I just purchased a BLI 2=10-2 that looks and runs great. Except for one thing, it stops completely when passing over my Altas code 83 customlines.
I have searched previous posts and cannot exactly understand the cause. I know the frog is unpowered. It appears the left rear axle is the culprit, as when I run the engine the other way, with the right front axle over the frog, everything is ok. I have checked all the electrical plugs, they appear correctly and firmly in place. I cleaned the metal band where the wheel points sit, so that contact point does not seem to be the problem.
I don't want to power the frog and don't think I should have to. Is there anything I haven't thought of, or is it time to return the engine?
I'm gonna say you probably have the same issue my PCM T-1 had. Namely, a loose connection in the tender. With everything plugged in it should pick up power from both sides of the loco drivers plus one side of each tender truck. In my case it was the wire connecting the right-hand drivers to the circuit board in the tender, so on the right side my loco was only picking up from the tender, not much of a wheelbase. If you lift up just one tender truck, the sounds shouldn't stop. If they do - you have a problem somehwere from the engine pickup to the tender circuit board.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Thanks for the quick replies!
The sound does stop when I lift the left side of the tender (but not when I lift the right). So that means the power is not being transferred correctly from the right side engine drive wheels.
I checked the all the plugs and they seem to be placed correctly. So is there anything else to do now except return it? It must be something inside the boiler or a bad circuit board?
You could remove the shell or remove the bottom plate from the frame, the one that covers the driver axles, but that may be inviting warranty claim problems. You might be able to see the problem easily and to correct it, but..
BLI will tell you to send it to them with a check for USD$7.00 for return shipping. In good times, the turnaround to you will be 3-4 weeks, but these days it is at least double that. The good news is that when you do get it back, it will work because their techs will actually work on it, correct the fault, and ensure that they are not wasting anyone's time. I have returned two locos, one with a fault of my own doing, and had perfectly functioning locos upon their return to me.
This is frustrating, to be sure, but the ones that have never failed are highly reliable, and the ones what have failed were put right.
bogeys wrote: Thanks for the quick replies!The sound does stop when I lift the left side of the tender (but not when I lift the right). So that means the power is not being transferred correctly from the right side engine drive wheels. I checked the all the plugs and they seem to be placed correctly. So is there anything else to do now except return it? It must be something inside the boiler or a bad circuit board?
I had the exact same problem with Atlas 8-40Cs . It would stall in one direction and at low speeds. I found the problem to be vertical motion as the trucks go through the turnout and at the frog area there was just enough vertical movement in thr turnout to cause ever so slight loss of connection to the track. It would cause the locomotives to stall and then start up again. I use Woodland Scenics trackbed and glue my turnouts but when I first started I was too cautious and the turnout was not anchored well enough. I also had seams of Woodland Scenics trackbed under the turnouts that was not done well enough and the combination allowed for the vertical motion. My solution was to drive a track spike through the metal tab by the frog into the subroadbed. I used a straight edge along the rail and tacked it down until it was perfectly level through the turnout. I didn't have this problem with DC (before converting to DCC) and with nonsound locomotives. I also only saw the problem at low speeds. At higher speeds the locomotive generally sailed right through because the loss of connection was so brief as to not cause a problem. Like you I was ready to start returning a bunch of locomotives and turnouts. I worked on this over a week before I found the solution. In the newer areas of my layout I ensure that my turnouts are anchored well and that there is no vertical motion. I use a straight edge on each one when mounting them.
Engineer Jeff NS Nut Visit my layout at: http://www.thebinks.com/trains/
Thanks guys!
I think it is a problem with the drivers, not the turnouts because it only happens on one side. I have emailed BLI and will return it when they respond. Two months without my new engine will be hard to take but that's my only choice now. Oh well I could always buy another one to tide me over! It's only plastic money!
Again thanks for all the help!
bogeys wrote: Thanks guys!I think it is a problem with the drivers, not the turnouts because it only happens on one side. I have emailed BLI and will return it when they respond. Two months without my new engine will be hard to take but that's my only choice now. Oh well I could always buy another one to tide me over! It's only plastic money! Again thanks for all the help!
I thought the same thing until I found the problem. Try an experiment. Take two pieces of flex track and a turnout and mount them flat on a piece of plywood (a piece of flex on each end of the turnout). Tack the track and turnout down solid to the plywood. See if the problem still occurs. When I had the problem it would only happen when the locomotive was coming from the closed end of the turnout to the nonswitched end. If it was thrown, it worked fine in either direction. Do you have any other sound locomotives to test with ?
Is the BLI 2-10-2 the only locomotive you have? If not, do the others stall on the Atlas custom line turnouts? Instead of a problem with the locomotive, it may be a continuity problem in the turnout. What type of switch motor are you using with the turnout? If a ground throw, is the point rail making good contact with the stock rail? Use a miltimeter to insure that the turnout has electricity all the way through.
