Hey everyone.
I just got my BLI N&W J back from being serviced and it chugs a bit when it moves forward. It continues to move forward as it should but it is not as smooth as it should be.
What do you think it could be? Its a consistent chug so I don’t think it’s dirty track.
Thanks
Do you mean the sound system makes a “chug-chug-chug” sound when it moves (which it should) or that the engine is lurching or hesitating as it moves forward, or ??
IF YOU MEAN ‘Jerky’ movements, it’s an electrical problem’. "Chugs a bit’'? BLI’s steam engines are supposed to ‘‘Chug’’.
If it were dirty track or wheels, it would be in either direction. If it’s in only forward as you say, Sounds like the Sound module and needs to be replaced (It feeds the motor).
Is this a ‘new’ engine under warranty ? Contact BLI immediately. Repairs have a time limit.
It could also be sticky gears. A bit of lubrication might clear it up. Once lubricated, it may just need some run-in time.
Check if a side rod or valve gear part got bent during shipping.
Correction- it does not have a sound board (not yet) so what I was meaning to say was it is jerking when moving. It does it subtley. I’ve never specifically heard of it doing this but if it is supposed to then it does give it an added feature of realism.
Thanks again
It’s most likely the gears. When the Proto BL2 gears went on me, it would actually have the truck jump in one direction, but be fine in the other.
I just had those fixed. Hopefully it’s not those. I might call BLI and ask them myself about it.
SO, what you have is a ‘Blueline’, a BLI without a Sound module?
NOW it sounds like there is a bind to find. I like the suggestion to check the side rods. Run it very sloooowly.
No real steam engines don’t jerk when they start up. Because of the way model steam engines are built, it’s not unusual for there to be a little hesitation for each rotation of the drivers at slow speeds. My BLI 2-8-2 and 2-10-4 do it a little bit, but it smooths out as speed increases. It’s possible you can decrease the severity of it but maybe can’t eliminate it entirely.
I think I have the same problem. I have two BLI Hudsons, with sound. They both run a little jerky, especially at slow speeds. I was thinking about the side rods binding, but would it happen on both of them. They are almost new. Although I bought them a year ago, I just took one out of the box last night, and it runs jerky. I put the traction tires on one, but not the other. But they both run jerky.
I do have the Blueline Stealth series loco. I was having problems with the gears not meshing correctly and sent it back and it does work much better (two months later) than it did. The only jerkyness “chugging” I notice is when it is moving at approx. 60+ scale mph. It is not a large jerkneyness, it’s only subtle. I observe it by looking at the couplers and watching them jump a little between the cars.
Should I bother worrying about it (is it a bigger problem I have to be concerned about- contacting BLI about it) or is it something I shouldn’t bother with I wonder?
d8c:
Make sure there aren’t dirty spots on the wheel treads, or wherever the wipers rub. With 8 drivers this isn’t hugely likely, but it’s possible.
I guess the best thing to do is run it slowly with the shell off, if you can, and see what jumps. Or just tell the servicer and have 'em fix it.
Hi,
Quick question for you, is it new and have you oiled the mech and run it in ?
By run it in I mean an hour or so in each direction at about 3/4 throttle. Most BLI stuff I have has had dry side rods at the least and needs a dab of oil here and there and a good run to loosen up the mechanism.
Hope this helps,
Cheers,
Warren
I called BLI today about my situation- inquired about weither it might be poor contact or what have you with the electrical contact- the service person asked me some questions regarding the repair that they just did in the past few months and he said that it did not appear on his computer that anything was done to it. Long story short, he said that what could have happened is that it needs some fine- tuning that wasn’t really done before it was shipped out. He asked me about break in time and I said that it has been ran gingerly for a while now and no progress. I am going to send it back and it is going to be serviced (again) this time free of charge shipping both ways. Hopefully it’ll come back better.
I still regard BLI and thier products top notch regardless of the problems I have been having with mine. It could be worse; at least they are making an effort to repair it and are usually very friendly about it. I’ve had worse service with other products.
On a model steam engine, generally the motor is only powering one pair of drivers. The other drivers are rotating because of the siderods connecting them to the powered driver. Because of that, I think it’s common for steam engines to have a little “hesitation” once each rotation of the drivers at slow speeds; it’s especially noticeable when compared to diesels with all axles directly powered. Even real steam engines have to have their drivers carefully counterbalanced against the weight of the side rods to allow them to run smoothly.