Ya, I know, I thought of that after I left the house for a while. [D)] I was going to edit, but you already caught it. [(-D]
Mike.
Sounds like a power pack problem to me.
You say that with the switch on the power pack to the left (forward), the loco travels clockwise, then you flip it around and nothing happens.
How about trying this.
With the switch on the power pack to the left (forward), get the loco traveling clockwise, the flip it around and expect it do nothing. Slide the switch on the power pack to the right (reverse). Does anything happen? If not, slide the switch on the power pack back to the left (forward). Does anything happen?
I am just wondering if the directional switch is stuck.
Rich
Remove the decoder and install a dummy plug. If it operates normally, then the decoder is the problem.
Yeah, that’s a good point. Why are you running a DCC equipped locomotive on a DC layout?
Rich
I don’t think it’s been determined yet that it has a decoder in it. His Bachmann GP9 has “DCC On Board”, but it comes out of the package with dummy plugs, in DC mode.
Unless he bought this from a sale site, and the previous owner installed a decoder. I asked him that in an earlier post, but I haven’t gotten any answers.
I also asked him if the lights work in both direction, no answer yet.
Mike.
EDIT: I’m probably wrong about this too, according to Bachmann, if this is a “DCC On Board”, it’s DCC out of the box. I’ll just go back to my corner [D)]
There could be nothing wrong with the reversing, other than dirty oxidized contacts. I have had that happen to a MRC 1500 once in awhile if not used for a long period. The slide switch contacts build up oxidation and do not make contact when you slide them. I have had to slide them back and forth a few times to wear off the oxidation. I do that to all the slide switches on the unit and then they will work normal again. I believe that unit also has a momentum switch, that will also happen to it, do that to the slide switch also. It will also lose contact and make sure it is off when testing.
Do That on a test track…as has been suggested and don’t worry about what direction the engine is facing, if the switch is working, the engine will go forward, slide the switch the other way and it should go in reverse. If it will not do that on the layout…you have a wiring problem or no power to some sections of Your track. If just using a terminal joiner and rail joiners for power distribution, anything is possible.
Good Luck! [:D]
Frank
Ya, I bought a “DCC On Board” 45-tonner recently, and it indeed has a decoder installed…a pretty basic one, but it works fine.
Some more questions / thoughts for the OP…
Although there is an NMRA standard for which rail is positive and which is negative, it doesn’t really matter. You can wire it up either way and the engines will work fine.
Is it possible you accidently hooked up one of the track connection wires to the 12V DC accessory output instead of having both go to the 12V DC variable outputs? (12V variable output is controlled by the throttle; the 12V DC accessory outputs are a constant full 12 volts - for like lights or switches.) If I’m thinking this through correctly, if you say have one rail connected the positive 12V DC variable output, and the other rail to the negative of the 12V, you’d have a situation where if you have the reverse switch set one way, the engine would get variable positive DC from one rail, and the constant negative through the other, which should allow the engine to run. Hit the reverse switch, and now the variable DC is negative, and the other rail hooked up to the negative constant DC is negative too - so nothing happens.
You don’t by chance have both power packs hooked up at the same time? If they’re not wired in correctly, with double-pole / double-throw switches to choose which block is controlled by which power pack, it could be causing trouble.
I would get a couple of clip leads and a short piece of track. Connect the power pack output for the track to this short piece of track . Try running these engines on this short piece of track with no connection to any other track or equipment. Try the reverse switch . This should give you some idea if it is the engines or power pack issues. Do this with both packs connecting and trying one at time.
Ron High
Do these Bachmann’s have plugs? For the OP, some DCC ready locos came with a plug with a “dummy plug” that could be replaced by a DCC decoder plug. Not all OEM installed DCC decoders have plugs.
Maybe WHERE is a better question than WHY did he buy it. If at a local train store, they could try it on their display track and reset the decoder.
Phew! What I thought was a simple, even embarrassingly newbie a question is turning out to be challenging. To try to clarify, I managed to make a short video – about a minute and a half, all I had the memory for – demonstrating the problem and the power wiring set up. A couple of things to keep in mind:
- Re: the loco. I bought it brand new from Trainworld. I chose the DCC equipped because, frankly, it was the only GP9 loco in the Bangor and Aroostook paint-scheme that I was able to afford, and the description clearly said it was DC-compatible.
- Which leads to loco #2, which I was unable to video when I ran the test on it. It’s an old Athearn I bought on eBay, another GP9 in the Boston & Maine paint scheme. I know it’s DC only. It runs fine, I’ve never had trouble with it. I got exactly the same results with it that I did with the Bachmann on the video.
- I double checked the track to make sure everything is connected – I changed out a length that looked a bit too oxidized.
- I am NOT touching anything else. The only thing hooked up to the track and plugged in is the power pack I was using as a test.
- I don’t know if it matters, but it seems as if the locos slow down at the far reaches of the layout.
AJ -
I can’t seem to be able to view your video. I get “Sorry, no videos.”
However, based on what you just said, I see a couple of issues.
Both of your loco’s have the same issue, so it is not a locomotive issue. This is helpful, as now we won’t be wasting time checking the loco.
You also mentioned a second problem, that of the locomotives slowing farther from the power pack. You also have a current drop issue, however, I say also as this will not (most times) cause your other issue, of only working in one direction.
Really double check your wiring connections on your power pack. Make sure that both wires are connected, to the correct terminals.
If you have a multimeter, it might be worthwhile to check your DC volt reading, with no loco on the track, on both direction settings.
edit never mind, there wouldn’t be a share button if it were a private video.
Tommorrow when I go down cellar again, I’ll redo the wires (does it matter which DC screw the wires are attached to? Their polarity isn’t noted.), and do a voltage test. No one will ever accuse me of being an electrician, and I treat electricity with the utmost respect – not to say trepidation. I have a medical condition that messes with my fine motor skills, so detail things like twisting and attaching wires is something I do slowly.
I’m going to try re-uploading the video.
AJ -
It matters, but it doesn’t matter, which wire goes to which terminal.
One rail, goes to one of the variable DC terminals, the other rail goes to the other variable DC terminal.
Make sure that the wires do not touch each other, or any other terminals. (Especially the accessories terminals.)
If the wires are hooked up correctly, at full throttle you will get somewhere close to 15V DC, on both direction settings. Your multimeter should say +15 V one way, and -15 V the other way. (This is correct.)
That blows my decoder theory out of the water.
Your slowing at the far end of the layout is probably a function of poor conductivity between the rail joiners. We can tell you how to fix that later, the current problem is more pressing.
sounds like an insolated joiner missing with that slowing away from the pack, seen that before, just enough power going through things to muck it up but not enough to trip the breaker.
A quick note: The YouTube link should be fixed now. Again, the url is https://youtu.be/Tn2oueQro1c
After watching that video a few times, I am convinced that something is wrong with the directional switch on the power pack.
I have several of the MRC Railpower 1370s to power signals and Tortoises on my DCC layout. They are pretty darn reliable and rugged. But, that doesn’t mean that something cannot be sticking on the directional slide switch. Mess with it, jiggle it back and forth, and see if that helps.
Rich
The OP said in his first post that he also has an Athearn power pack. Maybe try that.
Mike.
In the video, does it stop there by itself or are you turning the speed control off?
Even if the direction switch was defective, if it was not touched but the loco turned around, it should run.
It also looks like there may be a reverse loop in that layout - how is that being handled?
Before you do anything else, take some spare sections of track and hook the power pack to them, and see if the loco runs there in both directions. If it works fine that way, then the problem is in how the rest of the layout is wired.
–Randy