3 Truck Shay Factory Sound

[gearedsteam52]

I recently purchased a new old stock HO 80 ton 3 truck shay locomotive with the factory installed DCC sound decoder. It is Bachmann item # 81909 and has the orange stickers on the outside of the box that it is equipped with the Soundtraxx LC series digital sound decoder.

It was sealed in the factory cellophane when I got it.

I opened it and put it on my test track. It runs ok and the lights work but the sound output is so low that you can barely hear it. I adjusted the CV for the master volume to the max allowable but no change. I set the CV for the chuff volume to max and it came up a little but still barely audible.

I really do not want to send the loco back to see if it can be repaired by the factory if it is something simple that I can repair.

Any ideas where to start? Bad speaker? Is this a common problem. I already know that I will have to replace the drive gears at some point.

[Hunt]

The SoundTraxx LC decoders are old. If what is in the locomotive is what I guess it is -  the decoder is not dual mode and there is a warning on the box label not to run it on DC.


If there is one, what code is stamped on the inside of the box lid?



Where to start -- I suggest replace the decoder and speaker. What you have is what it is.

[gearedsteam52]

The code on the inside of the box lid is 020812.

It does have the warning labels on the outside of the box that it is DCC only. I did not try to run it on dc, only with an NCE powercab.

Do you happen to know if I send it back to Bachmann and pay the $45.00 out of warranty charge if they would replace the decoder?

Also found out this evening that one of the bevel drive gears is already split in half so the rest will probably soon follow.

Do the replacement side frames from Bachmann have better gears? I have a set of the NWSL gears that I bought about 3 months ago for the first one of these shays that I bought about 4 months ago.

Thanks for the reply.

[Hunt]

Contact Bachmann Customer Service for answers to your questions and options as the HO 80 Ton Three Truck Shay Locomotive has been discontinued.

BTW - The Shay you have was manufactured in 2002.

[WoundedBear]

If it was manufactured in 2002.....then there is no way it can be factory sound. The sound shays were marketed in the blue box with a clear plastic inner shell.

As for your question re: sideframes. The new sideframes that Bachmann has available through the webstore are still using plastic gears, although the design of the gear is much improved with an added shoulder for strength. They are a far easier way to go about repairing your shay than using the NWSL set of gears.

Sid

[Hunt]

If it was manufactured in 2002.....then there is no way it can be factory sound.
. . .

Sid

The warning label on the box indicates it is factory sound equipped.  The code stamped in the box lid indicates the locomotive was manufactured in 2002.

Broadly, Bachmann sent several different HO Spectrum models to SoundTraxx for DCC sound decoders installation. Their LC decoder was installed. These models have a separately applied warning label not to run on DC.   The HO sound decoder equipped models were advertised in Model Railroader, January 2003; as "W/DCC & SOUND"

[WoundedBear]

Live and learn then. I always thought the first sound Shays in HO came out around 07/08.

Sid

[Geared Steam]

The code on the inside of the box lid is 020812.

It does have the warning labels on the outside of the box that it is DCC only. I did not try to run it on dc, only with an NCE powercab.

Do you happen to know if I send it back to Bachmann and pay the $45.00 out of warranty charge if they would replace the decoder?

Also found out this evening that one of the bevel drive gears is already split in half so the rest will probably soon follow.



Do the replacement side frames from Bachmann have better gears? I have a set of the NWSL gears that I bought about 3 months ago for the first one of these shays that I bought about 4 months ago.

Thanks for the reply.

The side frames are an easy swap, also the truck assemblies now come with metal gears. I would replace the decoder with a Tsunami 2 and the large sugar cube speaker from Soundtraxx. The speaker will fit into the cab of the loco and the two wires snaked beside the factory harness.

The instructions for replacing the side frames are at this link

http://gearedsteam.blogspot.com/2012/06/repairing-bachmann-shay-line-shaft.html

[WoundedBear]

The side frames are an easy swap, also the truck assemblies now come with metal gears.

Just curious as to where you are seeing Shay trucks with metal gears? You sure you're not getting the Climax model confused in there?

Sid

[Geared Steam]

The side frames are an easy swap, also the truck assemblies now come with metal gears.

Just curious as to where you are seeing Shay trucks with metal gears? You sure you're not getting the Climax model confused in there?

Sid

I'm positive, I've spent a little time dabbling with these things.

http://estore.bachmanntrains.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=66_68_92&products_id=208

Truck Assembly - Rear (HO 80 Ton 3 Truck Shay)
$32.00
With Metal Gears


Sold Out
Model: H81907
Shipping Weight: 0.031lbs

[DAVE2744]

re gears:  As was stated earlier, the replacement gear frame ass'y is much, much better.  I replaced all 3 trucks on my Shay, and all is well.  I think they are all sold out now.

re sound: I installed a Railmaster sugar cube speaker in front of the dcc board, facing toward the cab.  Tremendous increase in the apparent volume.  So much so, I actually had to lower the master volume some. I also drilled some holes in the coal load. Glued the cube spkr right to the tender floor.

[gearedsteam52]

Thank you to all for the replies.

I decided to send the loco back to Bachmann for an out of warranty repair.

They have had it for about a week now and I have not heard back from the service department yet.

Will post the results here.

[gearedsteam52]

Wow, there was a package on my porch when I got home today and it was the 3 truck shay.

Now for the bad news. The service order said that the trucks were replaced but that the decoder had been modified and that this locomotive was dcc only, not sound equipped. I even sent the documentation back to them that clearly states that it is a sound equipped loco with LC series decoder by Sountraxx. It has a Bachmann logo on the front of the instruction booklet for the decoder. It also has the Bachmann orange stickers on the outside of the box warning that it is to be run on DCC only because it is equipped with a Sountraxx LC Series Digital SOUND DECODER. They never tried to call or e-mail me with any options for the repair. They even had the nerve to send me a bill.

So much for customer service. Very disappointing that people working in the service department don't know as much about Bachmann products as modelers on this forum do.