Southern Pacific GS-4Locomotive

[M1FredQ]

Please Help

I recently purchased the Southern Pacific GS-4. It's a beautiful engine!!!!
My son and I followed the directions. Set it on the track . It went around a couple times and stopped dead. Everything is plugged in properly. It has no life at all. The light in front works and the sound system works but it stays dead on the track. My son and I
don't know what to do. It is a brand new engine. What can we do???

[M1FredQ]

I had just been running a new Williams F-3 B&O and 1951 Lionel Hudson before setting up the GS-4.

Have also noticed our Williams Black and Red Santa Fe F-3 has no sound.
Any suggestions???

[phillyreading]

I had just been running a new Williams F-3 B&O and 1951 Lionel Hudson before setting up the GS-4.

Have also noticed our Williams Black and Red Santa Fe F-3 has no sound.
Any suggestions???

How old is the F-3? It might not have a sound unit installed, you will have to remove the shell of the diesel to find out for sure.
Not all Williams have sound units installed, this is especially true when it is before Bachmann buyout of Williams. I have three SD-45's by Williams that don't have any sound unit in them. So I bought a Williams shark B unit for cheap at a train show and installed a True Blast 2 diesel horn inside and wired it to get power from one of my SD-45's with an electrical connector for a 1/32 scale R.C. car. I use the B unit behind my SD-45 and have the horn issue solved for me.

Lee F.

[phillyreading]

If this is a brand new engine from Williams by Bachmann, you would do well to contact Bachmann as soon as possible, because that sounds like a bad circuit board.
P.S. All brands of model trains are made in China because of costs, which means failure rates are high.
Some brands used to be made in Korea, but China is much cheaper for labor!

Lee F.

[M1FredQ]

Yes they are brand new I  had ordered them from Trainworld last month!!!!
The F-3 did have sound then silence.
We really are having an issue as the HO Locomotive we bought went round the track a few time and died too.

It seems to be a hit or miss.
The GG-1 runs fine and the semi-scale Hudson is OK too. This weekend I'll check out
the other 2 F-3's we bought.
Thanks for the advice. I'll call "B" today

[phillyreading]

That is odd that both new engines would have a problem.
Check your other engines as well and run them for at least an hour, even if at a slow speed.
Curiousity has got me, is the H.O. train made by Bachmann as well?

Lee F.

[671]

M1FredQ,
            Go to a last posting dated April 11 2001 TRUE BLAST II PROBLEMS, this may help with your sound card problem.

P.S. I have the Black and Red Santa Fe F3 ABA, WbyB, Great smooth runner. The Black and Red bonnet was in an original Lionel catalogue. It has been stated by some that it was a printing mistake it was suppose to be the Silver and Red bonnet. Lionel never produced that color scheme for public sale. I just love having it.  It's exceptional  performance "Forced" me to by the B&O F3 ABA. I have to stop this, I feel a Wabash coming!

                                    Hope this helps and cheers you up...671

[M1FredQ]

Thanks everyone!!
I finally was able to make contact with someone in repairs at Bachmann/Williams.
They want me to send in a copy of receipt and they will send me a new circuit to install.
He said it is easy to do and he would walk me through it if I need the help.
I volunteered to do it myself as he said there is a 8 week wait to have repairs done.
not to mention I didn't want to spend the extra bucks in postage to ship the engines . They are pretty hefty.
I agree when I saw those Black and Red F-3's on a Lionel Nation video. My son and I thought they were really impressive. Later when we saw they were available from Williams we jumped on it.
The S-4 was something my son had been talking about. So we took the plunge with that item too.
When I receive the parts I will post it and probably as k for help disassembling the
engines as I have not done this before. On U-tube there is a fella who bought the C&O from Williams and installed a "Wig Wag" for his F-3. He also replaced the headlite with a LCD and it looks a lot more realistic than the dull lite on those F-3's that come with sets.
Take care everyone Thanks again

[M1FredQ]

671 we seem to have similar tastes as one of the F-3's we have is a B&O and what an impressive site it is on the track!!!!!!!!
I did want a Wabash but Trainworld was sol out!!!!

[M1FredQ]

Friday a Bachmann repair person called and asked I return the GS-4 and the F-3 unit that are giving me problems.
He said he appreciated that I was willing to replace the part myself but they want to investigate and study the problem
So I will place it the mail this week and wait to see what comes back I will post when the units return!!!!!!!!!!