To make a long story short, I had some problems with sound vibrations in the tender, so I took the tender apart, stripping one of the screws holding the tender in the process. My only option was to 'snip' the top of the screw and file it down, then the tender fit back into place. (Its very hard to explain, don't ask).
As soon as I put it on the track after this minor surgery, it worked ok with the typical tsunami stationary sounds. Then as soon as I blew the whistle, it sounded for one moment and the whole engine went silent. There was then a buzzing electronic sound that alternated every second. I looked at the screen of my MRC prodigy system and the words "Svda" alternated with "Ovlad" every other second.
I have tried other trains, and they work fine. Only this engine, and only after I cut a screw that was inside the tender. The only thing I can think of is that some sort of magnet in the speaker sucked some microscopic metal shards from the screw and have wreaked havoc. Does this theory make sense and is there any way to fix my engine or is it now trashed?
Perhaps more than likely is metal filings in the decoder. The speaker having metal stuck to the magnet would not overload or short it would just sound bad. Was the locomotive near the work you were doing? Maybe one of the tender trucks is 180 off and needs to be turned around?
Pete
I pray every day I break even, Cause I can really use the money!
I started with nothing and still have most of it left!
If it was mine I would take it back apart and look for anything that now has a black spot where it didn't before. When assembling, wires can get pinched or broken or small metal pieces can wind up somewhere they shouldn't. Try it with the shell off. If any wheels were off, check that they got back on correctly oriented. Check any pickups the same way.
Dave
Lackawanna Route of the Phoebe Snow
WOW, you guys are the best! Turns out the pick ups and wheels in 2 places were oriented the wrong way, I would have never guessed that to be the problem!
Thanks so much. Just curious, why on earth does wheel orientation matter?
Anyway, its fixed!
rjake4454WOW, you guys are the best! Turns out the pick ups and wheels in 2 places were oriented the wrong way, I would have never guessed that to be the problem! Thanks so much. Just curious, why on earth does wheel orientation matter? Anyway, its fixed!
This a common occurrence with some Spectrum tenders. Not all those tenders have trucks that can swivel completely around and cause a short. I have a Spectrum 4-4-0 and 4-6-0.
The reason is one truck picks up on one rail, the other truck, the opposite rail.
I have seen this question in the Bachmann forums a few times.
Rich
If you ever fall over in public, pick yourself up and say “sorry it’s been a while since I inhabited a body.” And just walk away.