Wondering if anyone has any experience in this: I’ve got an N-Scale Bachmann 2-8-0 that got a MRC sound decoder installed. The speaker is installed in the tender under a now false coal pile. Some of the tender weight had to be removed for the installation; however, now the front truck on the tender needs to be pressed down a bit to make adequate contact on the rails to keep it moving … otherwise there is a ton of stalling and sputtering.
I was thinking about adding some thin, 1/64" sheet lead to the insides of the tender … anyone else added lead weight back into locos to improve theri performance?
I know the lower the weight the better, but could you form a piece of sheet lead to represent the coal load? Paint it and sprinkle on some coal or black gravel to look like the load. For my coal loads, i sprinkle the coal right onto the wet paint.
Unless you’re running your trains at rocket-sled speeds, it shouldn’t much matter whether the weight is mounted high or low. While I operate in HO and with DC and don’t have to contend with decoders taking up space in tenders or boilers, I always add weight to both loco and tender: usually as much as will fit for the locos and 4-8oz. for the tenders.
Sheet lead can be cut-to-fit using scissors, tinsnips, or a utility knife. Make sure that it doesn’t touch any electrical stuff, especially on the decoder, but it’s easily formed to fit into odd-shaped small pockets, and little pieces here and there will quickly make a difference in how the tender “tracks”.
You may also wish to check that the wires between the tender and loco are not contributing to the power interruptions - they could cause similar problems on their HO scale counterparts if the wires or plugs weren’t sufficiently clear of the drawbar, with the result that the front of the tender could be lifted off the rails through contact with the wires.
You should also check the pick-ups which bear against the rear face of the driver tires: they can be easily bent during assembly (or re-assembly if you’ve had it apart). The loco is designed to pick-up power on all drivers, which should be sufficient to keep it running. The tender trucks each pick-up, but only on alternate sides - one left, the other right.
I noted Wayne’s adding weight to the tender. A tender needs good electrical contact, but he’s right that you should check out what’s keeping that from happening just as it sits. The wheels should be in contact before adding weight.
Also keep in mind that adding weight to the tender can be overdone. Weight added there is the same as weight behind the drawbar, so it can potentially cut into the overall tractive effort if you add it beyond what’s needed for reliable electrical contact. It’s only weight added to the loco itself that aids pulling power.
You have probably already checked, but you would want to be sure that neither the wires between loco and tender nor the drawbar itself are what is pushing the front of the tender up. As others have noted, adding weight to the tender will decrease the effective pulling power of the engine.