As is typical for me, as in pulling out the CC and spending bucks, then asking questions I should have asked before.
I’ve ordered the BLI-2516, ATSF unlettered, and,
I pull smoke units out, I have enough locos that have distorted stacks because I didn’t put fluid in the smoker. How much problem is this going to be, if anyone knows? My IHC locos, I just cut and removed the wires to the smoker.
IS there a convenient way to remove the DCC unit? I’m DC only here.
And beyond that, how does it run? How is it for pulling power, even if that’s not important on a small layout.
I have an older model ATSF 4-8-4, so I don’t know how much help I can be. Mine does not have a smoke unit, but the paperwork you get with yours should show you were the on-off switch is for the smoke unit, assuming the loomotive has one. It will come with 3 stacks–one regular, one ‘extended’ and one ‘tunnel stack’ that is curved back toward the cab. Mine had an extra set of drivers with traction tires, but I found the locomotive had sufficient tractive power that the traction tires weren’t needed. This is a pretty heavy locomotive, I can pull 8 Walthers passenger cars up my 2% grades with no problem. As to tearing out the DCC unit–there should be instructions with the locomotive on how to reduce the starting voltage for DC. IIRC, the locomotive originally took about 9-10 volts to get started in DC, I was able to re-program mine down to about 5 volts. This still doesn’t mean that you can run it in tandem with regular DC power, but it does give you more control using a DC cab. It’s a good locomotive, but being a 4-8-4, it needs a fairly wide radius to perform well. I’d be hesitant to run it on anything less than a 24" radius, and 26-30" would be much better for it. I’ve got 36" minimum, so it sails along very smoothly.
As Tom suggests, invert loco as soon as you unpack it and slide the little slide switch under the cab floor to the off position. I do that immediately, first thing, when I unpack a new Paragon 2. Don’t need no stinkin’ smoke.
All modern decoders are dual mode, so if you think you might enjoy this loco’s sounds, or may want to unload it and get more of its residual value out of it in time (say you realize you don’t like or want it and try to sell it), you should just run it as is. It will respond to your DC throttle, but it will also make sound. By the time you dial up the voltage to nine or ten volts, it will be hauling butt.
I have one of the first run of Paragon 2 4-8-4’s but with a QSI revoluion in it. It’s a good solid runner and a nice looking engine.
Ah! Someone actually thought to put a switch on the smoker. A plus for that. Sounds and irritation are one and the same. We go to some length to make the layout quiet, then add more money to make it noisy again?
I have an older Blueline unit that runs just fine. I also run DC and purchased a few Paragon II units and have had a problem getting them to run smooth at medium speed. Even sending them back to BLI didn’t solve the problem. If i wire the motor directly they run fine and smooth at all speed. Otherwise they surge at medium speed. Smooth when they creep and at high speed. Tried several times to adjust the CV’s but had no luck.
Only problem when you wire the motor direct the sound does not start untill the engine is moving.
Tried it on my test track,(single length of flex track) with a Railpower 1370. Does nothing, makes a little sound and that’s it. No problem, my intent is to take all that rubish out anyhow, straight DC. It just galls me that I can’t find a non DCC loco that I’m interested in or don’t already have. Sounds, to me, nothing but useless racket, don’t need it. There’s no excuse for me having to spend a couple of hours with meter and soldering iron to get a straight DC loco, maybe constant directional lighting, which I already have several boards made up. Like a lot of other things now available, just because we can doesn’t mean we have to. Simple is still good.