Hi,
My first Bachmann shay ran beautifully for a while (except that it couldn’t make it over Walthers turnouts) but then began to short circuit the system as soon as I put it on the rails. I sent it to Bachmann, who sent me a new one, and it caused a short circuit immediately. I sent that one to Bachmann too, and the technician very nicely called to say that he had run it for two hours without finding a problem, and that maybe it was a DCC issue.
I’m a little stumped by this one, since I don’t see why DCC should create a short circuit when regular power doesn’t, and when none of my other engines, with or without decoders, don’t cause any problems of that variety. Does anyone have an explanation or solution? Would installing a decoder help?
Bachmann service is terrific, by the way; I now only buy engines from companies that I know will stand by their products.
Does this shorting happen wherever you place the loco, or only in one or two locations? If the latter, check track gauge there, or check the gauge of the loco’s wheels. For example, shorts occur most often at turnouts, and it is often a gauge or points adjustment problem, sometimes an engineering problem with frogs, and so on (peco turnouts come to mind).
If it happens regardless of where you place the loco, you have an intermittent short between the pickups, frame, and the motor. That is what is so frustrating with intermittent electrical problems. Installing a decoder might rectify it, but it would be unnecessary if that was the net effect because you could easily rectify the problem with a visual inspection, IMO.
An update:
As it happened I already had a Soundtraxx decoder for the Shay so despite the problem with the short (it happened wherever and whenever I put the thing on the tracks) I went ahead an installed it, except for the speaker. Miraculously, it seems to me, the Shay now runs beautifully. Either this is because, following Soundtraxx’s instructions, I lined the tender top with electrical tape, or its because the stock Shay isn’t able to run on a DCC layout I simply can’t say. Neither seems very likely. But in any case, as you all know, the Shay really is a thing of beauty (well, “beauty”).
Thank you, selector, for your help.
w