Hey all,

I've had an Oliver loco for months now but its never been out of the packaging.
I just went to go run it on some track to test it out with a DC controller.
The controller was set to 0 power but it was plugged in.
The second I put Oliver down on the tracks his motor started making loud noises and the loco started to slowly stutter move backwards.
Again the controller was just plugged in and no power was applied to move the loco either way.
Any thoughts what might be causing this?

I'm wondering if someone here, maybe even the Bach Mann himself, could help me with an issue I am having.
I received the Bachmann Dynamis System for Christmas 2 or 3 years ago now. After about  year of use the controller stopped working.
I contacted bachmann and they replaced the handset and I had to pay shipping. It was a worthwhile deal considering the cost of a new handset.
I just added a new decoder to the Thomas and Friends Douglas locomotive and went to program the engine. My controller initially functioned fine after not being used for a year.
Slowly the controller began to malfunction. Initially my ability to scroll through locomotives was hindered and I could only scroll through locomotives by scrolling to the right. After literally a moment (I stepped away to get new batteries) the controller turned off. Upon turning it back on the controller automatically scrolled through every locomotive I had continuously and I could no longer use the unit. After a change of batteries nothing has changed. I am frustrated because I do not take my trains out often as I am a grad student, but now that I have my own place and a space for trains I cannot use them. On top of that this is the second time the handset has malfunctioned without being dropped, shocked, gotten wet, etc. I am almost beginning to regret going with the Dynamis system because of this.
Any thoughts or help is greatly appreciated.
I also want to apologize for rambling or seeming overly frustrated.

-Striker

So I've been mulling this idea over for some time now and I think I am about ready to take the plunge.
I'm just posting here first to ask other peoples impressions/comments.

I've got Edward all DCC'd but just pulling red coaches isn't enough.
After a bit of thinking I realized that one could part out Emily's coaches and combine them
with the Red Coaches.
I'd take the Red Coach roof and put it on one of Emily's carriages. Then I would just need to
fill in the front and rear ends of the coach with a putty or something and sand it down.
After that the coach would get a proper paint job and then it should be good to go.

With all that being said I want to know what you guys think?
Any recommendations on a filler for the gaps at both ends of the carriage and colors for the paint scheme would be greatly appreciated.

-Striker1945

Hey all,

I've been using the basic Bachmann Dynamis DCC system for well over a year now and have been loving every minute of it.
I got home for winter break yesterday and went to run trains this morning.
When I turned on my dynamis handset all the icons on the screen lit up and it would not move from there.
I figured my batteries were dead and so I went and replace the batteries and tried again, but that failed too.
I thought maybe unplugging the control box would do something, but that also failed.
I've tried looking this issue up online, but have found nothing.
I'd really appreciate it if anyone could provide even a modicum of assistance here!!!

Thanks,
-Striker

Hey all Striker here!

Had a question about wiring. Im running two main loops on my layout and was wondering if i needed two main bus lines for this or could I just use one bus line to run feeders off of?

Thanks,
-Striker

Hi all,

Recently purchased an unopened Bachmann Toby engine in HO scale. Got it home after two months away at school and went to run him.
Only used a DC powerpack as I know DCC would kill him and noticed two issues right away.
First Toby doesn't seem to accelerate well and when he does accelerate I notice a grinding/straining sound.
Second when he does get going I notice that there is an electrical burning smell always present.
Not sure what is going on. Was gonna pop him open tomorrow and look inside, but I figured I'd ask here to see if anyone could help.
Maybe the Bachmann could help?

-Striker

Hey all,

A guy in my grad program at UNC Greensboro is getting out of the railroading hobby due to life getting in the way. He is selling many of his locomotives and rolling stock and is giving me a fair shot a Rivarossi NYC Hudson with coaches. Would the Rivarossi locomotive work on my mainly Bachmann layout? Would it look odd among my other locomotives and rolling stock?
I ask because with models I've bought kits that were say, "1:48 scale" yet do not fit in AT ALL with other models of the same scale, just a different brand.
Also could the locomotive be converted to work with the Bachmann DCC system? It is currently a DC locomotive.

