I got an issue with a Broadway Limited Blueline 2-8-2 heavy Mikado in Great Northern colors (glacier green). It always been a great runner till lately. When i apply power i notice sometimes it take speed up up to 30+ before it wants to move then it seem to just rocket to that speed.
A few more details would be helpful.
What DCC system are you using and what decoder did you add for motor control.
Blueline engines came with a jumper in the 8 pin socket and you had to supply your own motor decoder.
Is it possible you have the locomotive address selected on two different throttles?
Good Luck, Ed
I am using a NCE Power Cab for Dcc and the decoder on the engine is a NCE N14IP
I try reseting the locomotive with CV8 to 8 and it still does the same thing right now i got the locomotive program to the short address it 3202 but i just use 32.
Hi Mheetu:
It doesn’t sound like a lubrication problem to me. If you had stiff grease the motor would be sluggish throughout its speed range.
I think you have something that is binding in the drive mechanism, likely in the side rods. Based on what you said the binding is occasional and momentary so something is either loose or bent. If the locomotive happens to stop in the exact position where the bind is occurring the motor has to exert a lot of force to overcome the binding. Once it has done that it takes off because the inertia of the mechanism is overcoming the resistance of the binding. The reason it doesn’t do it all the time is because the locomotive sometimes doesn’t stop at the point where it binds, and again, once the locomotive starts to move inertia overcomes the resistance of the bind. Either that or something is loose that sometimes gets hung up on another part and sometimes doesn’t. Does that make any sense?
Start by looking carefully at the side rods to see if one is bent. It doesn’t have to be out by much to cause problems. Also, check for loose screws or rivets. If nothing is obvious I would suggest you take the locomotive apart so that you can remove the motor and then push the chassis along a piece of track. If it is the mechansim it will seize when the binding occurs, and then you can study it to see what is touching what that shouldn’t be. You may have to play with it for a while before you get the binding to occur.
While you have the locomotive apart you can test the motor and put a tiny amount of oil on the motor bearings (not on the armature!). You can also lubricate the drive mechanism and axles but don’t overdo it with the oil and grease.
Dave
Thanks for the heads up on the bend rods or driver. it looks like that was the case i must have bend big piece on the middle driver without knowing when taking it out of the foam box. Bend it back with a set of needle nose and now it works better still not perfect but at least it start moving at speed step 7
Mheetu:
It might benefit from a little run in time.
Also, do you know how old the unit is? If it is more than a few years old it might be wise to clean out the old grease and put in fresh stuff, and oil the bearings etc.
Dave
That unit is about 9 to 10 years old. I am going put new grease in it this weekend.
New grease is good, but in the case of a steam locomotive most lubrication points will need oil rather than grease. The one place where grease is used is on the worm on the motor shaft.
Make sure you are using plastic compatible oil and grease. Labelle is a trusted manufacturer. #106 grease and #107 oil are very popular:
https://www.walthers.com/exec/search?manu=430&category=ACL&split=30
Dave
I put a dab of 106 on the motor worm. The work will transfer the grease to the worm gear on the driver axle for steamers. If there are any spur gears like diesels have, I do the same. Contrary to popular opinion, only a film of grease is needed for lubrication.
Same with the 107 oil. A dab at each motor bearing.
Easy to put too much of either.
Rich
Read the title and asked.
“you need to lube the decoder??”
“Lubing the decoder” might not be as far fetched as you might think, tho I think decoders may not need what I am thinking here…but these decoders run with these really small chips, and I am surprised they can take the 1 amps or so of operating. But You have to expect them to run hot. But as with electronic components, like the computers we use, the CPU’s have a fan on them to run off the heat they generate, and to help that transfer of heat you use a heat grease that helps transfer the heat to the fan base. Other electronics with large power ratings have heat sinks on them to dissipate heat. So decoders might have some use getting “greased” with a heat sink if needed. Just a heads up on decoders. No, I don’t think yo need to grease your decoder. For your engine it would be better to look for binding in the mechanism at any point, side rods, axle bearings, worn gears/worms. I will lube the siderods of my steamer, the pistons, all moving points. probably a good check if you open it up is to take the motor off remove the worm gear and let it roll free, and hand turn the wheels it will reveal any bindings.
Have you cleaned the wheels. Good electrical contact with the rails is a must.
Finally got a chance to grease the locomotive as the grease on the gears have turn yellow. It now responds better and runs smoother.