DCC Locomotive Operational Glitches

[David R]

I recently bought a Bachmann Digital Sound model train set (Thunder Chief diesel). It works fine. However, I've been trying to run two older Bachmann locomotives on it, both Baldwin 2-8-0 Consolidation steam locomotives. One, I'll call it Green, came with a DCC decoder. The other, I'll call it Black did not, but I just installed a DCC decoder in it that Bachmann recommended and provided me. Both locomotives work on the DCC set, but there are glitches.

1. The headlights on both locomotives DO NOT work when using my DCC controller. They DO work when I run them with my DC controller.

2. The Black locomotive runs in the opposite direction from the Green locomotive and the diesel. So I tried to reprogram it to assign the opposite direction to it. This seemed to work--the red light on the DCC controller switched from flashing quickly to slowly, indicating successful programming, and the locomotive moved slightly as it should have. But when I resumed operation, the locomotive still ran in the wrong direction. I reprogramming it several times, but it still didn't take. I was able to successful change the directions of the other two locomotives, so all three now all run in the same direction. However, this means that the DOWN button on the DCC controller indicates FORWARD, and the UP button indicates REVERSE, exactly the opposite of what I want. I know it's a minor thing, but it's confusing to me.

I know the DCC decoder in the Black locomotive is installed the right way because I looked at the almost identical one in the Green locomotive.

Any idea how I can fix these issues?

David R

[jonathan]

David,

You have all the symptoms of a DCC decoder installed backwards. I would check, again, to make sure all your decoders are installed the right way around. 

I have installed plug-in decoders backwards, when I'm sure I did it right.  Locomotive light will not turn on and reverse is forward.

I could be wrong, but that's exactly what it sounds like.

Regards,

Jonathan

[David R]

Right you are. I reversed the decoder on the black locomotive and it solved both issues. Turns out the light did work on the green locomotive; operator error there. Thanks very much!

David R