BLI EMD SD40-2 Newbie - Front Coupler Frustrations.

[Anonymous]

Okay - it's my second big jump to DCC.  My LHS had a nice BLI SD40-2 talker for a few bucks over the price of a silent DCC.  Nothing wrong with it, it just had a road name that wasn't NS or CSX (which is popular here).  So, I purchased it ... mainly because my first jump to DCC was a miserable one with Bachmann $40 units that I couldn't even get recognized by Digitrax.

The couplers BLI gives out with their SD40-2 units - I assume they're Kadees - but BLI documentation doesn't really say what they are.  I got the rear coupler installed, but have not been able to get the front coupler to slide in no matter how much wiggling I do.  Looks like the gear box is just a hair too high to fit in or something.  Are there alternative couplers to use?  I'd like to use this DCC unit on a local club layout that uses uncoupling magnets.  Any suggestions on how to use the existing coupler BLI provided?  I'm not sure where to go from here aside from screwing in a non-functional IHC magic mate coupler on the front and telling myself that I screwed up again and wasted money.

Not that you folks probably care ... I'm just a little frustrated because I rekindled my childhood train hobby to take my mind off a chronic medical condition I was stricken a few years ago (which essentially ended my former active outdoor activities).  On some bad days, "playing with my trains" is the only thing that keeps me going.

[jsoderq]

Seems simple enough. Back to the hobby shop and have them help. If it is Kadee, there is nothing better. I have heard of no issues with BLI couplers so something it wrong - shell not seated?Something pushed out of the way?

[cacole]

All of the BLI locos I have purchased already have the couplers mounted, so why do you need to do anything to them unless they have been abused and broken off at the hobby shop.  That may be why it was so cheap -- used and abused by them.  Take it back and ask them to correct the problem.  Perhaps it's one that someone else had purchased and taken back for a refund for whatever reason.

As far as the Bachmann is concerned, have you tried running it on address 3, which is the factory default address of all decoder-equipped engines?

[Anonymous]

All of the BLI locos I have purchased already have the couplers mounted, so why do you need to do anything to them unless they have been abused and broken off at the hobby shop.

Came shrink wrapped in the BLI box - BLI slides these black plastic end pieces into the coupler slots to protect the front and back of the engines during shipping and then they put the unit in it's cushioned red box.  (I asked about this on another forum.)  If you got a BLI with couplers pre-mounted (like and SD-40), someone other than BLI installed them.

As far as the Bachmann is concerned, have you tried running it on address 3, which is the factory default address of all decoder-equipped engines?

Figured out that issue - not a Digitrax problem, it's the decoder that Bachmann uses.  Their little paper that states their DCC will work with all NMRA compliant DCC has a catch to it.  Unless you're using an Easy Command and have extremely clean track, you have to cut a filter off the pre-installed DCC board and solder jumpers on a few circuits to get it to work.  Seems that to sell these lower priced units in Europe, Bachmann has to add a bunch of filters on their decoders to meet electronic emissions regulations.  The filters tend to block packets causing the problem I had, losing consists, or other odd things like suddenly reversing for no reason.

[Anonymous]

Seems simple enough. Back to the hobby shop and have them help. If it is Kadee, there is nothing better. I have heard of no issues with BLI couplers so something it wrong - shell not seated?Something pushed out of the way?

Yeah - that was my guess that the shell may not be seated properly.  I'm kinda unsteady anymore with sharp edged objects to play with lifting off the shell so I'll go back to the LHS and see if they can get it in.  Supposedly you just slide couplers in and out.

[Anonymous]

There also may be a burr on the coupler box that is preventing it from sliding into the slot.

My BLI SD40-2 had a similar problem. When I forced the coupler boxes all the wa y in place I noticed that the walkways had a slight hump towards the middle of the locomotive. I still haven't been able to locate the object that is preventing the shell from seating all the way down on the chassis.