Bachmann Lighted Passenger Car

[richd286]

I recently added 3 Bachmann lighted AMTRAK passenger cars to my RR.  Is there a way to turn off the lights when the cars are idle?  I have a 3 car train and I also noticed some operating anomalies, haven't tested other possibilities, but the power has been cutting out and the signal from the transmitter is erratic.  Any thoughts?  I am running a Dynamis system with ProBox.  Mr. Bach-Man any suggestions?   Again kudos to your company on the quality and features on these cars.

[Joe Satnik]

Dear Rich,

DCC users commonly isolate sidings from the main by using insulated rail connectors and then turn them off using electrical switches. 

This keeps unused (parked) trains from robbing power from the DCC system.

Very similar to DC Block wiring, as seen in Atlas book #12.

http://www.atlasrr.com/Images/Books/12%20Wiring%20Book%20Cover.jpg

Hope this helps.

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik

[richd286]

Yes that is a good idea.  I use the turntable to park items with lights, then when the table away from that slot the power goes out.  I was hoping to see if there was someone who could also confirm that the power draw from these cars is the culprit for the erratic behavior of the signal.   Systems acts up when I am running just the 3 lighted passenger cars and the locomotive.