I bought a set of Atlas GP9s a couple years ago and noticed on my TMCC layout that whenever two engines were lashed up frequently the track would trip out anywhere from 1 to 20 times before the lash-up would operate. Bought another individual Atlas Geep and had the same problem when combined with one from the original set. Individual engines work just fine. Last week I got a brand new set of Atlas GP7s, and guess what, same problem. I have four individual loops with a total of seven TMCC bricks so there is more than enough power. Lionel lash-ups work just fine, as do Atlas RSD-4/5s and other Atlas Alcos and SW8/9s Seems to be a problem exclusively with Atlas Geeps of any generation. And the problem is not predictable. Sometimes the lash-up will start right up but once it is shut off and I try to restart - problems. But more often than not, when 2 Atlas geeps are lashed up into a train I get anywhere from 3 to 9 tripouts before I can get the train running on the particular loop.
Anyone seen this before? Ideas as to the root cause? Atlas has no clue.
Tripout? Please define.
The only Atlas issue I have had is if I use the aux-1, #5 shutdown sequence they tend to be reluctant to restart w/o killing power to the engine before restart. I’ve run a triple header with SD35’s, triple header with 2 Atlas GP15’s and a K-Line GP38, currently only have one GP9.
The track power shuts off, like a circuit breaker tripping. Have to reset the system and try again to power up the track in question.
Thanks, I assumed that’s what it meant but you what they say about spelling assume.
When they are powered-up as individual engines, with multiple engines on the same track there is no problem. Correct ?
When you program a lashup when does the breaker trip, upon completion of building the lashup or when you try to “move-em-out” ?
Do they have EOB/Speed Control ? If yes, have you tried with the control both on and off, reset speed steps to be sure they are operating at the same speed increments ?
Also check to see if they are relatively close as far as stall speed is concerned.
How about building a lashup with two of the GP9’s about 6inches apart, don’t couple them together. See if they will run and maintain close to the same distance apart as when they started out.
All of my Atlas engines are very close, chassis and stuff wise, to the track so if one of the engines in a lashup was fighting the other it wouldn’t take a lot of motor truck tilt/bounce/etc to possibly short on the rails.
Hope this is helpful.
Let’s say I am trying to operate on Track 4 with Train 9, composed of engines 38 and 39. When I punch in TR 4 on the CAB-1, and go to dial up the power, it trips, as it would if something was off the track. Before I even get to address the train or engine. Sometimes it will trip as soon as I rotate the dial, other times midway or almost to full track power. Sometimes I can get midway and power the train, but since it is not at full track power level the train will not move. But once I have full track power I can address the train and there are no problems. It’s just like something was off the track and shorting out. Now, if I take engine 39 off the track entirely and leave just engine 38, the track will power up all the way just fine and I can address the engine as an engine or a train and it takes off and runs just fine. There seems to be some “memory”, as once I get the track powered up and the lash-up moving I can shut down the track and then restart OK, but not always. Also, oddly the problem seems to diminish with the frequency of the operating session. I hadn’t run the old Geeps in months, and the new ones were right out of the box, and the first attempt on each took forever, probably 20 or so trip outs before the track would power up.
So, it’s like TMCC doesn’t even like the presence of two powered Geeps on the track at the same time, even if they are not addressed. As soon as juice tries to go through the system TMCC senses that it needs to shut down.
And I have 4 different unconnected loops and the story is the same on each one. TMCC seems to sense a short or an overload somewhere in the circuit the first few times I try to power up, But then there will be the oddball day when all is perfectly normal. Now the Alcos and the SW8s don;t have smoke or speed control which may suggest something in the board. But Lionels with speed control and smoke r
This is just an attempt at troubleshooting but if you were to program two or three of the “problem” engines with the same eng# :
>put one eng on tracks, start & run, kill power.
>put a second engine with same id# on tracks and attempt a start, will both start & run ?
>if 2 goes well try a third.
If you encounter power issues try turning off the smoke, test again. Bad results turnoff speed control as well as smoke, test again. If they operate with no problems at all using the same id# possibly it is a board issue.
This is a real brain teaser.
If it can be narrowed down as much as possible maybe it will help Atlas to define the issue.