Nice find, Len.

It covers many of the important chapters found in the Atlas #12 wiring book.

Thanks.

Joe

Edit: changed "parts" to "chapters".

Brian,

Will your Acela consist fly off your curves with your DC power-pack?

If so, consider reducing your motor voltages with diode bridges and/or diodes as shown here:

http://www.dallee.com/PDFs/MotorDiodeDrop.pdf

This would cause you to run higher voltages on the track, therefore have brighter lights.

The 4 single black diodes in the diagram are wired in a bridge configuration, which can be replaced by a diode bridge.   

The stall current of the motor at 12V is 1.1 amps.

You could probably get away with 1 amp diodes or bridges,

as the motor voltage has been reduced, so will its stall current.

Hope this helps.

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik

http://www.ho-scaletrains.net/bachmannhoscalelocomotives/id55.html

jward,

That's the fun way to do it.

You could also check for shorts across the rails (power pack disconnected)

with an Ohm-meter or continuity checker (beeper) after every wire pair attachment.

I suppose you could just leave the beeper attached to the rails while you work. 

Joe

Dear All,

Just a guess, but the 5W 100-Ohm resistor may be 

a stand-in for a smoke unit.

By "stand-in" I mean the resistor would not have been installed if a smoke unit were on-board.

Since the wires leading to the resistor are red and black (= track power in the wiring scheme),

WBB R&D (more than likely "3-rail") found that adding a resistive load to the track (i.e., a smoke unit) may have settled down

the output of certain brands and models of noisy transformers, which made either the reverse unit or sound board run better.   

FYI, the smoke units of the large scale Big Haulers are around 110 Ohms.   

Hope this doesn't confuse.

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik

Wyatt,

Please trace the wiring and give us a report.

Thanks.

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik

Hi, Doug.

Had to run just as you replied with your track diagram, and just now returned. 

I'm glad you found the problem on your own.

Good troubleshooting.

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik

Hi, Doug.

Please let us know what your scale is, and if possible, the part number of your turnout.

Do you mean power-routing, non-power routing (all routes always connected with each other) or powered metal frog?

Is this turnout part of a turn-around (reversing) loop?

Is there any way you can post a picture or drawing of your track configuration/layout?

Thanks.

Joe Satnik

Tom,

Connector B (or C)

Red x-----1K Res-----LED------Green x

If it lights in the wrong direction, swap the connections to red and green.

Hope this helps.

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik
             

Tom,

Use your Ohm-meter to check if the outside pins (1 and 4) of B 

are connected to (1 and 4) or (4 and 1) of any other 4 pin socket.

Repeat for C.

Joe

Greetings again, Tom.

A diode in series with an incandescent bulb wired in parallel with the rear DC motor (yellow, blue) would work just fine.

Another option, an LED in series with a resistor wired in parallel with the rear DC motor.

Note the bulbs are presently wired directly to AC track power (red-center rail pickup, black-wheels and chassis ground).

The rear bulb holder would have to be disconnected and isolated from chassis ground.

Hope this helps.

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik

Hi, Tom.

Until 3rail comes through with the definitive answer, perhaps a little circuit trace work with an Ohm-meter would help.

Do you have the new 00249 Reverse Board in your posession?

Do you have and know how to use an Ohm-meter?

Thanks.

Joe Satnik

Dear All,

14th Annual Happy Grandparents Train Show.

Menomonie, (West-Central) WI

April 11-12, 2015

http://www.trainweb.org/hgmr/

Hope you can make it.

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik

Dear All,

The cause of the rear LED flashing is inductive kickback, which occurs when electrical contact between the track and the motor is lost.  

If the front light is also an LED, you should be able to see it flashing while running in reverse.  

http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php/topic,28257.15.html   See my post about half-way down the page...

So, the only way to minimize the flashing is to have good contact between the track and motor, which means having:

1. Clean wheels.

2. As many wheels picking up track power as possible, with all their pickups functioning properly.

3. Clean track.

4.  A thin layer of Wahl clipper oil to help minimize arcing between the track and wheels.

Hope this helps.

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik

Edit:  Added Italics

Where does one get bull frog snot?

Bull frog handkerchiefs, of course.