locomotive not working

[bhepp1285]

hey everyone,

so i received a dcc equipped ho scale steam locomotive for christmas.  the package said that it would work on a dcc layout of a conventional dc layout.  my layout is currently dc powered.  i put the locomotive on the track and it went well for a few second but now it goes really slow and stalls everyone couples inches.

did i ruin this thing already?  hope not since it was kinda expensive.

thanks

[bapguy]

Clean your track. DCC locos don't work well on dirty track. Is it sound equipped ? Also check the wipers on the tender trucks to make sure there is good contact between the wiper and axle.  Joe

[ACY]

Was it purchased from a flea market or train show or ebay, or from an actual hobby shop?
It is possible someone changed some CVs if it had a previous owner and wasn't sealed in the cellophane-wrapping.

[jward]

any dcc equipped locomotive will run slowly on dc, unless the analog conversion feature has been disabled. this is because the electronics in the decoder will drop about 5 volts before the motor will start turning. in effect, your top speed will be about half of what it should be.

since you didn't mention sound, the advantage of having a decoder on a dc layout is nil. look in the box for a dummy plug, if your locomotive has a socket that the decoder plugs into, then there is often a dummy plug that you can plug into the socket in place of the decoder, that will eliminate the voltage drop of the decoder and restore full operating characteristics on dc.

[bhepp1285]

Thanks for the advice guys.  This loco  was purchased in store  and doesn't have sound just lights and and working smokestack.  I am just learning about dcc and plan on redoing this layout in dcc or starting from scratch with a new layout.  Thanks again I appreciate it

Brian