Bachmann 2-6-6-2 DCC

[Yankeeflyer]

Jim
And all that answered.
I went to the Tsunami and there is an OEM steam sound user's guide. Downloaded manual and been trying different settings for Hyperdrive,  back EMF on, off and different settings ETC. I have run loco for some time, changing CVs that the manual suggests on the fly. I'm running loco with no cars. I get changes but nothing that helps the loco going down grade at throttle settings 5 or below. At throttle one or two it lunges about one to one and a half inches at a time.
I really wanted this articulated, but I have to think it is a bad design. My other Bachmann Spectrum  work great. If I understand correctly this #84010  2-6-6-2 is not the same as the 2-6-6-2 that is being sold now or will be out soon.
I'm thinking about going back to Bachmann to see if they will trade me something of equal value.
Lee

[Jim Banner]

It cannot hurt to try.  The worst they can do is say no.

Jim

[pdlethbridge]

  I have a medium steamer dsd 101lc in my Bachmann consolation. The lc stands for low cost. It is not a tsunami but on the soundtraxx page it is listed at the bottom under and separated from the tsunami decoders. It is a pretty good decoder in my estimate but not as loud as a QSI or tsunami unit.

[Jim Banner]

PD,
I agree.  A friend has one and the sound is great but a little weak.  But then again, my ears are not as sensitive as they used to be.  I looked at them at Tony's and they are just over half the price of a Tsunami.  I have the idea that I would like to install one of them and an amplifier in a large scale locomotive and blow the neighbour's cat off my fence.  I had thought of using a Digitrax Sound Bug, but then came up with the idea of using the motor output of the DSD-LC to make the engineer turn and look backwards when backing up.  (Somebody has too much time on his hands.)

Question about the DSD-101LC in your consolidation - was that an after market installation or did it come that way from Bachmann?

Jim

[pdlethbridge]

I bought the dsd 101lc from gadget tom's and installed myself. The speaker is in the coal bunker and I squeezed the decoder in below it. Are they using this unit and marketing it as a tsunami?

[Atlantic Central]

"I really wanted this articulated, but I have to think it is a bad design. My other Bachmann Spectrum  work great. If I understand correctly this #84010  2-6-6-2 is not the same as the 2-6-6-2 that is being sold now or will be out soon."

Lee, how can the design be bad when so many of us have these locos and they run fine?

The new one comming out soon is cosmeticly different, but except for decoders, sound decoders or the lack of them, all Spectrum 2-6-6-2's are mechanically the same.

If your loco does have a mechanical problem, it is just that, a production defect, not a design flaw.

Sheldon

[SteamGene]

I don't know if the C&O H-4 is avaiable yet, but it might be good to indicate WHICH 2-6-6-2 this is - the C&O H-4 or the USRA light Mallet, 2-6-6-2.
Gene

[rich1998]

i did a bunch of looking around. from what i can see bachmann has always had the tsunami in their steamers. and it always had hyperdrive bemf. the big difference has been less sounds than the tsunami you buy and install.

a friend contacted an online dealer of the soundtraxx decoders and the contact said what i put above.


the bach man could solve this mystery buthas been very silent. strange.
lex

[Jim Banner]

Just to confuse the issue even further, some of the larger decoder installers have kept a small stock of popular conversions on hand.  Tony's comes to mind.  I suppose this helps even out the workload for those doing the actual installations.

Jim

[Yankeeflyer]

My Bachmann 2-6-6-2 is # 84010 painted but unlettered. There is one on Walthers site #84010 that is unlettered and looks like mine. Could be a new run.
I have used every possible combinations of CVs  that the manual suggests and it has no effect on my downgrade surging  problem.
I have been trying all day to get through to Tom or Mr. Riley no luck so far.
Returning it seems to be the answer but what do I get in return,  same problem??
Ok guys need a little sympathy here 
Lee

[Atlantic Central]

Lee, I have over 30 Bachmann Spectrum steam locos. Over the 10 or so years that I have purchaced them, I have had to return two of them. The replacements where fine, ran perfectly.

Why do you seem to not accept the fact that the one you have might be a dud, but that many, many others, possibly from that same production run, could be just fine?

No offense intended, but its seems to show a lack of understanding on mechanical devices. All it takes is one damaged part during assembly, one driver that is out of quarter, one slighly bent axle undetectable with the eye, one slighly warped casting, and that ONE loco is now a dud that won't run right.

While the 300 made before it and the 300 made after it are just fine.

I will admit that this kind of quality control issue has been a problem at Bachmann, BUT, they always make it good with replacement locos.

I will repeat, I have three of the locos in question, they all run fine. One actually is a replacement sent by Bachmann for one that did not run fine out of the box.

You said you have Spectrum heavy Mountains, so do I, seven of them in fact. One of those had to be replaced, that did not stop me from buying more. All the rest have been fine.

Also again, all of my Spectrum 2-6-6-2's have lots of play in the drive line, as do all the ones owned by my friends in our local group. That has no effect on their performance. That is not the cause of the problem.

So maybe you do have a dud, sent it in and get your free replacement.

Sheldon

[SteamGene]

I have to totally agree with Sheldon.  Had you said that you took the loco and bashed it into a Santa Fe, I would understand - other than doing the bashing before the running in...
Gene

[Yankeeflyer]

Sheldon
Good morning
Just one more question and I'll let Bachmann replace the loco.
Do you have grades on your layout? and what percent? sorry that's two questions. 
I was at my train club last night and they did say that others had complained of my problem also.
Thanks to all for the help.
Lee
p.s. If you run DC and no grades I could see were one wouldn't have the surging.

[Atlantic Central]

Lee,

I have grades of about 2% max and have never experianced this problem, with my Spectrum 2-6-6-2's or any other loco.

I do run DC, using Aristo Craft Train Engineer radio throttles. I run long trains of thirty to fifty cars and often double head my 2-6-6-2's or run one Spectrum 2-6-6-2 double headed with a Proto 2-8-8-2 (yes this works fine in DC, dispite what David M Bedard has to say).

I know other with these locos and grades who use DCC, they have never commented about any problems.

Sheldon

[Atlantic Central]

Lee,

One more thought about your problem. You said in your last post members of your club had complained of the same or similar issues? Is the club all DCC?

I have not seen inside the tender of a DCC with sound version.

In any case, if it came with jumpers to completely bypass the decoder, I would do that and find some way to test it on DC.

I know you have ajusted and re ajusted the CV's, but it may be an "unfixable" decoder problem.

As is clear to you by now, I am a Bachmann fan, but I have heard from many in DCC that their decoders are sort of "budget".

I have personally found the the built in decoders in the GE70T diesel will not run on the pluse width DC signal of my Train Engineer throttles for example.

Running the loco on DC would confirm a mechanical vs decoder probem.

Not to knock DCC, but DC is still the pure test of the mechanical sapects of a loco.

Sheldon