I've recently purchased a used Blueline J1 2-10-4 at a train show. It needed a new sound decoder so I installed a Tsunami and it runs and sounds good. I then found that I was only getting electrical pick-up from the tender when the engine drivers should provide this as well. After removing the boiler, I could see the provious owner had tinkered with the wiring, why, I don't know. Tracing the wiring, I could see that the black wire (left rail) from the decoder was not connected to anything. The red wire (right rail) is attached to the frame with a screw. To add to my confusion, there is a small PCB just ahead of the motor with two wired attached but going no where.
I just got off the phone with tech support at BLI and they cannot help with this kind of question over the phone. Only option was to send it to them with a cost of $99.00.
I know that the engine will run with just the pickup from the tender wheels but it seems there should be an easy fix since its just the left rail pickup.
Hoping someone can give me some advice.
Thanks,
john
Send me a photo via e-mail- to get my e-mail add. PM me.
Jerry AKA woodone
Soo 61245To add to my confusion, there is a small PCB just ahead of the motor with two wired attached but going no where.
Aside from the lack of pickup, which I would have to give a little more research into, I believe the small PC board near the motor (flywheel) was for the reed switch chuff sensor that BLI was fond of using in many (if not all) of their Paragon steam locos.
I have traced many of the BLI locomotive wiring harnesses over time. IIRC your J1 has a smoke unit? Personally, I get rid of those if I ever have the boiler open.
I have made several good "Blueline" deals over the years and installed other sound decoders, either Loksound or TCS WOWsound with good results.
I had a photo at Photobucket of the NYC Hudson reed switch/chuff sensor. I'll see if I can rescue it.
** This link shows the C&O Hudson which has a larger PC board. But there is some useful discussion on the chuff sensor. I replaced a few reed switches (very fragile) on a NYC Hudson and the PC board on those was very small, like 3 x 6 mm or so.
http://www.dccguy.com/?p=5067
This M-R review has a photo with the boiler shell off. Does it look familiar? I don't see the small PC board near the motor OR are you refering to the main board at the rear?
http://mrr.trains.com/news-reviews/staff-reviews/2004/12/broadway-limited-imports-ho-scale-prr-class-j1-2-10-4
Hope that helps, Ed
Jerry,
Thanks, I have some photos ready to email. As you can see, someone else just posted that the PCB I'm describing is probably a reed switch for the chuff effect. Don't need that since I've got the new decoder. And this engine does not have a smoke unit.
Ed:
No, this engine never had a smoke unit.
I don't see the little PCB ahead of the flywheel but my engine should have come from this initial run?? I also see an LED below the cab (flickering fire box/), which mine did not have.
Both of the loco wires should come back and connect to the appropriate points - left AND right rail. These locos pick up from both sides of the tender as well as both sides of the loco. The wires simply connect in parallel - the left rail wire from the engine connects to the same palce as the left rail pickup from the tender, and the right rail pickup connects tot he same point as the right rail pickup in the tender. If you're going to connect it up, might as well connect both sides - all that pickup length means no stalling on turnouts and the track needs to be pretty dirty to stop it.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
BLI may have made changes along the several runs of J1s. Maybe the Blue-line was a little different, but the engine wiring should have been the same.
With no smoke unit I think you should have the seven-pin connector.
Here is how I rang-out the wiring on one of my BLI engines.
IMG_1420_zpsbb3b7853 (1) by Edmund, on Flickr
I recall getting a Broadway H10 and one of the wires was not connected to the frame right from the factory. The screw was no where in the box and the hole obviously never had a screw in it (no threads).
This photo shows it after I made the repair:
IMG_5136 by Edmund, on Flickr
Almost all these type of locomotives use the "split-frame" type of pickup (you can see the gap between the two halves in the photo) so there should be someplace where a wire or contact attaches to each half of the frame.
If you really need more help, I can pry my J1 open and take a look inside. I'm thinking of replacing the old QSI decoder, anyway.
Good Luck, Ed
Your comment above regarding the failure of BLI to add a connection for one of the track wires turns out to be my problem as well. I had tried to fix this problem some months ago and thought I had tried to temporarily connect the black wire to the left side of the engine frame but apparently I hadn't done that. I just clipped a jumper wire from the black wire to the frame and that solved the problem. There is a short, unthreaded post just behind the motor. I'm going to find a tap that fits the hole, add a screw and I'll be done. Thanks for your help