New QSI equipped locos randomly stop and restart

Model Railroader Electronics and DCC
1

I have a set of brand new Proto 2000 NYC 20th Century Ltd. locos (E7A&B). They both randomly “act” like they short out, stop momentarily then fire back up and resume to the speed setting they were set to. I’ve performed factory resets on both units, but still have the same results.

Whether they are setup in a consist or if they are running singly they behave this way. CV29 is set to 34 which is the proper setting for 4 digit addressing, NMRA DCC, and 14/128 Speed Steps, etc. I was told to make sure CV 11 is set to zero, which it is. These locos do this whether they are on a large layout or on my 3 foot long test track.

When running the locos, I’m using the NCE system. Not using the NCE system to program. I use a SROG II and Decoder Pro in Service Mode to program the locos. Really disappointing for as much as I have invested in these models.

A secondary issue is the A unit is markedly faster. All the motor settings are the same for each unit. Probably will just have to speed match the two unless somehow this issue is related to the above.

Thanks in advance for your help.

2

Michael:

It sounds to me like a dirty wheel/dirty track problem. The behavior you listed is typical of this problem. Give your wheels and track a good cleaning and see if it helps. By the way, new locos can have dirty wheels.

Joe

3

I second the motion, doesn’t matter what brand of loco or decoder. When troubleshooting, start with the simple stuff first before tearing into track, wiring, CV reprogramming, etc.

4

Yep, what they said.

And after you do that, put a little WD-40 on your finger and wipe you finger on the track for about a foot and run the loco through it. It will help the contact between the track and the wheels. You don’t need much so don’t go overboard with it.