Whenever I run an old consist on my layout of non atlas locomotives (MRC Prodigy DCC) all my Atlas Locomotives stop responding to motor control. Horn bell and everything else works fine but the locomotives just wont respond to the throttle. If I have to clear all my consists to run one or two atlas locomotives than thats just plain dumb.
What is the maximum number of addresses that your system will run at the same time? Each loco in a consist uses one address slot. Having to breakup consists to run more locos sounds like you have reached the maximum number of addresses allowed by your system. The fact that they are Atlas locos should have nothing to do with it.
The issue isnt how many I have in a consist. The issue is that if there is a universal consist of any form running on the layout all other locos not in that consist stop working. For example, if I have 4 locos on a layout and consist 2 of them the other two no longer respond to motor commands. They make sound but dont move. I dont get it?
Are the other engines in another consist? Whenever I encounter an unresonsive engine, the _first_ thing to try is to use the throttle to delete it from whatever consist it thinks it's stuck in. 99% of the time that gets the locomotive useable again.
Chris van der Heide
My Algoma Central Railway Modeling Blog
There are many different ways to consist. I use Digitrax and their Universal Consisting, it holds 100s of addresses, maybe more. I consist all DCC brands and locos as well as non DCC locos. Never had a problem.
One thing you can probably test is to clear the system registers and then consist the locos. But, leave the ones you are having trouble with off of a powered section of track. Then power up the track section those locos are on and add their addresses to your system. One key note, it's not just your registers but your cab's ability to hold addresses. For example on my DT400 I can start up 20 locos, but can only have full control over 2 addresses at a time. Each address may have 2 or more locos consisted, for a total of 4 or more. But if your cab can only control 1 loco address at a time, that's a possible problem? Many times, depending on how you dispatch your locos, you may "overload" your system in time. Also, reenter the loco addresses of the Atlas locos on your cab after you consist.
You may be doing all of this currently, just ideas.
Richard
If there's an issue I'm sure it's with the prodigy. I'm sure someone that has one will chime in soon. The loco's don't know what is going on with the rest of the layout. They only know when they receive commands and respond to them.
Springfield PA
Its weird because as soon as I clear the old consist they all go back to operation but if I make another universal consist they all go back to being stuck except for whatever two locos are in the universal consist. Im starting to think this has more to do with the DCC system not the trains.
I think I found your problem. Section 2-9 of the Prodigy manual. The Prodigy Advance DCC system allows only ONE Universal Consist at a time regardless of how many Cabs are in use.
The Prodigy Advance DCC system allows only ONE Universal Consist at a
time regardless of how many Cabs are in use.
One Universal Consist per system, not per Cab.
system, not per Cab.
I understand that but does that mean that locomotives not in a consist at all should stop working? Because thats still the issue.
It would appear that one way or another, the command station thinks they are in the consist.
As has been said, the locos just react to the commands they get. If they think they are in some kind of decoder-based consist, then I could maybe see trouble, as well. It might not hurt to give them a complete reset, just to make 100% sure.
I know some folks like the Prodigy systems. But from my reading, and following the rather disjointed development of the systems over time, I don't think MRC "gets" DCC. I don't think they understand the idea that it is supposed to be rather non-proprietary on the track side. I don't think they get that there are going to be decoders from two, three, or even more suppliers on the layout at the same time, and that the command station had better be able to deal with it.
The later evolutions might be improved, but looking at the history, and their decoders, well.....
Jeff But it's a dry heat!
It seems unplugging the system for 10 min solved the problem. I had to rewire some things and when I was done it was all working again. Weird.........
Thanks for the help guys!
Good Luck and don't change anything else until the end of the holiday season
That probably cleared the memory of all consisting information so that now the 'stuck' locos were treated as individual locos instead of part of a 'phantom' consist.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.