Trains.com

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

Scale Trains tender lights

1002 views
6 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    September 2006
  • 411 posts
Posted by wobblinwheel on Friday, December 8, 2017 9:19 PM

You can't even set them upside down without breaking something! Even cleaning the wheels is dangerous... that's part of the problem with the lights going out. If I clean the wheels REALLY GOOD, the lights won't go out... for a very little while..!

Mike C.

  • Member since
    January 2017
  • 2,980 posts
Posted by NWP SWP on Friday, December 8, 2017 9:00 PM

This is when super detailing becomes a problem...

Steve

If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!

  • Member since
    September 2006
  • 411 posts
Posted by wobblinwheel on Friday, December 8, 2017 8:57 PM

I had thought of that, but these things are SO fragile, with all the tiny details...! I know some decoders have a plug-in for those. I wonder..?

Mike C.

  • Member since
    January 2017
  • 2,980 posts
Posted by NWP SWP on Friday, December 8, 2017 8:17 PM

Try keep alive capacitors! Just a thought!

Steve

If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!

  • Member since
    September 2006
  • 411 posts
Posted by wobblinwheel on Friday, December 8, 2017 7:51 PM

I know it's a power interruption (even though I have two 0-6-0 switchers with a MUCH shorter wheelbase), I also know that my locos don't lose their lights on a slight interruption. They may even flicker, but not stay off! It seems the majority of my locos power up with the lights ON, if they were on when I shut down. What I'm asking is can I make the decoders default to "lights on"? The only time I really "back up" is going through turnouts! 

Mike C.

  • Member since
    December 2015
  • From: Shenandoah Valley
  • 9,094 posts
Posted by BigDaddy on Friday, December 8, 2017 7:15 PM

I think we might need to know the brand of turnouts and whether the frogs are powered.  Is the problem happening at the frogs?

It's not a memory problem of the docoder, it a shortage of electrons at the turnout.  As you stated, it is an interruption of power.

 

Henry

COB Potomac & Northern

Shenandoah Valley

  • Member since
    September 2006
  • 411 posts
Scale Trains tender lights
Posted by wobblinwheel on Friday, December 8, 2017 7:07 PM

I recently purchased a set of the Scale Trains UP late style water tenders. The problem is, whenever I back up through any of my switches, sometimes two or three at a time in my staging yard, the backup lights will turn off at the SLIGHTEST interruption of track power. If I turn the loco lights off and on again (same address), the backup lights come back on... until I pass another turnout. Then they turn off again. Why does the decoder not "remember" that the lights were "ON"? Is there any way I can reprogram the decoder to keep the lights on? I think the instructions say it's an ESU decoder..

 

Mike C.

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

Users Online

There are no community member online

Search the Community

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Model Railroader Newsletter See all
Sign up for our FREE e-newsletter and get model railroad news in your inbox!