Need some assistance. I want to run my loco's back to back in a consist instead of running them all forward. I did do it one time but can't seem to remember how I was told anymore. My system is a Digitrax Zephyr system trying to run Atlas loco's with the sound decoders in them. I posted the question a couple of years ago and couldn't find the old post.
Thanks in advance,John
John,
You need to follow the steps in the Zephyr manual beginning on page 26 section 18.1.
The first step seems to be the one that is most misunderstood. That one is to place both engines on te track facing the way you want them to be in the consist. Now select the first one (your choice) and run it a few inches. Now select the second engine and run it in the same physical direction as the first. E.G. If the first engine moved from the left to the right, use the direction switch to make the second run from the left to the right. This is what is meant by same "physical direction". Once you have them both going the same way, move on to step two and consist them
Martin Myers
I wouldn't mess with CV29. It is not necessary. There are two ways to do it. mfm37 gave the Universal Consisting way. That way takes up 2 slots in the Zepher, and you only get 10 slots to work with. It may not be a problem.
The other way is to make an Advanced Consist, using CV 19. Most decoders will handle this. This will be a 2-digit address. Figure out which one you want as the leader. Decide which 2-digit address you want to use. Program this into CV 19.
Now, on the engine going the other way, add 128 to the address. Say you used 70 for the consist address. The rear unit would get 198 (70 + 128) programmed into CV 19. Other DCC systems may do this different, but this is the way to make an advanced consist on a Digitrax system. The consist then only takes 1 slot in the system, so you could run 9 other engines or advanced consists.
Mike WSOR engineer | HO scale since 1988 | Visit our club www.WCGandyDancers.com
I wouldn't play with any of the CVs, unless you always plan to run these engines consisted together, or, as was pointed out, if you're short on "slots" in the active stack on your DCC system, whichever one that might be.
Personally, I make up and break down consists as needed, and I always break them down before "putting my toys away" in the roundhouse. I like the activity involved in running the engines together and coupling them as independent locomotives before actually creating the consist.
On my Lenz system, I specify the direction each engine goes in the consist as I add it, by the way. I think that's referred to as "Advanced Consisting" in the manual. There's also an option called "Double-heading" which I never use, but I think that's limited and might not allow me to select direction.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
TA462I agree, don't change any CV's. I really don't know why people always want to do that, your just looking for problems down the road.
There are CV's specific to consist for this particular operation! For example bit 7 on CV19 on the Soundtraxx LC series is specifically reserved for train direction when running in a consist!
Don - Specializing in layout DC->DCC conversions
Modeling C&O transition era and steel industries There's Nothing Like Big Steam!
Got them running back to back now. I was just messing around with them and it worked out somehow. I'll have to go back and experiment more on what I did.
DigitalGriffin TA462I agree, don't change any CV's. I really don't know why people always want to do that, your just looking for problems down the road. There are CV's specific to consist for this particular operation! For example bit 7 on CV19 on the Soundtraxx LC series is specifically reserved for train direction when running in a consist!
That's assuming you're doing Advanced Consisting that actually programs CV19. Which you CAN do with Digitrax, it just doesn't do it by default (my one and only appearance in print was my letter a couple years ago mentioning that they left out Advanced Consisting in the features checklist on the Zephyr in a DCC comparison article). By default, Digitrax does what they call Universal Consisting, where the consist information is held by the command station and the loco decoders themselves are unchanged - these consists are not portable, take the loco off the track and to another layout and they will run individually under their own addresses. CV19 consists are portable, you can go to another layout, as long as the system supports advanced consisting, and address them with the consist address and both will move. Universal consisting is a bit more flexible since you can use any valid address as the consist address - the lead unit, the trailing unit, a middle unit, a dummy 4-digit address, or a dummy 2-digit address.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
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cumminspwr Got them running back to back now. I was just messing around with them and it worked out somehow. I'll have to go back and experiment more on what I did.
