Bach. Spec. 55 Ton / 3 Truck Shay

[Gonzodagreek]

I purchased a second hand unit which came with no information.  Dumbest question, but where are the 4 switches to control the engine?  I thought they were hidden behind the sand boxes on rear water tank but I'm not able to get either those off.

Thanks in advance for your reply and help.

[Hunt]

Click Here exploded view diagrams

[Gonzodagreek]

Thanks Hunt for offering your reply.  I have those schematics too but they don't show where the switches are located for choosing "Track Power" or "DCC", "Polarity", and I forget the other two.  I just seem to recall having seen a YouTUbe video (which I can't located anymore) which showed exposing these 4 switches.

Still need more help.

Can somebody show a photo or simply tell me where they are.  I don't want to go 'prying on parts' to try and discover them.

Thanks

[Greg Elmassian]

No offense, but did you look a the first page of the link?

look in the lower right corner, see the switches?

They are behind the smokebox door

[Gonzodagreek]

Yes, I did see those right off the batt and am aware of the 2 switches behind the front smoke box hatch.  Perhaps I'm looking for something that I'm mistaken and doesn't exist. 

I'll keep investigating.

Thanks

[Greg Elmassian]

Well, you asked about 4 switches, so I wonder where you got that idea.

So, on the link provided to you:

First page shows the 2 switches behind the smokebox door. One is the "NMRA vs LGB" track polarity switch, and the other is the smoke on off switch. Note the circuit board the switches are on: G821X-PCB04

Now look at pages 13 or 14, you can see that same PCB identified  above and to the right of the smoke unit (square box with a square reservoir), also up and to the left of the front truck.

Perhaps you may be thinking of the metal leaf contacts, shown in the upper right of the cylinder assembly, sort of 3 switches in parallel? They are the chuff contacts for a sound system that uses them, although they are unreliable. Unfortunately the drawings do not show the wiring to these chuff contacts.

That is all that I can think of... perhaps you have more switches due to some additional user-installed electronics?

Greg

[Gonzodagreek]

So I checked around and found where the idea (image) came from, I saw it my "2 Truck" Shay manual and just assumed the same would be for the "3 Truck" shay.  Both models are from the 'Red box' era and are DCC and Sound equipped.

I'm new to the forum and need to learn how to attache images so I can share.

[Greg Elmassian]

To attach images (that can be referenced by a URL,  you cannot upload them) see the icons in the editor menu, bottom row, 2nd from the left.

So, did this answer your questions? Bachmann documentation is sort of weird, I would like to see a schematic as an engineer, but you get a "wiring diagram" and often stuff is left out.

Greg

[StanAmes]

Let me try.

Are you sure that the other Shay is not a Climax?  Sprectrum locomotives produced post the K27 had a socket installed and this socket has the 4 switches you mention.  The switches for the Climax are behind the sand boxes at thre rear of the fuel bunker.

The 3 truck shay was I believe the first Bachmann large scale locomotive that came with DCC and Sound from the factory and this was proiduced pre the socket and only has the two switches behind the smokwbox door.  I do not believe the 2 truck shays ever came with DCC and sound but I may be mistaken. 

Hope that helps

Stan

[Gonzodagreek]

First:  My apologies to the group. 

Stan's reply is correct, the "4 buttons" I am referring to, which I was positive I saw somewhere, are on the back of the "Climax" not the "2 truck Shay".  I now have all three engines in my collection and are in the mist of opening up stored boxes and recent Ebay purchases with plans of building my second layout at my new home.  Thus some of the mix up.

Perhaps then, the newly acquired  "3 Truck Shay"  does not have these buttons but simply triggers the various affects (bells, whistles, and other sounds) based on direction of motion and speed while under DC power.    I also assume that those features can be controlled via the CV settings and proper programming while operating under DCC.

Do my assumptions sound about right?