Quote from: WoundedBear on August 16, 2019, 06:21:56 PM
The Spectrum Shay and the Mountain will have the 8 pin decoder socket.

The Connie may or may not have the 8 pin socket, depending on how recent an issue it is.

The Spectrum Tank 0-6-0 will have it's decoder hardwired.

Sid

Thank you.
The tank was running on DC only is that possible with a decoder installed?
The Connie is an older issue circa 1990s any idea where I might find a socket if there is one?

Is it possible to find out if the following Bachmann HO trains are DCC ready?
-81902 3 truck shay
-82504 4-8-2 heavy mountain
-11413 2-8-0 Consolidation
-81805 0-6-0 Tank Switcher
Thanks in advance.

Kevin,
Thank you for the guidance I will definitely look at them.

Loco Bill,
I have one Bachmann box car so will look at the trucks the detail will not be an issue because I will just weather them which usually hides some detail any way.

I'll just use the rule its my railway and I will run what I want.

Being in Australia the pickings are real slim down here so I generally take what I can get as long as the postage doesn't kill me.

What scale are they?

Would they look stupid under a 1:20.3 wagon?

Any timeframe on when these will be back in stock?
I am building some boxcars for my Connie and 3 truck Shay to pulls and need trucks.

Thank you for the advice & instructions.

Wish I had found the instructions earlier as it would have saved some severe head scratching and muttering.   

Apologizes if this has been done before but I have Spectrum 1:20.3 Consolidation that has a split gear.

Applying power to the motor causes it to run but the wheels do not move and there is a 'clunking" sound' made by the gear.

I have looked at  the parts store and the wheel assembly P/No 81209 has sold out.

Is there a replacement gear or wheel assembly that I can get to replace the failed one?

I am in Australia so a local supplier would be preferred if possible to save on postage.

I have previously used Barry's Big Trains to repair an old big hauler but he has retired.

regards
Graeme

Thank you for the replies, they will be a great help

Hi, I have a couple of questions about my 3 truck shay.
Behind the smoke box door there are 2 switches;
1. Smoke which is self explanatory and
2. NMRA/Direction/Large Scale.
Question 1 is what is the purpose of the 2nd switch?
Question 2 is if I convert the loco to battery R/C is the 2nd switch relevant?

Quote from: Loco Bill Canelos on May 12, 2013, 07:13:57 PM
Kevin is absolutely correct, if your receiver requires more than 11.1 volts to operate properly, then I would go for my first recommendation which was the 14.8 volt battery.  I presume your transmitter is powered by its own separate power source.  You will have to check the specs on your receiver to determine what the high and low voltage limits are and get or make a suitable battery pack.

Have fun!

Bill

My receiver runs on a constant 5V provided by an Electronic Speed Controller (ESC) which has an inbuilt battery eliminator circuit, it is the ESC that has a 12V limit on it but it is capable of handling up to 20 Amps.
The transmitter has 8 AA rechargeables so that is not an issue.
I have spoken to another modeler who has  Garret articulated loco with 2 motors, he is using an 11.V Lipo battery (12V when fully charged) and it runs fine .

Chuck N has experimented with speed at different voltages and 11mph sounds good to me as I run all my trains real slow, I am guessing that the voltages he measured were variable DC but the ESC I use applies a constant voltage to the motor and switches it on and off at a high speed, the motor speed is determined by the on time/off time ratio.
Effectively it is Pulse Width Modulation.

My other locos all run on 9x1.2V (10.8V) 2700mAH NiMH AA batteries and I have plenty of throttle movement range but they only have 1 motor.
I was just concerned that because the shay has 3 motors it would need a larger capacity battery.

Thanks for all the advice I now have a fairly good idea about how I will go, both with battery size and sound options

Quote from: Loco Bill Canelos on May 10, 2013, 10:52:58 PM
While you do not mention the type of battery you plan to use, I recommend a 14.8 volt 2200 or 2600 mAh Lithium Ion battery pack.  I use them on every locomotive I have from small porters up to large diesels and everything in between.  Runtime will vary considerably depending on the grades on your layout, but I never run one down in a typical operating session. The only time I will run out of battery power is when running heavier trains continuously for long periods of time. The way you run you trains will have a direct effect on your runtime.  Everyone has a different operating style, but I feel you will find reasonable runtime with the above mentioned configuration.

Bill

I am planning on using a12V 4800mAH Li-ion battery from eBay, either that or 2700mAH NiMH tagged AA cells to make a 12V battery.
The limiting factor on voltage is the speed controller I am thinking of using it can only take a 12V input but can handle 20A, it for aircraft/boat R/C.

Does anybody have an idea what the current draw is on a Bachmann 55 Ton 3 Truck Shay?

I am planning to convert one to Battery R/C and need to know what capacity battery I will need as a minimum.

I have just purchased a 55 ton 3 truck shay and am converting it to battery powered, radio control.
The model came without a sound card but other versions do have a sound card fitted.
Is it possible to
a. buy a sound card and,
b. run it off battery radio control?
Any help will be greatly appreciated and if someone has done this any instructions, pitfalls etc also very welcome.
I live in Australia and will be using a model plane radio control system.
Thanks in advance

Barry at big trains has helped me out thanks for the offer Ken

Looking at the "large" board this is a common / quality control problem that Bachmann may have to address for future products if they want to stay competitive in the market

GP

The assembly was posted airmail yesterday 3/08/09 so you should have it soon
GP