You probably advanced the throttle after changing the direction - if you simply pick a stopped loco and throw the reversing switch because you want that one to run 'backwards' in the consist, it won't - because just turning the direction lever does not send a DCC packet to the decoder. Hence the "move it a little" before adding it to the consist - so it is known to be moving in the proper direction. All you really need to do is perform some operation that will send a DCC packet containing the direction info to the decoder - the loco doesn;t have to physically move. That's just the easiest way to verify it.
TA462 DigitalGriffin TA462I agree, don't change any CV's. I really don't know why people always want to do that, your just looking for problems down the road. There are CV's specific to consist for this particular operation! For example bit 7 on CV19 on the Soundtraxx LC series is specifically reserved for train direction when running in a consist! By the time you put the loco on the programming track, read, change and then write the change you want to make to CV 19 and then put the loco back on the layout you might as well just do what I said. Its easier, simpler and faster to do. I can see changing CV 19 if you have 2 loco's that will always be MUed together, I have a AB set that only run together but why go through all the hassel of changing it just because you can? When you split up the consist you then have to go back and change CV 19 again back to its original setting. Kind of a waste of time when there is a simpler method that does the samething don't you think?
By the time you put the loco on the programming track, read, change and then write the change you want to make to CV 19 and then put the loco back on the layout you might as well just do what I said. Its easier, simpler and faster to do. I can see changing CV 19 if you have 2 loco's that will always be MUed together, I have a AB set that only run together but why go through all the hassel of changing it just because you can? When you split up the consist you then have to go back and change CV 19 again back to its original setting. Kind of a waste of time when there is a simpler method that does the samething don't you think?
If you want to use CV19, there is no reason to go through all of that, just program CV19 on the main using OPS mode programming, takes all of about 5 seconds. There is no reason to read CV19 before programming it. Both forms of consisting have their advantages, but neither one is difficult nor time consuming
TA462consist you then have to go back and change CV 19 again back to its original setting.
You can program a seperate consist address. This is a standard CV on 99.9% of DCC decoders.
You type in that consist address on your controller (0-99). And boom, it addresses all trains with that consist address.
Once you break the consist and address the locos individually, CV 19 is ignored. You don't have to reprogram it!
You're thinking of CV29 for normal operation. Don't touch this!
All this can be done on the main.
DigitalGriffin TA462consist you then have to go back and change CV 19 again back to its original setting. You can program a seperate consist address. This is a standard CV on 99.9% of DCC decoders. You type in that consist address on your controller (0-99). And boom, it addresses all trains with that consist address. Once you break the consist and address the locos individually, CV 19 is ignored. You don't have to reprogram it! You're thinking of CV29 for normal operation. Don't touch this! All this can be done on the main.
If you are using the throttle consisting functions to make and break advanced consists, then you do not have to reporgram CV 19(because the command station is doing this for you), but if you are not using the throttle consisting functions, then you do. You have to program the consist address into CV 19 to add a loco to a consist, and program 0 into CV 19 to remove it from a consist. This does, however, only take a few seconds with Ops mode programming.
mfm37 John, You need to follow the steps in the Zephyr manual beginning on page 26 section 18.1. The first step seems to be the one that is most misunderstood. That one is to place both engines on te track facing the way you want them to be in the consist. Now select the first one (your choice) and run it a few inches. Now select the second engine and run it in the same physical direction as the first. E.G. If the first engine moved from the left to the right, use the direction switch to make the second run from the left to the right. This is what is meant by same "physical direction". Once you have them both going the same way, move on to step two and consist them Martin Myers
This way worked perfectly for me. Key was, as you mentioned, keep locos running ever so slightly. This is the first time I've ever consisted engines facing the opposite direction and it worked like a charm. Thanks.
Great!!! Ya gotta walk before you run. While the balance of the responses gave good information, I had a feeling you just wanted to get two engines running properly together.
Advanced consisting and modifications to CV's should be approached one step at a time.