Double heading Williams Engines...

[mpzpw3]

I have four williams engines now (great value, and great engines, by the way). Double-heading has become a problem though. I have 2 GP-9's, and the e-units do not sequence the same. I thought that perhaps this was an anomily, but with all 4 Williams engines on the same track, when power is cut off and restored, 1 will start in forward, 1 will start in reverse, and the other 2 are in neutral. I believe a switch is needed in the e-unit to lockout the sequencing. Has anyone installed a switch to do this? If so, how? . Williams engines are a great value, but the e-units are cumbersome with doule heading. If anyone can give me some advice, it would be appreciated!

[MA and PA JCT]

First of all, ALL WILLIAMS engines made in the last 10 years, will start in FORWARD, if the POWER is cut for say about 7 seconds. If just momentary, they should all sequence into neutral. Are they all FACING the same direction I assume. If any of thyem are from an older era, they could have a QSI DRU board in them, they work just like any 3 sequence E-unit.

You mentioned they were on the same track, but are they all coupled togehter, running back-to-back? Or in diferrent areas of the layout?

You can add an lock out switch, but I don't know how its done. Somebody at WILLIAMS knows how to do it.

[ChiefEagles]

I have "strapped" as many as three Lionel engines together with small wires to one E Unit. They work well. Might try the same with the Williams. As I just got two Williams diesels from Ma and PA Junct., I am interested in this too. Will one 6 amp board run two engines if "strapped" together? Makes handling a little tough [especially with 3] but works fine once you have them on the track.

[lionelsoni]

An alternative to wiring the motors to a single e-unit is bussing the pickups among the locomotives. This is not foolproof, but it requires only one wire and greatly reduces the incidence of e-unit sequencing on only one of the locomotives.

I have some MTH locomotives that still have electronic e-units. They have a plug that can be moved to change the default direction. Perhaps Williams has something like that too.

[ChiefEagles]

Hey Bob, good idea on bussing the pickups. One wire and an easy plug in. Very good. When I wired the Lionels to one E Unit, took several wires so did not plug as plug would be too big. Good idea.

[Anonymous]

What does bussing the pickups among the locomotives mean? Run all the engines off one engines pickups?

[ChiefEagles]

I'd run wire connecting the pickups of both engines. That is simular to the thing I did when I hooked three engines to one E unit. Gives you wider span of pickups and more pickups. No flickering in lights or other things such as a cycle in a E unit at a gap.

[ChiefEagles]

Well I ran two Williams SD90's double headed today. Ran fine on the very short track. Then suddenly one sequenced and the other did not. Now I was operating them at a very low voltage on an old KW. Been discussing this with David and he thinks it could be the transformer. "I'm thinking that we used 2 different bricks. Mine was the Z750, and perhaps the wave characteristics are different. That could have a definite effect." Maybe with more room and not so much backward and forwards will help. Also, might try the strapping the pickups from both engines together. Then if one receives the break in power and the other does not, they will continue to run until both gets the break. Comments please. [OH, these jokers are POWERFUL]. Probably one engine and one dummy will pull a long train. Might even pu***wo dummies.]

[FJ and G]

My theory--and I'm not expert!--is that Chief's old KW runs on a different wave than the pure sine wave of my MTH Z750.

Chief, I forgot to mention this in my email, but be sure the track is clean and power feeds are plentiful enough. That could throw off the sequencing. I told Chief that I can only run Williams diesels on the variable port of the DCS, because I can throttle it down to 6 V, the lowest possible; OTOH, if I use 18V, the Williams' double-header will literally rocket sled down the track and fly across the room.

Mine sequence perfectly; even triple-headed diesels (SD-45, GP-9, and U-Boat)

dave v

[drjohn691]

Marty, It's nice to see you over here on the good forum. Now stay here and leave the other one to die it's slow death. OBTW advertise in CTT. We love you for it.

[ChiefEagles]

Probably the dirty track. The units below [4 UBoats strapped together] acted up too and they are on one E unit.



The whisle on both of these would cherp once in a while on the same spot ont he old track.





Stored since 1985 and still got smoke in them.

[ChiefEagles]

David, think it is track [old and not attached so it moves on the carpet]. The E units in the Lionels are acting up too at the same spots on the track. Put Williams on [not double headed] and ran them. Man they are quite compared to Lionel's of the 80's. More powerful too.

[FJ and G]

Glad to have helped, chief. Dirty track changes the characteristics of the waveform, which can result in a lot of strange things happening, including bell and whistles going off, if the wave resembles the flat DC wave.

I'm glad you too like Williams. I enjoy conventional control as well as DCS; the best of both worlds.

dav