G scale three truck shay

[charlietusa]

After lubricating new Large scale three truck shay with sound as instructed in the DVD , nothing works except the flicker in the fire box.  No sound, no running, dead.  Any ideas before send back to Bachmann?

[Chuck N]

Check the instructions for a master power switch.  I think that there are usually three positions, NMRA, LGB compatable (The non-standard standard polarity most of us use) and off.  It is possible that yours is in the off position.

Chuck N

[StanAmes]

It is rather difficult to even guess what may be the problem with the info provided.

To help identify what may be the problem could you provide the system you are using and the track voltage being used?

Also the position each switch in the locomotive would also help.

Thanks

Stan
http://www.tttrains.com/largescale

[charlietusa]

The switch is in the on position on large scale.  Have tried both on positions.  I have a bridgeworks analog transformer wired to a test track with rollers.  My other trains work on this setup as I retried a few of them to make sure it worked, and it did.  Took the bunker off to look at circuit board to see if I could find anything obvious, but nothing.  I think it is odd that just the flicker in the fire box works.

[Peter O]

Look very carefully at the connector to the third truck. There have been reports of the wires breaking loose of the plug or if pulled/moved too much, off the pc board. Since the brains of the loco are all in the third truck, any connection issues there could create strange results.

I believe Dave Goodson documented a simple fix with a cable tie which prevented it the connection problem occuring. I don't recall if it was on this form or mylargescale.com.

Good luck. Peter.

[StanAmes]

Actually only the speaker is in the third truck, the brains are in the coal bunker.

Try this.  Turn the throttle on your bridgeworks up to 1/2 to 3/4 throttle.

It is does not move I suspect there is a connection problem with the soundtraxx board and that the locomotive may indeed need servicing.

Stan

[Tom Lapointe]

I'll second Peter O's comments on the fragility of the wires  connecting the tender to the loco on the 3-truck Shay; I had a wire break within a few days  of getting mine.  Rather than send it back under warranty, I got out my tiniest soldering pencil (a 16-watt one I've used for surface-mount component work) & was able to VERY CAREFULLY  resolder it. In particular, one of the outside wires is a speaker connection; that's the one that broke on mine.

All was well for a few months; then it broke again.   In my case, carrying the loco from indoors out to the garden RR requires unplugging the connector each time, since the two pieces would be ackward to carry together, to put it mildly!

- So I came up with a permanent solution  - did away with the original Bachmann wiring harness entirely & replaced it with a pair of regular telephone plugs & jacks!   A few pictures below -


The new wires as first installed on the rear of the loco-



A "Marks-A-Lot" marker turns them black  -



The new wires were soldered directly to the Bachmann printed circuit board (Not  a step for the electronically "faint-of-heart"!)



I cut out a larger opening in the tender floor & installed a pair of conventional 4-wire telephone jacks side-by-side -



A close-up of the completed conversion -



Ready to return to service!



The new system has held up well in service, much easier to disconnect & re-connect than the original Bachmann harness!                  Tom

[Jon D. Miller]

Why go through all the aggravation of plugging and unplugging wires that go to the tender each time the locomotive is used?



An easy to build locomotive carrier makes it unnecessary to risk wire damage.  I use carriers for all locomotives that have tenders with wires that run from the locomotive to the tender.

No matter how careful you may be it's only a matter of time until a wire or wires are pulled from a plug.  With the carrier it's easy to move a locomotive to the track, put it in operation and never have to mess with any plugs.  Only time a tender is unplugged from its locomotive is for service. 

Plus a carrier makes storage easy without concern for damage.  Also great when taking locomotives to other layouts for operating sessions.

One of the "Enthusiastic Childern"


JD

[charlietusa]

Thanks to all who have taken the time to reply.  I have been over each wire, one was adrift on the circuit board, I fixed it and still nothing but the fliker in the fire box.  I will admit that several and I mean several wires are barely hanging on.  This is a new train just purchased from a dealer and never out of the box.  Are all Bachmanns this fragile?  I may rethink whether I want any more of their trains.  Mine is going back to Bachmann and I will see how they treat me.  Will let you know.