Hi all I am helping this fan via private message, but if some of you have ideas please post them?

So far I feel it is the power supply, another possibility possibility is poorly connected track.

Bill

Hi Steve,

In order to help we will need to know which version of chassis your locomotive has and which gear you need.  The Ringmaster set was made over many years and as a result it went thru many chassis changes.

It will be one of the following:
Version 2  1990-1994  Smooth Bottom Cover  You can turn drivers by hand and motor will turn.                           
Version 3  1994-1998  Smooth Bottom Cover You cannot turn the drivers by hand.                             
Version 4  1998-1999  Large wide hump dead center between the rear drivers on bottom cover.                             
Version 5  2000-Pres  3/8th inch wide hump offset between the rear drivers and a plastic lubrication plug the size of a dime to the rear of the hump and has the old style slotted front truck.

Once identified let us know what gear you need and we will try to help!

Loco Bill

Nice work Kevin!  Great to have you back on the forum.

Bill

Hi David,

While I can't help with the decoder, I was thinking it might be best to determine if the Firebox and Ashpan circuits are really cooked using an external power supply and a 1000ohm resistor as the first step. If they do then you could experiment with the onboard wiring. If you have a multimeter you could check the decoder output circuit to the firebox and ashpan circuits and see what voltage it is putting out then use the resistor if necessary. Are there any resistors on the ashpan and and firebox circuits??

Wish I could be of more help but that is my best shot.  The electronics whizzes will have better ideas.  Best of luck with your project.

Bill

Congratulations on catching the large scale bug!  Keep having fun with your trains!! I could smell the manure from here

Cheers & Beers,
Bill

Power Supplies like the MRC 1400, and the small power supplies that come with Bachmann Large scale sets and many others have the thermal circuit breaker noted above.
In your case it would seem that the Annie is heating the breaker tripping it.  Then it resets when the overload is removed.  Then repeats. the more you try to use it the worse it gets because it cools down just enough to reset but is still warm enough to over heat more quickly and trips faster.  As the breaker gets tripped more and more the weaker it gets.  I can't remember when the MRC 1400 first came out but is pretty old and may have been used a lot before you tried using it with the Annie.

My recommendation is to get a power supply rated at 2 Amps or more, and preferably new or hardly used.  If you plan to use trains longer than 4 cars and the layout has grades your MRC 1400 is too weak for sure.

Christmas Cheers and Beers!

Loco Bill

Dave told me he bought a new front truck and it was the new type with the single screw setup.  I thought I would post the reply here for everyone to see.

https://estore.bachmanntrains.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=69_671_148&products_id=8545

Dave,  The best thing you could do is drill one hole in your chassis and use it like it was meant to be. This type was first made by Barry of Barry's Big Trains as a replacement for the type of original front truck you have and worked so amazingly well that Bachmann copied his concept.  Barry is no longer with us, but his truck lives on thru Bachmann. I would use a good hot soldering iron with flux applied to the wires being sure to put the smallest size shrink wrap possible on the wire before you do the soldering. Some guys have also used a crimp type of connector to avoid soldering.  Some also removed the wiring to the front truck altogether. Here is a video which shows the new style truck installed so you get a better idea of what is involved. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYoXNN7L26g  Thanks Ricky!

I have been following your post and from what I would say your biggest problem is most likely with your track.  Doing it on a carpet is Ok unless it is a shag type of carpet.  There is no need to buy brass track if you only run the train at Christmas time, but if you run it year round I would consider the brass track.

With the track you have it is critical that it be connected very tightly and laid down perfectly with no kinks whatsoever. Sometimes the only problem with the original front truck is that the wires interfere with the movement of the truck, so be sure to push the wires up and out of the way. I also recommend you use a dry teflon type of lube and apply it to the slot the truck swings in. Can't remember who said the wheels with the metal axles are insulated is correct.

Having said all that You will never regret using the new truck as designed and it is worth the time and effort to do it. 

Take Care and impress those Grandkids!!!

Bill

Sorry for the late response, but yes the links worked perfectly, and your installation of the sound box looks great.  Bill.

HI again,

The idea may not be new, but it is great that you are having fun with it. As for pictures, you must use the link to the picture and post the link so we can see it here. 

If you have a chance to try it give it a go here.

Best, Bill

Good morning,

At the Colorado RR Museum the stack was in the back. My conductor at the time in my rookie days insisted on it to a fault. His point was that the conductor or rear brakeman must have a clear view of the train. One day while turning one of our Cabooses I was not paying attention and turned it the wrong way facing the lead to the main track and got a friendly but firm chewing out. 

The reality is that in the real world it could go either way depending on the situation. This was true especially when conductors no longer had their personal caboose. When a train was on a branchline with no way to turn a train at the end of the run the crew would run around the caboose and the stack would be in the front.

When wide vision cabooses came along it was not as necessary, and also not necessary for bay window cabooses.

Bottom line is there is no wrong way to run a caboose and it depends on the era, railroad rules, and track limitations. 

Loco Bill

Hello Jack,

I am assuming you have one of the older Big Hauler Large Scale Sets. If so go to this link for a complete instruction booklet for your set:
https://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php/topic,18832.0.html
Scroll down to the link under the Big Hauler Instructions. Scroll down to the smoke section for the official insrructions

Basically add 3 or 4 drops of smoke fluid in the smoke stack open the boiler front to expose the smoke switch and turn it to the on position. 

If you find the smoke switch is already in the on position the smoke unit could be burnt out. Running the locomotive with the smoke switch on and no smoke fluid in the stack usually burns out the unit.

Take care and enjoy your new find!!!

Loco Bill

You are welcome!  The Bachmann Smoke unit never was known for great smoke output. As much as I like smoke I never use it due to the mess factor. The residue from the smoke coats the locomotive over time and it is a pain to remove.  I would reconsider if the smoke was black.

Bill

The instructions say to run it at 80% have you tried doing that??  The reason I mention it is that the smoke circuit is connected directly to the speed controller settings.  This heats a coil in the smoke unit. Also If you put in too much smoke fluid it takes more power to heat the coil.

Welcome to the forum and have fun with your new set!

Loco Bill

Good to hear you got what you needed so have a great Christmas with the set running and with your family. 


 

Please let us know how things go when you track test it and run it for awhile, it will be of great interest to our forum members.

Most of all have fun with it!   Bill