Hi, James.

Nice to hear from you again.

I would put any (complicated) equation into Microsoft Excel spreadsheet format.

Use the same function abbreviations, and be careful of parenthesis placement.

Hope this helps.

Joe 

Doug,

I'm certain that you will need a table longer than 48".

Formulas are near the bottom of this thread page:

http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php/topic,28172.15.html

Hope this helps.

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik

 

Hi, Ron.

An old thread on the subject:

http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php/topic,13806.0.html

The only thing I would add is that thortrains layouts are notorious for having "S" curves. 

Get experience recognizing and eliminating them:

Opposing curves need a straight length between them at least as long as your longest loco or car.

Turnouts can hide "S" curves.

Hope this helps.

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik

Dear Wh,

Sounds like you have your #4 analog control N scale E-Z Track turnout in a "reversing loop" (a.k.a. "turn-around loop") configuration

without insulating rail connectors in the proper locations.

The info you need to set up block wiring, including reversing loops,

is detailed in Atlas Book #12, "The Complete Atlas Wiring Book".

Hope this helps.

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik

MrMoose, 

If your turnouts are DCC controlled, i.e., have stationary DCC decoders built in,

you would need to electrically isolate the internal decoders from the rails of the turnout,

then connect the decoders directly to the extra DCC transmitter.

This kind of defeats their purpose, which is to have only one controller running things,

and it would most likely end their warranties.   

Before you do that, try to improve your track connections by

cleaning and tightening up rail-to-rail connectors,

and adding a track power bus system around your layout.

If those steps don't improve things enough, then consider adding a DCC power booster.

Hope this helps.

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik   

EWK,

AnyRail.com is software, specifically a CAD (Computer Aided Design) program for laying sectional track.

(Free to download and use for the first 50 sections of track.) 

There are a ton of different (make and model) track libraries to choose from, including Bachmann HO Nickel-Silver E-Z Track.

Hope this helps.

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik   

Hi, Debbee.

It would help us to know the make and model number of your train set. 

Do the cars that the loco pulls roll freely?

It is possible that something is binding or dragging, causing your motors to work harder and heat up.

Very little lube is put on new trains to avoid soiling the packaging, yet they do need to be lubed.   

Did instructions for lubricating your train come with it?

Thanks.

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to All.

It is handier to have both a left and a right crossover, as you don't have to back your train through a single crossover to get back to your original loop. 

If you put an other-handed crossover on the opposite side of your layout, your 21.25 length problem will be eliminated by symmetry.

See full maxx's layout photo in this thread:

http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php/topic,12474.0.html

Hope this helps. 

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik

CREngineer, 

My basic knowledge:

Normal AC Volt meters are usually designed with only 50 or 60 Hz sine wave (house power) in mind.

You need an oscilloscope or a special DCC Volt meter to accurately measure a DCC (higher frequency square-wave) waveform.

Does your loco run well on DC without the decoder (bypass jumper installed)?

Joe 

Dear B,

If you plan on turning around at the ends of your "U",

you will need somewhere around 26" width for sharp curves,

out to 40" width for broad curves.

This according to John Armstrong in his book "Track Planning for Realistic Operation, 3rd Edition", page 84. (Highly recommended.)

Hope this helps. 

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik 

Dear Chasp,

I can't recall if the RC Big Haulers had smoke units.

Does the box say it has a smoke unit? 

Did a bottle or small vial of smoke fluid come with the set?

If not, it's possible that gear grease melted and ran in the hot attic.

I would carefully take the bottom off the loco and look for broken wires, or corrosion in the battery compartment, including the door. 

Lube the gears and try to spin the motor by hand. 

Does the transmitter light up its pilot light?

Next step if it still doesn't work would be to replace all electrolytic caps on the receiver and transmitter boards.

A V.5 chassis would be a fairly cheap upgrade if you can't get your RC BH working.

Loco Bill or others,

Can a Version 5 track-power chassis be installed in an original RC Big Hauler?

Hope this helps.

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik 

Dear All,

Though a bit late on my reply, I concur with Loco Bill in adding 6 straights to the 12 curves.

AnyRail.com Track CAD program shows that a pattern of (two curves, 1 straight) times 6, 

yields a rounded hexagon, major diameter of 71", and minor diameter of 68". 

Close enough?

Hope this helps.

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik

Chappy,

"..1447R--- red 18-volt, small-globe bulbs, used in bumpers..."

From this website:

http://www.portlines.com/portlinesclinic22.htm

Guessing that your old bulb was near the end of it's life. 

A new one should work fine with 17 Volts.

If there is any way to gradually apply power, or work at a reduced voltage, your bulbs should last longer.

Hope this helps.

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik

Dear Eric:

3.5mm (1/8") stereo (TRS) plug:

Tip (NOT USED large scale) = HO/N/On30 AC out (to power E-Z Command)

Ring = Track Variable DC out

Shank = Common (AC return and Variable DC return)

In other words, wire the ring to one rail, and the shank to the other rail.

Hope this helps.

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik

Dear Vic,

DCC to track is the same cable as Analog DC to track in the Bachmann systems, "BAC00002".

http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php/topic,22376.0.html

The jumper between the DC and DCC units has 3.5mm TRS plugs on both ends, same as your MP3 player jumper, "EZ_CABLE"

It is wired Tip to Tip (AC power), Ring to Ring (DC speed and direction), and Shank to Shank (common return for both T and R).

It may have heavier gauge wiring than an MP3 jumper, though, as it does pass AC power from the DC unit to the DCC unit.

Connecting the two units infers that you want to run a DC loco on your DCC layout. 

Remember that stopping for an extended time or parking a DC motor on a live DCC layout will heat up and possibly burn out your DC motor. 

The DC loco should be taken off the DCC layout as soon as possible after stopping,

or parked on a siding that has at least one isolated rail that can be switched off.

Hope this helps.

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik