I just put a DCC decoder in my new Bachman 0-6-0 yard switcher and found it will not cross the turnout frogs unless it is traveling more than 40 mph, something these engines only did at the peril of the crew.
Is there a way to remedy this?
My turnouts are Atlas code 83 #4.
Jimbo
A 0-6-0 has a wheel base long enough to go through a short frog. If the loco had no problem before the installation, it may be the power pick ups on the loco. Check to make sure all the wheels that are suppose to pick up power do so. Does the tender pick up power too?
If you had this problem before the installation, check all the rails in the turnouts to be sure they have power. Otherwise you have to power your frogs or add electrical pick ups through the tender wheels.
er, tank engines don’t have tenders, do they?
Ok, I checked and it’s a 0-6-0T. Nope, it doesn’t have a tender. But the problem still is either the power pick up at the wheels or poor electrical contact within the turnout.
If it’s stalling on the frog, all the wheels on one side of the loco would be on the frog for the frog to be the problem. I’ve had Atlas turnouts with bad electrical contacts to the rails.
Atlas C83 switches have an insulated metal frog. The frog is probably the same length as the wheel base of the engine.
The only way to fix it is to power the frog. That involves attaching some sort of electrical switch to the mechanism that throws the turnout. On eht side of the frog is a little “ear” cast into the metal. It has a hole in it. Tap the hole for a 1-72 screw and use the screw to attach a wire to the frog from the electrical switch. You will have to do this for every switch with the insulated frogs.
Dave H.
I have the same engine with the same problem. The Atlas turnouts with the insulated frog just provide to big an area with no power. Luckily I was not to far along in my layout when I found the problem. I did not like the Atlas turnouts that much anyway. I removed them and now use Peco with the live frog. No problems at all.
The suggestion to power the Atls frogs is a good one. Even if the wheelbase is longer than the frog, sometimes the frog is such that it is ever so slightly higher than the rest of the switch. The engine may hang on the center driver with the front and back wheels not touching a live track. I have had this happen (push down lightly on the front or rear of the loco and it will take off). Depending if your switches are hand thrown or are powered, there are several ways to power the frog. You can’t solder to the Atlas frogs, but they are easy to tap and use a screw (as posted above). Information on wiring the frogs is available here: http://www.wiringfordcc.com/switches.htm I don’t recommend the “lightbulb” trick as I have heard of some very good reasons not to use it (ie: melted locos and fires).
Jimbo,
If none of the above worked, check the switch points for continuity. I had just the same problem and finally found one of the Atla switches lost contact on one of the points. If you are lucky you can tighten the rivet. J.R.
I’m still wondering about Gary’s first question. Did it cross the frog in DC?
I had this kind of a problem with a small engine stalling on a point frog, a high frequency track cleaner wired into the layout solved the problem. Totally clean track gives pain-free running. The only problem with HF track cleaners is they cannot be used with DCC enabled locos. (The one loco I’ve got with a DCC chip in, sat waiting for commands - The HF cleaner puts out low voltage AC!)
Ian
I’ve had two Bachmanns and both had problems with their wheel wipers not being securely butted up against the driver.
My solution: Turn it over and inspect each wiper. If one doesn’t look like it makes contact, GENTLY take a pair of tweezers and push it in between the spoke of the driver, or just outside it. Then pull it out and see if that bent it enough to rub against the driver.
~HopeThisHelps
~Don