Russian 2-10-0 problem.

[rogertra]

I bought this loco a few months ago and have had nothing but problems with it.

First, the wiring harness between engine and tender was way too long and it was dragging along the ties so I had to tie a knot in the harness so I could run the loco without it snagging my track.  Then I had two wires in the harness inside the tender break.  One probably broke when I was tieing the knot in the harness so I managed to solder back.  The other I discovered  when I was removing the tender shell so as to add the usually required weights over the front of the tender to stop it lifting up from the torsion of the wiring harness, a common fix on Bachmann steam.

This black wire goes under the circuit board to goodness knows where but now the head and backup lights don't work.  I didn't feel like farting around with the circuit board so I installed the weights and put the tender shell back on.  I model the late 1950s so steam headlights in daylight aren't that important.

Then, this morning, I go to fire up the loco five minutes ago.  Won't move.  Sound all works just fine but motion?  Noticeable by its absence. 

It was running fine a couple of day ago but today?  Nada.

Any suggestions regarding DCC?  If push comes to shove I could reset the decoder but before I do that I'll ask here as there are others more knowledgeable than I regarding DCC.

Oh, and BTW, two of my old, early issue,  2-10-0s that are DCC but not sound, took them out of the their storage boxes yesterday, where they've been for three years put them on the track and, they could both free wheel.  Gears not engaging in either of them.  Fixed one, I think, as it does run but got feed up and left the other until later.  Anyone else had these issues with the 2-10-0?

Cheers

Roger T.

[Trainman203]

I have gotten my decs to run  like clocks but they need a lot of work.

1.  Remotor.  The motor is just too weak to pull anything.
2.  The piston rods are too close  center to center and the no.1 driver side rod screw will snag on the cross head.  This is certainly why your engine won't  move.  You have to splay the cross head guides out at an angle.  From the side you won't  be able to see this.  This and the motor are the biggest flaws of this engine and should be corrected if ever offered again.  The Frisco dec will need the cross head guides cut from a support  yoke.
3.  Set cv's 209 and 210 as per mr. DCC's website.  With the new motor, your dec will crawl like an ant.
4. If these values are right cv 116 for chuff should be around 150 to sound right at step 10 of 128, a good switching speed.
5.  Wiring I am no help with.  I was able to bend my tender wires around to ride high enough to miss switch points.

Good luck.  The is one of the Bach Man's most beautiful engine but needs mechanical redesign.

[rogertra]

Trainman203.

Thanks for your advice, I gave it a try but sadly, nothing, still sound but no movement.

I even did a factory reset CV 8 = 8 but nothing.

Finally took the tender shell of, again, and now see there are two unsoldered or loose wires, one blue one which I think is lights and a black one which I believe is motor power.

Sadly I've had it.  My eyesight is no longer up to the fine soldering required to solder wires to circuit boards so this loco is, unfortunately, on its way back to Bachmann tomorrow morning.

Cheers


Roger T.

[rogertra]

Returning to Bachmann will get you most if not all the same issues to address returned.

Russian 2-10-0 is a tinkers dream. 

As I found out the other day when I took my two first generation 2-10-0s from their storage boxes, where they've been resting for the past three years.  Put them on the track expecting both to run and from both of them, hear the motor whirring but no motion.  Drive gear not contacting worm gear.  Took one apart and carefully reassembled it and fortunately it runs.  However, at some point I will have to remove the straight DCC in order to put a sound decoder into the tender, not looking forward to that.  Second one?  I'd run out of patience with that one so before I threw at the wall, I put it down on one of the roundhouse field tracks and walked away to calm down. 

Ah well, I'm not sending the other two back as they've been "UnRussianed" by having the Russian steam dome and sandboxes removed, minor changes to the cabs and modified tenders and some other detail changes, as well as being custom lettered and weathered.  Send them back to Bachmann and they just toss your pride and joys into a recycle bin and send you a new one, even if you ask them not to, they do it anyway.  Ah well, for $25 you cannot really complain.

Cheers

Roger T.



   

[Irbricksceo]

the 2-10-0 is one of my favorite locomotives bachmann has produced, beautiful. Shame that they just replace it with something else though understandable. As much as I love it, it has a myriad of issues. I have one with sound serving on my layout right now and occasionally I've seen that stalling you mentioned though it is rare. I've had to do 3 decoder resets over the 8 months or so I've owned it. But that pales to the first generation ones, Half don't work right, often the copper pickup plate is bowed causing a short. The wires had the standard problems and often the drive would jam up. I agree completely that this needs a redesign.
?
Oh, did I forget to mention the nightmare that is this locomotive's disassembly?

[electrical whiz kid]

Good morning Roger.
I bought two when they first came out.  So far, I have some 'Murphys,' but they are in box for now.  They both seem to run ok.   A lot of guys 'over rate' the vitality of the conductors-don't.  They are very fragile.  I tucked the wires up into the tender, thus eliminating hassles such that you mentioned.  Black/red colours are usually motor leads in a DC circuit.  Blue for lighting.
Best books I bought for this are both Carstens publications; also a booklet dealing with programming.  At present, I am recovering with a broken upper arm; so physical work is out; I am reading a lot!
I have three old Roundhouse hon3 2-8-0s and am thinking of trying the boiler into the Bachmann frame; also trying to locate a Patco lowering kit.  Your thoughts?  Oh, by way; I thoroughly enjoyed  looking at photos of your layout.  Good work!
Rich
SGT C.

[rogertra]

Good morning Roger.
I bought two when they first came out.  So far, I have some 'Murphys,' but they are in box for now.  They both seem to run ok.   A lot of guys 'over rate' the vitality of the conductors-don't.  They are very fragile.  I tucked the wires up into the tender, thus eliminating hassles such that you mentioned.  Black/red colours are usually motor leads in a DC circuit.  Blue for lighting.
Best books I bought for this are both Carstens publications; also a booklet dealing with programming.  At present, I am recovering with a broken upper arm; so physical work is out; I am reading a lot!
I have three old Roundhouse hon3 2-8-0s and am thinking of trying the boiler into the Bachmann frame; also trying to locate a Patco lowering kit.  Your thoughts?  Oh, by way; I thoroughly enjoyed  looking at photos of your layout.  Good work!
Rich
SGT C.

Rich.

Yeah, I've discovered the soldering on the 2-10-0 wiring connections is, how can we put it, not up to design specifications?  Wires do pull free rather easily.

Unfortunately I cannot comment on the narrow gauge loco as I've no experience with them.

Thanks for the compliments on the photos.  The scenicked layout went into the dumpster going on five years ago now.  Beginning to regret that now as the new layout is progressing way slower than I expected due to unfortunate changes in income.  But we soldier on.

Hope that broken arm gets better sooner than later.

Cheers

Roger T.