Thanks a million!
-Striker1945

Hey guys!!!

Been a bit since I've posted. The railway took nice shape over the summer, but has been stalled due to my move to North Carolina for grad school.
On that note I went to a train show in Spencer, NC recently and picked up six IHC Norfolk and Western Cars. Two need work before I run em' but the other four are pretty solid in condition.
I wanted to ask how good of a company IHC is?
Are they known for crappy products?
Only one car is lighted, but the other three can be easily adapted for lighting.

-Striker

Hey Bach-mann!

I recently received a new RS-3 for a college graduation gift! When I opened the box a small computer chip in a bag popped out along with the paperwork and such. However none of the papers explained what the chip is or what it does. Can you help me out here?

-Striker

Hi all!

I've been an train lover all my life and have only dabbled in model railroading; essentially it has always been "playing with toy trains". However I am now moving to my first layout on a 4x8 board. Purpose is simply for practice.

What I've got currently:

Loco's:
NYC FTA
NYC FTB
NYC RS-3
PRR GG1
N&W Class J 611
An unletterd 2-8-4 which I plan to give N&W numbers and letters
PRR 2-6-2 Prairie

Rolling Stock:
x20 Cars of various roads and types
Of note is my C&O 250-Ton Crane which I plan to convert to NYC or PRR (still deciding)

Other:
DCC Dynamis System I received from a relative as a graduation gift. Not sure how wise it was of them, but hey I'll take it!

That being said I'll be getting my board and accouterments later this evening.
For now I wanted to ask a few questions which may seem stupid or silly, but hey I'm learning! =D

1) So I'll be using Nickel Silver E-Z Track, should I bother soldering all the rail joiners to increase the effectiveness of the DCC System?
2) I was going to run wiring to a few points on my layout to spread out the power distribution, I assume I should attach the wire to the rail joiners?
2a) On that note can I just buy copper wire from say a Home Depot or do you guys recommend using a specific brand or type of wire?
3) Do I need to block out this layout? I assume not because the engines running on it will be DCC.
4) I have seen other model railroaders use a few inches of foam board on top of their base board, is this recommended? (I was going to do so)
4a) Should I then glue my E-Z track to the board or nail it down? (Either way it will be permanent and I get that, again this is a practice layout)

That's about it for now. I hope I haven't come across as too much of a fool.

-Striker

Alright so I've been a model railroader for a few months now. I started building with the Bachmann Cavalier set and have expanded from there. I have been buying some E-Z track to play with and I have also been acquiring DCC fit locomotives for my eventual transition to a more permanent and larger layout (NOT USING E-Z TRACK). However I have one issue and that is power. The trains tend to lose power/speed on the far section of my layout. I know it is because I'm not providing power all across the layout at regular intervals. My question is this: Using the Bachmann power-pack included in the Cavalier set can I simply splice copper wire onto the transformer wire ports and then run those wires out to the rest of my layout?

Hi all!

I purchased the Cavalier set with N&W 4-8-4 Class J and 3 Passenger cars 2 years ago and have loved running it at Christmas every year. Now I am beginning to put together a layout with a dedicated loop for my N&W Class J. I would like to add at least two more passenger cars to the consist, but haven't found a place to acquire them. Ive seen MTH's set of (I think) 5 cars, but I am limited by money. Any suggestions?

-Striker

I recently bought the Cavalier set for my below my xmas tree while I reconstruct my main layout which was taken down before I went to college. The train ran well for a good hour and then the middle passenger car derailed. I had no clue what made it derail so I took the train from the tracks and disassembled the track. I re-built the small oval I made with the track included and I checked all the connections to make sure it was all smooth and then set the train back up and ran it. The train made one or two runs and then the same passenger car derailed. I was yet again unsure as to what was going on. On closer inspection of the car I noticed that one block of wheels doesn't turn as fast or as much as the other block (on the same car) I was wondering if that would affect the car and cause it to derail consistently?