I’ve got a C&O SW-7 #5239. When I operate it on my 4x8 layout, with NCE DCC, sometimes it cuts out. Lights off, no sound, abrupt stop, then after about a second or two, it turns back on at the previous throttle setting. All the time, my BLI C&O RSD-7 keeps moving and doesn’t have this problem, ever. The NCE is new, I’ve heard that a CV could possibly remedy this problem. Any idea which one? The SW-7 has the 2007 chip in it (the 2005 chips aparrently had a software problem). These are the first two DCC locos I have and I haven’t played with the CV’s yet (they worked great out of the box!). I’ve searched around a bit and haven’t found and answer to this specific problem, so I’m consulting the forum gurus!
One thing I have found out: taking the sideframes off, there seems to be black stuff (paint?) on the face of the wheels near the center. I removed it but still have the problem. Is there a ‘secret’ CV I need to know about? Thanks!
I hate to ask, but does it stop at one spot on your track? Possibly a dirty track? Does the other locomotive “Stutter” at that spot on the track?
Forgive me if I am dumb and have no business questioning your most perfect shining trackwork. But I usually start at the track. My engines that stop recieve a push pin at that location on the side of the track. 3 pins in the same spot calls the MOW crew.
There are no secret CV’s Everything is a value between 0 to 255 in binary and all of the CV’s availible online via QSI downloads. There might be shortcuts or other workarounds to make something work. … but no secret CV’s
Do you think maybe there is a loss of power or a short? I dont use your DCC system so I cannot offer you help there, Im a Digitrax user.
I recall first run NW switchers may have had a wiring problem but those are confined to derailing one truck I think or was it the reversed wiring? I cannot remember.
It’s the wheel tread that makes contact with the rails that need to be good. The rail too. Everything else isnt important assuming you keep that stuff clear.
I got my new SW7/II this past week, and had stop/go problems also. It’s a short wheelebase loco, and just for the heck of it I cleaned my track - problem solved!! Any short/light loco will have more contact problems with less than perfect track![:P]
I run DC. I have a Blueline SD-40-2, and it was occasionally cutting out (like your BLI SW-7) on my layout where I once had a Kadee uncoupling magnet there–there is a rail joiner at the spot. All my Atlas, Kato, Proto locomotives made it over the rail joiner, but not my Blueline (about half the time it stopped, then started up again). I repacked the area with some AMI Instant Roadbed (that is what I used when I laid down track) and so far the Blueline makes it over without stopping. I think the rail joiner was loosing contact due to the weight of my Blueline–it is very heavy compared to my other locomotives. Time will tell, but I will probablly have to replace the track in that area or solder the joint.
I had my layout at a show last weekend and was running 5 or 6 BLI SW7s.
Two of them were cutting out when they went over a crossover and ended up being taken off to be looked at. The wheels were clean - I cleaned all the loco wheels two days earlier - and the track was also clean.
Unless it was a problem with the turnout frog or blades, I suspect that there could be a problem with either the SW7 pickups or maybe even a problem with the wheels/trucks shorting out on the chassis.
Only the SW-7 stops, the RSD keeps moving without a stutter. Sometimes the switcher stops at the same spot, but not exactly the same spot, within about half inch. After it stops, I don’t touch it and sometimes it will start to roll again. I’ve cleaned the track several times with a fine grit (polishing) emery board then wiped the track clean with a lint free rag dampened with contact cleaner. The wheels got cleaned with ‘grampa’s wheel cleaner’ rag dampened with contact cleaner under one truck at a time while the other was picking up track power, until no more black stuff on the rag. Every piece of track has feeders. I like the push pin idea, easy way to mark a poor spot. My Athearn switcher makes it around the layout fine so I don’t think the wheelbase excuse applies here. I know there are no secret CV’s, I meant a CV that controlls an obscure function such as short circut threshold or voltage drop threshold, or… I can guess any operation to do with the DCC signal getting to the motor. Any DCC hackers out there? lol
BTW, thanks everyone for picking my brain!!!
I got back from a train show where I had the same symptoms. SW-7 stalled frequently, RSD ran fine. I also ran an Atlas U-boat on DC with no problems (our modular club uses Digitrax). I think the problem is in the power pick up from under the sideframes (the little black metal contact where it touches the axle ends). I’m going to polish these surfaces and investigate installing a spring loaded contact wire. When I had the sideframes off, I noticed a lot of oil all around them. If anyone else takes their sideframes off, there is a small washer under the contact sideframe where the center pin of the sideframe presses into the truck, don’t lose it!
Well, it’s off to the workbench for me!!! Thanks again everyone! Let me know if you have any other questions or suggestions.
I seem to have fixed the contact problem. I took the sideframes off and cleaned off all the excess oil, there was a lot of it. I cleaned the center of the wheels (right around the axle) of the black paint. I don’t think this solved anything but I feel better knowing I have a clean contact surface here to work with later. Now, the part I feel helped the most: Clean the inside of the bearing surfaces on the metal sideframe (that the axle ends fit into). I used very fine sandpaper and put it into the hole and rotated it until the surface was shiny. I broke a wire that was soldered onto the sideframe and took a while to fix that, so be careful! I repeated this cleaning on all four sideframes, put it back together and it ran 90% better. I noticed only one side of the loco had the small washers under the sideframe mounting lug/hole. This is just an observation. I still think I will put some kind of spring loaded contact onto the wheels/sideframe because pickup is critical on this small wheelbase/light switcher. That will be done next time I disassemble the loco for weathering and detail work.
If you have a BLI switcher that doesn’t run well, I suggest cleaning off the oil and polishing the contact surfaces of the sideframes. Now I’m going to take a look at that RSD-7… Thanks everyone, great ideas and suggestions.
I’ve got a BLI NW-2 with the same symptoms as your SW-7. Right now I have it disassembled for painting but will have to deal with it when it’s done. No other locos do that on my layout but I’ll clean the track anyway.
I just got an older BLI SW7 GN-170 on eBay. It was supposed to be run a few times and was programmed for address 170.
My shelf layout is under construction so all I have now is about 8 feet of Atlas sectional track as a test track with an NCE Power Cab. I have the same problem when I stop and reverse direction. The unit goes dead and the NCE has to reboot. Usually I can reverse then, but the next time I reverse it can go south. This has nothing to do with a recognizable spot; it can happen anywhere.
I also had an MRC DC power pack hooked up to the same rails. I would have only one on at a time, disconnecting the power to the NCE or toggling the power switch on the MRC. I used the MRC to test DC locos. Even with the MRC power pack switched off, I was having reboot problems with the NCE cab. Maybe “off” was close to off but not really off, or DDC was finding something inside the power pack it interpreted as a short. I disconnected the section of track from the MRC and the rebooting problems went away.
When completed, I intend to use DPDT center off switches on three simple blocks to switch between DCC and DC. I am hoping that cutting DC wiring at both legs will not cause interference with DCC and that DCC cut of at both legs will not interfere with DC.
Nevertheless, I mayhave the older chip. I emailed BLI and they are mailing me an upgrade chip just to be up to date. I hope they fix things better that Microsoft OS Service Packs!
Otherwise, I like the BLI locomotive. It is sharp looking and has a distinctive sound.
Has anyone else experienced problems with DCC and DC on the same layout?
