Hunt and Bob, thanks for the suggestions.  Two wipers are not touching the wheels, one on each truck, both on the same side.  Now I will try to find out how to get at them so I can bend them a little.  With a toothpick I can move one so it lies flat against the wheel from axle to flange, but it does not take a permanent set -- it just springs back.

I'm studying the exploded view to see if I can remove an axle assembly.

I will also do the cleaning -- I just received my new Woodland Scenics wheel cleaner.

Ed

I have a small layout almost 4x8 powered by a MRC Tech 6 Sound Controller 2.  My Bachmann 2-6-0 DCC Sound OnBoard runs over all of the layout without any hesitation anywhere, and my Bachmann Erie S4 DCC SoundValue OnBoard also runs over all with no hesitation.  My P&LE S4, just arrived today, stalls out at about a dozen places on the layout, but not always at each place, and after a few runs over the whole layout I know where stalls may occur, and those places do not change.  The entire layout is made of sectional track.  Some stalls occur at frogs, but most occur on continuous, although sectional, track, connected only with rail joiners, no soldering.  There is one pair of feeder wires to supply the layout.

Part of the layout is a loop with one turnout for entering/leaving the switching tracks.  On the loop the P&LE will stall, then start up gain with no help, and a few inches or a few feet farther it will stall and maybe start up again.  I'm really puzzled that there can apparently be dead places in the track that are still able to feed the next track sections.

Is it not surprising that two locos have never stalled while a third stalls all the time?  Was I just very lucky with the first two, and I should really have a lot more feeders?  The layout is portable, built on three Homasote sheets joined together, sitting on the floor, and working on it is fairly easy.

Ed Berners in South Bend, IN

When I bought the Mogul I also bought a MRC Tech 6 Sound Controller 2 to run it.  Recently I added a MRC Tech 6 Walkaround Controller.  It plugs into the Sound Controller and I used it to program one of my 70 tonners as loco 04.  Now I have two locos that two grandkids can run independently.  That's as far as Tech 6 can go.  The Walkaround could also program and run up to four other locos, but only one at a time, and switching between them on the fly would be more than I want to give the kids to handle.  For now, with the present layout, I'm satisfied.  When I build my new portable layout it will use the Digitrax Zephyr plus two infrared cabs so we can run three trains.  This thread and others that I have read on this forum have helped a lot, so thanks to everyone.  --  Ed

Well, Tom and Doneldon, here it is Nov 30 and please believe me that I am very glad to have your replies.  I have my answer, and now I know where the chuff comes from. 

Ed

For some time now I have been watching my Mogul and wondering if a real loco can start to move before a chuff is heard.  I hope this isn't too far off this topic.  --  Ed

Thank you Jerry and Doneldon for your replies.  After I posted my question I had to drop that subject and take care of some other things, but I do appreciate your info.  I had a quick look at Jerry's link, and I think it will indeed help.  When I get my answer figured out, and have trains running, I will come back and post my solution.  I have a small portable layout on which the trains could run (at any one of three different grandkids homes) , but I want to build a new one pretty much like it but more portable.--  Ed

I have a Bachmann Mogul with sound and two Bachmann 70 tonners with DCC.  What control/throttle/power setup do I need to run any two or three locos with two or three operators simultaneously and independently on one layout, making the sound available whenever the Mogul is one of the locos running?  My layout is all one block.  I can't tell from what I have read if the E-Z Command system will do it.  It seems that E-Z Command allows only one cab but multiple trains - not what I want.

I have two Bachmann GP38-2 locos, purchased about May 20 2012,  and both are lettered Wisconsin Central on one side and Central Wisconsin on the other side.  I just noticed it about a week ago -- strange to say.  Will Bachmann replace all GP38-2 locos with the error in lettering?

Ed Berners
in South Bend, IN

Hey, Cookie, thanks for the note on your experience with quieting.  I will try it sometime during the next week and post my results.  Here's hoping --

Ed (edpb)

Well, Rich, you must have plenty of beautiful trails to follow.  Your neighborhood has so much wonderful scenery,  I got my first look at Massachusetts on July 4, 1945 from a NYC coach on the B&A RR, going  from Green Bay, WI to Worcester to start my freshman year in college.  Those train trips in the middle 40's were wonderful, even in coach.  The trains were full of college kids and returning veterans, pulled by Hudsons or Niagaras, and then the PAs.  When the train pulled in we watched for smooth side or streamline coaches to get on.  We complained about having no place to sit, but we sat on suitcases or leaned on seat backs and talked, played cards, sang songs all through the night.  Happy days -- after my first trip the war was over and the future looked bright.

Ed

To Dewey, Rich, Doneldon, Zytx --

Thanks to you all for your comments.  It's strangely comforting to know that all 70-tonners are noisy -- mine are normal after all.

I will be careful about stuffing the empty spaces.  If it works I will know it right away and after a short happy run I will check the inside temperatures.

Rich, it's nice to hear from you again.  I'm sorry to hear about your macular degeneration -- I know how that can go because it hit my mother-in-law some years ago, but even so I can't imagine what it's like to rebuild your life around things that don't require good vision.  I'm taking it as a good sign that you are able to continue on the forum.

Ed (edpb)

I started a thread on this problem on June 17 and then could not find the forum again.  Forgot it was Bachmann - hard to believe?  Well, wait until you are 84 yrs old. 

Rich, if you see this, my loco is the same as yours.  I got the shell off and found that without the shell, the loco runs very quietly, almost totally silent.  With the shell, it makes rattling/scraping noises.  It is hard to think of a reason for the noise, except perhaps the faint vibration that can be felt on the weight is amplified by the shell and starts the shell, windows, couplers, everything shaking.  I'm sure that the only parts of the shell that touch the rest of the loco are the two screw pads and three pads that touch the frame.

It seemed that perhaps the shell mounting screws were bottoming out before the shell was firmly fastened, but putting another turn on them did not help.

I put enough thickness of foam peanut between the weight and the shell so I could really smash it down, and that reduced the noise noticeably, but did not eliminate it.  It's still annoyingly noisy and would make it doubtful that it would make sense to try to add diesel noises to this loco.  If I can find some foam the right dimensions I will try filling all the empty space with it and see what happens.

BTW, it is not necessary to remove the couplers and it is difficult to put them back on.

edpb aka Ed

John, I saw and heard one of the 2-6-0s on UTube, and I saw the unsmooth acceleration you described.  Now I know why -- thanks.

Ed

Jeffrey, John, and Rich -- my thanks to all.  John, as I'm not looking for DCC now, your info is especially helpful and I think tells me all I need to know right now.  I'm going to check out that MRC controller.  Thank you for taking so much time to help me out.

Ed

Some of the new Alco 2-6-0 locos come with sound.  I have a DC layout.  If I buy one of those locos, what else will I have to get in order to enable the sound?

I searched "sound" but of course I didn't find my question.  It's too elementary

edpb