It's a shelf railroad and not prototypical in any way.  I want the Dynamis primarily for the better power supply and the wireless.  Maybe after I retire I'll find the room for a benchwork layout but for now I'd just like to get the damned things to run well....

This all started with the Bachmann Ascella Kit from my wife with her ( naive ) observation that I could "just build a shelf for it around my office...".   Well here I am: 2 years and $2K+ later ( but it IS a Train Load of FUN )!

It's a shelf railroad that runs around my office wall and from high side to low side – due to different height doorways – I have 3% grade on opposing walls ( the high side and low side are level ).  I've stripped *all* the weights out of the rolling stock so weight is not an issue at all: I just like the big consists Like I said they are fairly close to each other but top end ( if you will ) is markedly lower than any one of the ConRail.  They also are not nearly as smooth at low throttle as the ConRail.  I've oiled and lubed all their drivetrains with LaBelle 106 & 107 which made them run quieter but not noticeably better – I have not done any maintenance to the ConRail...

Maybe I'll clear the line and run each Santa Fe independent then pick the best matched pair for a two loco' consist 'till I get the upgraded controller and can tinker ( four pulling such a short string does look kind of odd..... )

While I'd like to tune these Santa Fe up I'm still puzzled as to why; as individuals, the ConRail all run better than any of the Santa Fe:  they're all from Bachmann: GP Santa Fe, GP 30 Santa Fe (2) and GP-40 Santa Fe .vs. GP-30 ConRail (2), GP-35 ConRail and GP-40 ConRail.  It would seem that the only difference should be the paint scheme.

Now when I say "all from Bachmann" I mean "they're all Bachmann" however the majority were purchased from WEB storefronts and not factory direct so I have some suspicion that a few might well be factory refurbished as opposed to new manufacture however that's not a disclosure that's ever been made...... That said I *have* reset all of them to factory using the E-Z Command Controler ( the sequence to do so is in one of these forums or FAQs )...

I'll follow-up as things develop and once I get up the $$$ for the Dynamis....

I do have Email notification on this thread so by all means let's hear from others with their experiences and/or suggestions!

Bachmann takes several weeks - literally - to turn things around.  After the holiday ( Christmas ) you may wait 10 weeks or more ( voice of experience here ).  To their defense they have a large share of the overall market and even a < 10% post sale failure rate would be a substantial number......

more importantly: Why?

Funny you should say:  I'm planning to upgrade to the Bachmann Dynamis so we'll set this aside 'till then....

"Speed match"?  How is that done?

The Santa Fe are not only run-in but broken in.  Fact is I only ran-in the Santa Fe as the ConRail were never problematic.  If a loco's been "on the rails" for several months would it make a difference to run it in at that point?  Should I perhaps reset them to factory settings ( there's an E-Z Command sequence for that somewhere... ) and then run them in again?

I was thinking perhaps it was a motor step issue where they are not all "in step" with each other so I removed all rolling stock, uncoupled the consist ( but left them all on the same channel ) and run them around the rail in a stagger:  they did not exhibit a drastic difference in speed one to any other although there was a variance ( haven't tried this with the ConRail for comparison ).


Should I ask my local hobby shop to verify / adjust the steps - they have the DCC system capable of that...

Do the Bachmann DCC chips ( or whatever ) support adjusting the step?

Is it as simple as disconnecting the lead from the powered rerailer at the back of the E-Z Command and plugging it instead into the Dynamis?   All my switches are non-DCC wired into a switchboard with power from a dedicated transformer...

I have two four locomotive consists: one is made up of four Bachmann GP-## ConRail and the other of four Bachmann Gp-## Santa Fe.  All were purchased new within the span of one year.  Individually and in consist the ConRail run much smoother and with a faster top speed than the Santa Fe.  The ConRail are pulling 20 pieces of rolling stock while the Santa Fe are pulling eleven.  What would account for the drastic difference in performance?  Performance does not improve to any great degree even if I run the individual Santa Fe without any rolling stock.  These are DCC run via the hardwired Bachmann EZ Command Control System.

My layout is 100% Bachmann HO Scale EZ Track with Bachmann #5 Remote Turnouts throughout ( 7 of them: 4 left hand and 3 right hand ).  I replaced the Bachmann Switch Controls with the #56 switch controls as the ones from Bachmann are too large for my liking.  The #56 switch control is made for this specific application and WILL work fine.

It is true that if you "fall asleep" on the #56 and keep it depressed it will continue to send current to the solenoid - I suppose that over a L-O-N-G period of time this could damage the solenoid but - I know from my own layout that this is NOT a concern under normal operation.

Combine all this advice and distill down to:

- Don't try to sloder steel rail - solder the joiners

For nickle plated:

- Clean & burnish the area to be soldered
- Tin first
- Use a hot hot HOT iron

and I might add...

- Use 20guage or smaller
- Solder to the OUTSIDE of the rail

There are momentary switch controls made for this purpose (ATLAS #56 Switch Controls for example) and they are what you want.  They are the momentary "doorbell" style of switch control.

jward:  The EZ Track switches I have for my HO are a three conductor connection: throw left | common | throw right

I EMailed Parts@BachmannTrains.Com concerning this and their response was that I should contact Bachmanns Technical department.....    Can anyone provide an EMail address into the BACHMANN Technical Department - where they'd know the internals..?

Thanks Bach-Man

I guess I can crack both my A & B units open and see for myself......

I submitted these questions to Parts@BachmannTrains.Com two or three times now but have received no reply so I thought I'd try here.

I want to add DCC & Power to my ACELA "Dummy" unit.  The motivation for this is two fold:  (1)  I want the better rail performance that will come from having power on both ends so regardless of direction of travel I'll have one pusher and one puller.  This will accommodate higher speeds when in "reverse".  (2)  I want the directional and ditch lights on both units to correctly indicate Fore and Aft.

Here's the cut-n-past from my most recent EMail to Parts@BachmannTrains.Com ( or is it "The Bachmann Black Hole" ? ):

>>> start

I want to convert my HO Scale ACELA "Dummy" unit to a "Powered" unit.   From the
exploded diagram (H819Y-IS001) I see I need the following:

    (1)    H19405 PCB ASSY
    (2)    H19407 DRIVE SHAFT ASSY
    (1)    H19406 MOTOR ASSY

My question concerns the GEAR BOX ASSY which is listed as H19404 for both  the
"Powered" and "Dummy" units yet in the exploded views only the "Powered" unit
shows the GEAR BOX ASSY as having gears within.

Are the GEAR BOX ASSY interchangeable between the "Power"ed and "Dummy" units? 
If not  then what is the correct assembly number for the "Power"ed GEAR BOX
ASSY?

Thank you in advance

>>> end


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