The Acela revealed

[jonathan]

Folks, over the years, we have fielded many questions about the the Acela train set.  I finally dug mine out of a bin and started tinkering.  My intention is to get this set running well enough to run at the next Timonium train show.

I am attempting to use my new flikr account to post photos of progress.

Hopefully, this thread will make a good referral for the questions that get asked, from time-to-time. I notice this set still shows up, NEW, at the train shows I attend.  The most more recent set I've seen comes with DCC on board. My set came DCC ready.

So... to begin:

DSC_0751 by Jon Vogel, on Flickr

Disassembly:  one must remove the rear diaphragm and rear wall. They pull out easily.
DSC_0752 by Jon Vogel, on Flickr

The nose cap can be pulled out, starting with a thumbnail to access the edge.
DSC_0745 by Jon Vogel, on Flickr

The dark gray, bottom nose plate, slides forward.
DSC_0744 by Jon Vogel, on Flickr

Then, one can pull down on the frame and slide everything forward, out of the shell
DSC_0743 by Jon Vogel, on Flickr

All the little pieces:
DSC_0740 by Jon Vogel, on Flickr

By the way, When everything is put together, there is a removable panel to access the switch, changing from track power to pantograph:
DSC_0749 by Jon Vogel, on Flickr

The truck sideframes easily pull away from the trucks. This is necessary for proper cleaning. Man, my wheels and pick up brushes were FILTHY!
DSC_0739 by Jon Vogel, on Flickr

Now the decoder.  Here is where the dummy plug and socket are situated... on the top rear of the frame:
DSC_0741 by Jon Vogel, on Flickr

With the dummy plug removed, it's easy to plug in a new decoder:
DSC_0742 by Jon Vogel, on Flickr

Unfortunately, I have an old decoder, that must be fried, because it won't reset nor program, nor respond to a throttle. So, I've ordered a new decoder. I'll continue with this once I can move on to the next steps.

Regards,

Jonathan

[Len]

It should be noted that if the Acela coupling bars should get lost, or broken, they can be replaced with NEM shank knuckle couplers by Bachmann or Kadee. Which also makes switching the train make up around easier.

Len

[Hunt]

Click Here for Acela exploded view diagrams.

[thewizard]

Your engine has a recess in the weight for a decoder to fit in. IIRC, mine doesn't, and I had to shove the decoder into the space above the PCB board. Mine is probably a first run though, from circa 2001.

[jonathan]

Yep. Acela must be a popular set. Got mine around 2008/9. I notice the online store still has them for sale.

Regards,

Jonathan

[jonathan]

A bit about the passenger cars:

The set comes with three.  I wanted a more complete consist, and managed to pick up three more business class cars over the years.

DSC_0753 by Jon Vogel, on Flickr

To get at the interiors, there are a series of 8 small tabs that hold the shell to the frame.  The next few photos will show them.  I removed the diaphragms, then inserted a number of jewlers screwdrivers around the car.  Some gentle prying released the shell from the frame.

DSC_0754 by Jon Vogel, on Flickr

I did this for two reasons:  curiosity and I wanted to add a little extra weight.  The bottom of the cars do not provide any hiding space for weight.

DSC_0760 by Jon Vogel, on Flickr

DSC_0761 by Jon Vogel, on Flickr

Some cars got 1/4 ounce, others got 1/2 ounce.  Call it an experiment.  Want to check how these cars track under club layout conditions.

That's all I have time for today.  Plus, the glue has to dry before I put the cars back together.  Next, we'll cover the trucks and their particular noises.

Regards,

Jonathan

[Len]

I don't have the Acela myself, but I have a "tip" for adding weights to passenger cars with no space for them.

Cars with a centered aisle: Flatten a weight of the correct size into a long, narrrow, strip that will fit the width of the aisle. Glue it in place and, once the glue is dry, paint to match the cars "carpet".

Cars with an offset aisle: Flatten the weight as above so that it's the width of a seat cushion. Cut to a length that will fit on a seat. Add weights equally to outside seats on both sides until the correct weight is met. Glue in place and paint to match the seat colors in your car.

With either method the weights don't unbalance the car, and become almost invisible when the car is reassembled.

Len

[jonathan]

Len, you are correct, sir. I have done exactly that on other passenger cars in my fleet.  These cars have green windows.  They are difficult to see into, even when the lights are on.  So, I didn't worry too much about hiding the weights.  Neither did I consider adding passengers... just too hard to see.  And at 150 mph, gonna be hard to see anything on the train.  

The trucks have an interesting quirk about them.  They "sing" a musical note.  The pickup brushes act like a tuning fork and create a resonance as the wheel spins.  Think about spinning a wet finger around a wine glass... that kind of a sound.

DSC_0767 by Jon Vogel, on Flickr

DSC_0768 by Jon Vogel, on Flickr

I have been able to mitigate the sound, some, by manipulating the shape of the brushes.  I have been tugging at them with my cross-hatch tweezers--giving them more length I guess. This also changes the spot where the nub of the brush touches the wheel.  I've tried a few other things, but pulling at them seems to work the best.  The sound is not completely gone, but it is a bit quieter.

After studying photos of the actual Acela, it seems to be kept very clean.  For weathering, I just added a bit of rust on the wheel faces and journals.

DSC_0761_01 by Jon Vogel, on Flickr

Now, I'm just waiting on a decoder to finish this project.  More later.

Regards,

Jonathan

[jonathan]

Well, after 2 days of frustrating effort, I was finally able to program the new decoder to an address.

I use JMRI's Decoder pro, loaded onto a laptop.  My programming track uses a SPROG II/v3 which uses a USB connection to the laptop.  I must say this software is not the most user friendly thing for us old guys, who are challenged when it comes to computerware. Had to go back to the written instructions a couple of times to make sure I was performing all the steps right.

I finally figured out that the programmer was not able to read the locomotive on the programming track. I put the dummy plug back into the locomotive, cleaned the wheels again, and ran the loco on my DC layout for about 15 minutes to ensure it was running smoothly.

Then I put the new decoder back in.  Decoder Pro was then able to read the loco on the track and programming went smoothly. Decoder Pro comes with a throttle for testing.  I'm now trying to figure that out, too.

No pictures this time.  Just sharing my efforts.  I'm sure others have had similar problems.  Takes some tinkering sometimes.

Regards,

Jonathan

[J3a-614]

Yep. Acela must be a popular set. Got mine around 2008/9. I notice the online store still has them for sale.

Regards,

Jonathan

I've got one, too, but my wife lost her job, and this was with a house that was supposed to have two people paying for it.

Now, having retired, finances are FINALLY getting back in shape, and I wouldn't mind getting those extra three cars--but those don't seem to be available! 

And I haven't seen any at the train shows in my area.  Any ideas?

[jonathan]

J3a,

Spent a couple of years keeping my eyes peeled for the extra cars. This may not help, but...

I got my first extra car at a hobby shop that was going out of business. The car was sitting in a junk box. It had no box and needed a coupler, otherwise in good shape.  I paid $9 for it.

The second car came from a train show.  Was still in the wrapper and was intended to be sold as an add-on car. Think I paid around $40 for it (kaching). Seeing as it as still new, I was OK with it. Even had a different road number from the business class car that came with the set.  Good find.

The last one I got on fleabay, for somewhere in between those two prices.  I notice there are extra cars available on fleabay, but the seller must think he has struck gold. The asking prices are astronomical. He obviously has broken up the set and trying to sell pieces individually.

Wish I could be more help.  The set locomotive has plenty of oomph to pull the extra cars.

Regards,

Jonathan

[jonathan]

OK, to finish up this project.

It turns out my original decoder was not fried.  The wheels and pickup brushes were still not clean enough for JMRI/Decoder Pro to read the decoder.  I spent two more sessions really getting into the wheels and brushes.  Finally, the programming track and software started to behave as expected.  Relief:

DSC_0734 by Jon Vogel, on Flickr

With the decoder now working properly, I turned my attention to balance.  The locomotive is quite back-heavy.  I threw in some weight towards the front.  A little extra weight never hurt me before. 

Also, I put a piece of tape on the selector switch. Don't want to turn off the power accidentally. Plus, I'm never ever going set up pantographs on my railroad.

DSC_0735 by Jon Vogel, on Flickr

You may also notice I cut out a capacitor that was on the board.  That seems to be the thing to do with Bachmann Boards.  Dunno if it helped, but couldn't hurt.

Thus, this train is ready for running on the club layout and modular layout... hopefully.

Regards,

Jonathan

DSC_0738 by Jon Vogel, on Flickr

[Woody Elmore]

Jon - as usual great stuff. I am looking forward to seeing your Acela in Beano blue and gray. (boy - would that rile the purists!)