Brokemoto; the MRC/Rowa and some others (see Marks site, http://www.spookshow.net/riv2882.html) Con-Cor/Rivarossi locomotive was indeed a Y-6b.

I think you have it confused with the Life-Like/Walthers locomotive, which is a Y-3.

Charley.

NWSL list a gear replacement for the TGV, pg. 4-28 of their on-line catalog, part #1095-6.

http://www.nwsl.com/uploads/chap4b_web_06-15.pdf

You'll have to check with them for availability and price.

I hope this helps.

Charley.

The new version of the F-7 is not really a Spectrum, but is part of the Bachmann regular line. It also comes standard with DCC, although it is a dual mode controller.

I run mine on analog DC and it runs good, but I don't know how well it will speed match with a Spectrum that was DC only. The DCC version has a higher starting voltage.

Others that have both versions will have to comment. Spectrum's maybe still available on ebay, but you have to get a newer Spectrum with "black" gears. The older "Plus" and "Spectrum's" had white gears that crack.

See this site, http://www.spookshow.net/loco/bachf7.html for a complete review.

I hope this helps.

Charley.

EDIT; brokemoto beat me to the punch, and goes into more detail. I re-read the review myself and I quess all Spectrums had black gears, so your safe in that regard.

Is the locomotive a GP-40? If it is, I would say it's not DCC ready and may be a hard one to convert.  All of the TV's I found on ebay were GP-40's. Take a look at this site http://www.spookshow.net/loco/bachgp40.html. He reviews the GP-40 and doesn't even mention DCC, a bad sign. Not that it can't be done, others here that are DCC people will have to chime in. I hope this helps. Charley.

Edit: WOW! My eyes are bad, I didn't see the link on your post to the Thunder Valley, the blue color blended in, and of course it's a GP-40.

Yep, I've seen that photo, so I knew that for an early paint scheme the new F-7A would be "right on". However, the Plus and maybe the Spectrum versions of the Bachmann F-7A had the road numbers centered under the "A" of the road name. If you look at the Brooklyn Locomotive Works site (closeouts are reported to be Plus versions), or Bachmann's own online store, you can see the numbers on the lower panel.

Anyway, the numbers are not there on the current production, and at least for the B&O units, neither is the number board numbers. Therefore before I'm accused of wasting "bandwidth" on this forum too, I'm not beating this dead horse anymore. Thank you for all of the info folks.

Regards Charley.

I'll answer my own question about the road numbers on the sides of the new B&O F-7A's. Over on the TB a member is showing how he draw barred an A and B unit together, there are no side numbers. I guess, I am seeing things!!! It doesn't look like they have been removed, or he did a good job of removing them.

Charley.

Thank you for the replies Mr. Bach-Man and TJ. I agree, that it's easier if you don't have to remove the numbers. However, I only plan on having two B&O F-7A's. I wanted a B unit, but they were out-of-stock at my retailer. I was hoping that I wouldn't have to apply number board numbers for a change.

Also, the sides of the B&O F-7A's have numbers, I think? I can't check mine because they were a Christmas present from my two daughters. I briefly looked at them for shipping damage, and noted no numbers in the number boards. Ran them to make sure they were OK, removed the warranty card to mail, before the ten day deadline, then they were wrapped until Christmas. I wouldn't dare open them.

If they indeed have numbers on the sides (I think they do) why not leave off "all road numbers" which would follow the Bach-Man's logic. I think the Santa Fe's are like that, no prominent numbers except a very small 309 above the rear truck. At least the online store pictures show side numbers (most are prominent!). I guess "it don't matter" anyway, but if anyone has a new B&O F-7A. Was I seeing things again, are there side numbers?

Regards Charley.

Mr. Bach Man or anyone. I just received two of the new F-7A's lettered for the B&O. Neither has numbers in the number boards. Since photos at the various retailers (Bachmann's online store too) often reuse pictures from the Plus and Spectrum series, some have numbers, most don't. I don't know if they're missing or not suppose to be there. The Norfolk Southern is a new road name and shows numbers. Also, the Great Northern shown on some of the forums has numbers, and the spookshow site shows the GN with numbers??

What's the answer? It's not a big deal, I've been adding numbers in the numbers boards to N scale loco's since 1969, but I'd like to know.

Regards Charley.

Thank you for the reply Yardmaster! I know that Bachmann stands behinds it's products 100%, I've been buying them since 1969.

I have the skills to fix most problems on N scale locomotives, and all brands have problems at times, I take that "fact" as a given. Some people don't have such skills or don't want to bother trying to attain them, perfectly understandable. I no longer work on my own automobiles, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. In my post, I wanted to clarify the situation with the TB thumbnails, and add my minor issues for completeness.

Anyway, like I said, I like the EM-1 and it is reassuring to know that if someone has a problem with one, you folks at Bachmann will take care of it. By the way I've just ordered my third EM-1 loco!!!!Thank you again.
Regards, Charley.

The two J's I recently got, seem to run OK, no problems with the motors, yet! Both are NEW, one with a non-working knuckle coupler and one with a working knuckle. I assume they are from different production runs, but I don't run them much. I'll keep my fingers crossed!
As I've already said, in your other post, I have had motor issues with a H-4 and a RS-3. The H-4 responded to the "highspeed burnout fix". The RS-3 had a pinched (under the shaft thrust washer) pole winding intermittently grounded to the motor shaft. Both are still running good, for now.

Edit: the N&W J, H-4, RS-3, GP-7, 2-10-2, 4-8-2 Heavy, that I own have the same "can" motor. They just have different shaft configurations (single/double). Or different couplings (u-joints), and flywheel setups or lack of flywheels, to suit the requirements of the locomotive type. I added this, because you may have problems with any of these locomotives, related to this motor. The 2-8-0 and some of the big diesel locomotives use an open frame motor, not the can motor. I have not read that this open frame motor has had the same problem. I still think that the main problem is "quality control", due to problems with the winding machines. However, I have 12 loco's with the can motor and only the one with the pinched winding was a verified problem. The H-4 may have been over lubed, by ME! One bad out of twelve, is a good percentage for a small motor like this, IMHO. Should they have caught it, yes, but all manufactured goods have failures. Can you say Chrysler, Ford, GM, Honda, and Toyota.

Regards Charley.

According to the DCC wiring diagram that's on the parts diagram for the N&W J,  leads 1 (orange) and 5 (grey) should be the motor leads. The pin-outs on the PCB are numbered left to right 8124567, no #3. I think that the colors and numbers are NMRA standards, but others that use DCC can verify that. See if you have that diagram, lots of info there. You should be able to "jumper" the motor leads to your DC power supply and test it. That is, unless the RF chokes have shorted the PCB. You may have to unsolder or cut the leads to isolate the motor from the PCB. I haven't been in that tender, YET! The line drawing should be accurate, it is, on other Bachmann tenders that I've looked into. Although, I remember reading on one of the forums, that one of Bachmann's diagrams is "off" regarding the DCC wiring. Sorry, I don't know which.

RGW may have the rewire you need to get the loco moving again, but if you are still drawing high current, the motor's in-trouble and may fail completely. The only way to test the motor armmature is to take the motor apart. That is not for the novice, but that's how I learned to do it. However, when I started an Atlas 2-8-2 cost $28 (still a lot of money in 1970), not $100-200-300 etc, like loco's cost today. I hope this helps.

Regards Charley.

Those are RF chokes which are used to suppress interference (static) on radio and television signals. Did you get a yellow page with the locomotive, "Important Notice" at the top? It describes what they're for, along with a few capacitors.

They're not necessary to make the engine run, and may cause trouble with non-NMRA DCC decoders. They can be removed. The yellow page tells you to go to a web page to remove them.  I've never been there, but this is it, www.bachmanntrains.com (this site, actually), if you don't have the yellow page. Then go to E-Z Command FAQ. I hope it tells you what to do to remove them and rewire the board.

However,  if the motor drew enough current to "smoke" them it may be toast too. I think you have a grounded coil on that motor (intermitten), as I described in my first post of this thread. If you can rewire the board and the motor is OK, it may not be for long. The chokes protected the motor, but if you remove them, well your "up the creek" if overloaded again.  Send it back if possible or at least give Bachmann a call. It may be too late, since you've worked on it, but they can see on this board how hard you tried to live with the problem, and may give you a break.
Regards Charley

The shell is a tight fit, but if you use a few (4) toothpicks to spread it a little on the sides, front and back you can wiggle it off. You have to grab it on the fuel/battery boxes, not the trucks, they will come right out of the frame.

One other thought. Have you tested this loco on DC? If you can and have an ammeter look at the current draw. The loco I talked about in the thread "Shell removal HELP" by wobblinwheel was a RS3 too. Take a read if you haven't. If the motor draws a lot of current (0.4 A), that could be your problem, not the decoder. I fixed the grounded field winding on mine, you may not want to do that. The N&W J can motor and RS3 are the same (#10123), but have different worm/flywheel/u-joint drives.

Test it before you take anything apart, and if you find that it's the motor (high current), send it back to Bachmann or your dealer. I hope this helps. This question sounds familiar, but I could not find your screen name on any posts, within the last four or so pages.

Regards Charley.

Tom,

I'm glad you found something that works.

If the hole is tapped all the way through the tender frame, and I think it is. Make sure the extra screw length isn't fowling the movement of the front tender truck or the drawbar. Also, a larger head could short the circuit board, if the traces are close.  Use a fiber washer to "take up" the extra length in the screw and insulate the head. Yeah, "I've been there and done that". No washer, you can make one or two from sheet plastic of any type, even card board.

Regards Charley.

Tom,

That screw is of course metric. Checking one in a tender I have it measures 1.6mm. I compared it to a set of jewelers taps and dies I have and it's a number 2 of the set (2mm, nominal size?, rolled thread screws are smaller than their stated size) This is not an inch number 2, IE 2-56. The chart with the tap and die set says a number 2 has a DIA of 1.6mm and a 0.34 pitch. You could retap it for the nearest inch size which is 1-72, a 0-80 is too small, and wouldn't hold.

My local ACE Hardware has some metric screws, but I don't think it has anything that small. A well stocked LHS may have it. Even if the shop doesn't have much in the way of trains (like mine), the RC stuff is most likely all metric. The LHS would have a 1-72 screw, but may not have a tap. If you can find a 1-72 in steel you can make it "cut" (form) it's own threads. I wouldn't try it with a brass screw however, use a tap.

I hope this helps.

Regards, Charley.