Quote from: jward on March 13, 2025, 04:26:08 PMHave you checked the flangeway width at the guardrails. A hacksaw blade makes a good guage for this. If the flangeways are wwider than the top end of the blade, you need to put shims in them to narrow them, because they aren't guiding the wheels away from the frog points. What number switches are you having trouble with?

Hello,

That sounds like a good idea, and I have some shim metal I could use for that. I use #4 turnouts on my layout, and while I was informed that the K4s handle better on #6 turnouts, the #4 switches are the only type that enable me to configure a passing siding into my track plan.

Hello,
So, if my understanding is correct, I should use sandpaper to file down the flangeway until it's just about the same level as the locomotive wheels. I don't have sandpaper currently, but I do have some metal files and am wondering if they would work just as well.

Hello,
I'm currently working on my HO Kato layout, and while my locomotives seem to run fine on it, I noticed that my largest engine, a Bachmann Spectrum K4, seems to buck or jump whenever its driving wheels hit the insulated frogs on the turnouts. This quite often results in the leading trucks derailing, causing a short-circuit. I'm wondering, then, what modifications I could make to either the locomotive or the turnouts to prevent this issue.

Hello,
I'm looking to purchase a sound decoder for my Bachmann Spectrum HO scale K4 (which I purchased over 10 years ago), and as I have no experience in soldering, figured buying a decoder with a plug would be the best option. With that in mind, I'm wondering if anyone can confirm the number of pins in the DCC decoder interface, as I want the number of pins on the decoder to match what's on the locomotive. As a point of reference, the particular K4 I have is Item # 84014. Thank you very much.

Ah, OK. I have a pair of needle-nose pliers, so I'll try that method of fixing the pointy end of the frog. I did, however, also notice that the tender on my Bachmann K4 tends to follow the locomotive a tad too closely, as it has a habit of coming off the rails at times. I initially had the connections between the tender and loco tightened, as the tender would jerk behind the engine, but now the connection seems to be too tight. I'm wondering, then, how I can loosen this connection just a tad.

Hello,
I'm looking to add weights to the front of my HO scale Bachmann Spectrum K4 Pacific #1361, as the front of the engine seems to jump up whenever the driving wheels hit a switch frog. I've seen diagrams for an exploded view of the K4, and while I noticed that the smokebox door isn't molded to the boiler and can come off, I'm wondering what the best method of removing said door would be. I'm thinking either an X-Acto knife or a pair of needle-nosed pliers, but wanted to know what your thoughts are. Thank you very much.

Hello,
I've been working on my HO scale layout now that I have the benchwork built, and my track plan includes two reversing loops in a figure-8 configuration. I also plan on primarily running three Bachmann steam locomotives: a Spectrum 4-6-2 Pacific, a DCC/WowSound 2-8-0 Consolidation, and an 0-6-0 switcher. I've noticed, however, that while I have the reversing loops insulated from the rest of the layout, my locomotives tend to stop once they hit the insulators. I'm wondering, then, if this is an issue with the contact/pickup points on the locomotives, none of which are more than 9 years old.

Hello,
I recently had the benchwork for my HO scale model railroad layout built, and after laying the track (Kato Unitrack), started programming and testing my locomotives using the Bachmann EZ Command Controller. Two of them (a Bachmann 2-8-0 and a Bachmann 0-6-0) were programmed and run just fine, but the third engine (a Bachmann Spectrum 4-6-2) doesn't seem to respond when I try programming it. I've tested this locomotive on my model railroad club's layout (which uses DigiTrax) and it runs well there, but doesn't respond on my own layout when I try programming it. I'm wondering, then, how I can resolve this issue. Thank you very much.

Hello,
As I may have mentioned before in a prior post, I'm planning on expanding my HO Unitrack layout and running trains with the EZ Command DCC Controller, and as my layout will have two reversing loops, I've also purchased two EZ Command Auto Reversing Modules. I figure on wiring the modules in much the same way as the dogbone configuration, though I'll be using feeders instead of a single terminal track, but I was wondering if connecting the EZ Command Controller to a terminal strip (for other accessories) would have any impact on the reversing loops/modules themselves.

OK, thank you very much for letting me know .

Hello,
I plan on using multiple power supplies for various accessories (i.e. signals, traffic lights, switches) on my layout, yet while I have voltage counts for each of these, I could not find a definitive voltage measurement for the EZ Command Control Center's A/C adapter.  I was wondering if anyone knew this particular voltage measurement (12, 16, etc.), as I want to be absolutely certain I don't overload a power strip or short out the layout.

Hello,
I'm looking to purchase the Bachmann DCC-Equipped Turntable, and saw in the description that the turntable bridge measures 10 inches long.  The largest locomotive I'll likely use on my layout is the Bachmann Spectrum PRR K4 #1361, and I'm wondering whether it could fit and be turned around on this turntable.

Thank you for your response, Deborah .  I already have a power supply for my motorized switches, along with individual controls for each, though I'm wondering if I could operate the Bachmann DCC-Equipped turntable using the EZ Command Controller and without the need for an Auto-Reversing Module.

I have a similar question regarding the EZ Command Controller.  I saw that Bachmann sells a DCC-equipped turntable, and I'm wondering if I could operate this with the EZ Command Controller, or if I would need to buy a separate DC Controller for it.

Hello,
Thank you for your response.  I do have some old A/C adapters, though they're only rated for 65 and 300 mA, respectively.  I did find a 16 Volt A/C adapter online that's rated for 1250 mA, so that might work.  I'm also thinking I'd have to strip the wires on the A/C adapter to connect them with those on my accessories.