I need help
I have an Athearn genesis SD45 with a tsunami decoder. I have 2 DCC Crossover track, both with 2 metal frogs on each crossover track. One crossover have powered frogs and the other does not. When the front truck passes through both powered and non powered it stops, jerks then starts up again. The back truck goes through both with no problems. Here's the "kicker". This only happens in one direction! Even for both crossovers. If I turn the train around, It passes through with no problems. This is crazy
Wheels are clean, track was cleaned, still does it. Other engines on the layout don't do it. I'm guessing something wrong with the front truck of the athearn. But I can't explain problems in one direction and no problems in the other.
Did anyone else come across this. If so, please help.
Joe C
Look for a broken or loose wire that runs from the truck to the decoder. The most recent Athearn models I have purchased use plastic clips to hold the electrical pickup wires onto the trucks, and they easily slip off or get loose and cause erratic or no electrical contact. Solder the wires to the trucks.
Sounds like a dead section in the turnout and a pickup problem in one truck. Check the electrical pickup on the back truck. If the engine dies when the front truck hits a dead spot then it is picking up power and the other truck is not. Check the plastic clips on the dcc board and also the clip where the wire contacts the pickup point on the truck. I've found these loose . I replace all the plastic clips with solder. Just tin the wire and tin the attachment point on the dcc board then solder. --- Ken