Engine hangs

[jesse]

???I have a Bachmann FT-7A with DCC on board.  I have finished laying my track on my layout (Bachmann EZ-Track) but when I try to run the engine to test the track, it hangs up on the track.  It is almost as though the wheels are too small and let the plastic shell drag.  I have checked and double checked all of the joints to make sure that none of the rails are out of the joiners and stick up higher than they should.  Running two fingers along the track does not produce any bumps or rough spots; it is smooth all the way around.  Is there a away to adjust the height of the shell on the chassis to prevent this.?

Jesse

[the Bach-man]

Dear Jesse,
Clearly something is wrong. Give the service department a call tomorrow.
Have fun!
the Bach-man

[djp]

Jesse, If running on DCC, do the lights flicker,go off or remain on? For how long or what distance does the engine run before it stops? Take a 12V supply and with the bare ends touch the wheels of the engine. Turn the engine upside down first. If the wheels run smoothly without stoping then you know the drivetrain is fine. If you think the body is dragging on the track the best way to be sure of it is to take about 3 sections of straight track,place them on a table and power it. Place the loco on the track, get on your knees and bring the loco to eye level. Run it back and forth. You will see if the body is touching the track and dragging. Try these steps out and let me know what happens. One more test you can do is get a multimeter [one of the most important tools in RR] check the sections of the track for voltage. One thing i have learned the hard way is even if you have smooth running rails with no bumps, never trust rail joiners 100%. That one little improper rail joiner can mess up your entire operation.

[jesse]

I am running 6 different engines on the test; The FT-7 which hangs; two LifeLike F7s, an Athearn F7 and two Special Bachmann Special ON30 engines.  They all run fine except the engine in question.  Forgot to mention I am not running on DCC.  Straight DC from the Bachmann Control. I don't have a digital voltmeter, but my analog shows a good steady voltage with no flickering or dropouts of any kind.

Jesse

[djp]

Well Jesse looks like the track work is fine so now turn the loco upside down and using your bachmann powerpack touch the wheels with the bare wire ends. This will tell you if the engine drivetrain is free or jamming. if it runs smoothly then it is on your knees for you. Before phoning Bachmann it would be better if you single out the problem so it would be easier for you to explain to them.

[RAM]

I wonder if the body shell may not be mounted correctly. If one end is high, than the other end would be low.

[Scott S]

Is the "hang" happening at a certain place?
The FTs fuel tank has little clearance above the rails. I recall another report of such a problem specifically crossing the summit of a grade in an over-and-under figure eight layout. The problem will occur at the transitions from upward slope to level, and again from level to downward when one truck is on the grade and the other the level. The problem is much worse if there is no level track, creating an instantaneous transition between ascent and descent, effectively twice the ascending grade. My son has EZ-track and the Bachmann EZ-track pier set; we minimized the potential problem by making the transition at the top more gradual - the two top piers are at least 9" track apart, and the distance to the next two piers is one and a half track lengths. This means the highest piers are not at track joint, rather in the middle, and there is a track joint in between them, and between each set of a highest pier and the next size down. Note that as well as reducing the vertical curve, this arrangement  leaves a joint with some up-and-down play, which might allow the track to perform some of the transition as the locomotive crosses it.