second ebay win was an LGB Circus Loco it is bigger, what a relief! It is in perfect condition and very strong. My third ebay winning was a Bachmann big hauler,  Swannee River Special with tender, uncredibility cheap on ebay , I could not believe how big it is. It is troublesome and delicate but I'm enjoying fixing it and I love the size and looks. My latest is a Spectrum 38 ton Shay that has not been delivered yet,  I hope it's big. If the cars for it are the biggest I suppose it must be. Big is wat G is all about. Is it not?

My Swannee River Special , recently bought on ebay pre owned,  Seems to get tired after three or four rounds on a circular track, it starts to slow down and stops, when I then reverse  it runs normal , when I go forward the same happens again , runs normal, slows down and stops.

This is my first post , I just won this on auction from Dash Market, I haven't received it yet but am a little nervous about it , the condition is said to be C-6: Very Good.  Functional,  but one of the drive shaft couplings is broken and the rear truck is not reliably connected to the drive shaft, I thought at first these parts where decorational but I'm not sure,  I hope I can fix these two problems easily but all advice as to how to go about it is very welcome.