Ok,
this occurs only when going through my Atlas CL turnouts and only in one direction and only on the frog, which is not powered. There is no problem with my other turnouts, which are Shinohara power routed.
There is some play in one of the tender axles, but that appears to only allow the plastic sideframe to fall lower, which could cause a derailment but not a power outage as I see it, as the axle is still inside the electrical connector band. I sanded the frog and adjacent track until I was sure they were smooth, still stalls at all speeds. Only in one direction too, there must not be any power on one side of the engine driver wheels, that is the only thing I can see.?
Thanks for your suggestions!
bogeys wrote: Ok, this occurs only when going through my Atlas CL turnouts and only in one direction and only on the frog, which is not powered. There is no problem with my other turnouts, which are Shinohara power routed.There is some play in one of the tender axles, but that appears to only allow the plastic sideframe to fall lower, which could cause a derailment but not a power outage as I see it, as the axle is still inside the electrical connector band. I sanded the frog and adjacent track until I was sure they were smooth, still stalls at all speeds. Only in one direction too, there must not be any power on one side of the engine driver wheels, that is the only thing I can see.?Thanks for your suggestions!
I went through the same logic, did the same thing as far as sanding the frog and drew the same conclusions before I found my problem. I don't think it is a pickup problem because it would happen in either direction, if it were. The direction of the locomotive doesn't change which wheels pickup the current from the track. If you don't have a spare turnout and some flex track to test with you can try to take a straight edge (like a carpenter's square) and place it along the top of the rail with the frog. Look and see if you have any uneveness in the top of the rail. Then take a level and go across the track to see if you have any elevation problems where the inside rail is higher or lower than the outside rail.
Also when it stalls, does it restart again ? If you push down lightly on the top will it restart again (you may have to push on the frog side of the locomotive) ? If either is true then you are likely looking at a vertical connectivity problem like I saw.
The Spring in the mount on the tender. That is your ONLY contact point. Solder a wire from the wiper to the tender wires in the tender and all will be well.
From what you describe, I would say the problem is in the left side of the loco, not the right side of the tender. Under normal circumstances, it should be getting power from both the left side of the loco and tender at the same time but when one is over an insulated frog, the other needs to deliver power. When you lift the left side tender wheels and power cuts out, that indicates to me it is not drawing power from the left side of the loco. If it was you should still get power on the left side. This is identical to the problem with my Pacific. Hopefully, you can remove the shell and find the loose connection and it will be an easy fix. Good luck.
Bogeys, I never had a problem till I went with BLI steamers as well. What I found was my problem was the blade of the trun out was not making a good contact. (I was DC untill I got the BLI's and then went DCC)
I bet if you look where the blade is contacting the rail of the turn out you will see some tale tale sighns of arching (black spots) What is happing, the blade is not contacting the rail with a solid push. That will make it lose and arch.
What I did was solder a feeder to the out side blade and hook it to my bus for that side.
I have older turn outs, one's that the blade looks like metal for beer can's ( I cannot spell that word if I could win $1,000,000.00 right now) will not take solder. Blades that look like the main rails will.
If you would like some PIC of my repair I be happy to post them. It took care of my BLI probems and not hard to do. After I came up with the idea no more problems.
Cuda Ken
I hate Rust
OH, I need to add one thing. I had a M1a BLI go bad after 2 weeks. I am 95% sure I know what the problem is. Called Mike at BLI and told him what I thought the problem was (cracked center drive gear) and said he thought that was the problem as well. Said he would send me the gear so I could install it for free. Asked if it would void the warranty, answer was no it would not. I would call him before you did anything like I did!!!!!!!
Rather fix it my self than waite 8 weeks!
cudaken wrote: Bogeys, I never had a problem till I went with BLI steamers as well. What I found was my problem was the blade of the trun out was not making a good contact. (I was DC untill I got the BLI's and then went DCC) I bet if you look where the blade is contacting the rail of the turn out you will see some tale tale sighns of arching (black spots) What is happing, the blade is not contacting the rail with a solid push. That will make it lose and arch. What I did was solder a feeder to the out side blade and hook it to my bus for that side. I have older turn outs, one's that the blade looks like metal for beer can's ( I cannot spell that word if I could win $1,000,000.00 right now) will not take solder. Blades that look like the main rails will. If you would like some PIC of my repair I be happy to post them. It took care of my BLI probems and not hard to do. After I came up with the idea no more problems. Cuda Ken
This is another possibility although this likely would happen only at some turnouts but not all. If it is happening at every turnout, the problem is probably in the loco and not the turnout. From what he is describing, I think it is far more likely the problem is in the loco.
I have had similar problems at selected turnouts but cleaning the pivoting rails and applying a little Rail Zip took care of the problem without soldering a jumper. I considered using a jumper wire but I was afraid it would interfer with the movement of the turnout points.