Spectrum Heavyweight Passenger cars safe for DCC?

[gregohio]

Hi, I'm considering the Spectrum Heavyweight Passenger cars with lights.  Are the lights safe for DCC?  The documentation doesn't say, and overheating has been a problem for some others, such as Kato.

[SteamGene]

I've run the George Washington cars on DCC without a problem.
Gene

[RickEads]

Ditto! I've run several coaches with no problems.

[WGL]

 I just ordered two, because they are the only kind I know besides IHC that will run on 22r" curves.  I haven't been able to find out whether they are 72' or 85' cars.

[gregohio]

They are full length, which generally means 80-85 feet.

[WGL]

 I had the impression that heavyweight cars, being from an older era than smooth or corrugated, were shorter.  My Athearn heavyweight passenger cars are 72'.  All I could learn was from modeltrainstuff.com that the Spectrum heavyweight cars have a minimum recommended turn radius of 22", while most of the others they sell have a 24" minimum.
  My IHC 85' passenger cars, which are advertised for a minimum 18"r, give me fits because they keep derailing & uncoupling, even on 22"r.
  The description at thefavoritespot.com indicates that the Spectrum cars are of higher quality, with more features, than my IHC or Athearn ones.

[gregohio]

I just measured one.  It is 11 inches, which equals 80 scale feet.  They have an unusual coupler mounting that turns as the trucks rotate, even though it's body-mounted.

It's much higher quality than the old Athearn or IHC cars.  Still no match for Walthers or Rapido.  But, an excellent value for lighted cars that should work with 22 radius.  My smallest radius is 29, so I can't vouch for 22.

[ta152h0]

Using an ohmeter, put the car in question on a track section, separate from the layout and measure the resistancebetween the two rails.. If it is zero, or very near zero, you have a electrical path to ground ( short )  in the car and do not use it.

[WGL]

gregohio,
  Thanks for the definite size of the Spectrum heavyweight passenger cars & the explanation of how they track curves.  They should be about 5' shorter than my IHC cars.  Walthers' catalog usually says that the minimum radius is 24" for their passenger cars.

Bill

[WGL]

 My two Spectrum heavyweights came today.  They aren't wobbly like my other passernger cars.  I see that the couplers must be installed & that they are plastic.  Gregohio, did you substitute metal couplers?

  Have you added passengers to the seats in your coach?  I suppose they would have to be glued into place.

[gregohio]

My two Spectrum heavyweights came today.  They aren't wobbly like my other passernger cars.  I see that the couplers must be installed & that they are plastic.  Gregohio, did you substitute metal couplers?

  Have you added passengers to the seats in your coach?  I suppose they would have to be glued into place.

I'm using the Bachmann couplers for now.  My layout is flat with 29" curves, so they're not really getting stressed too hard.

I have not added passengers.  I'm probably going to try to improve the lighting first.

[db22]

I installed 3 led's in each car. Much more even light but the color looks like florescent fixtures instead of the old incandesant. Amber LED's may look "older". The first thing I did was to remove the electrical tape over the stock bulb, it is there to send the light through the diffusing light pipe but it does not put out enough even light. These cars need at least 3 bulbs and No heat is not a problem.

[gregohio]

How do you get the shells off?

Thanks,
Greg

[db22]

How do you get the shells off?

Thanks,
Greg

Fingernail under the roof at one end and maybe a small screwdriver on the clear plastic tabs underneath.