Hoping someone can help before I send this locomotive back. The locomotive won’t move, or the headlight turn on. The sound system works, apparently on this locomotive the sound system has a separate decoder in the tender. I am using NCE power cab with a a booster. I notice that the sound system does not activate until I advance to speed step 1. Also there is no wiring between the tender and the loco. Is that normal for BLI? Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. I operate multiple other sound equipped locos on my NCE w/o a probelm.
The decoder and speaker will be in the tender, as it almost always is for steamers in the scale hobby. You have an exploded diagramme that will show the decoder and speaker.
There has to be wiring. Look/fish inside the tender’s front opening, just below any deck on the forward bulkhead of the tender. A plug is in there that must be CAREFULLY and FULLY inserted correctly oriented into the receptacle with the tiny pins located under the deck plate of the cab on the locomotive. You’ll have to figure out how to insert this tiny plug, but it must go in there, and in until it can’t go any further. Be careful not to break any of the tiny wires.
Once you have the plug inserted, and the locomotive and tender properly railed, power up the rails and see if you don’t get what you thought you bought.
You don’t have to, but you probably ought to become familiar with changing the address of the locomotive. Most of us use the cab number on the steamer. Learn how to address a new loco, and remember that addresses above 127 need to have CV29 changed to 34 or 38. Thirty eight is for using the loco on rails that have either DCC or DC power, and the decoder switches automatically. A value of 34 is for only DCC operations, and the loco won’t even power up with sounds if you place it on active DC rails.
Crandell
karle,
Crandell is correct. There is a black plug that comes from the tender and plugs into a socket that’s located at the back of the cab. The decoder is actually for both sound AND for motor control. Since the decoder is not plugged into the socket, it has no control over the motor.
Tom
I have two BLI Hudsons, and there definately is wiring between the tender and the engine! Look carefully.
Is it possible that the OP could be correct and that there is no wiring harness on his loco?
That would certainly explain the absence of motor movement or working lights.
Since the sound decoder is in the tender, is it possible for that decoder to make sound in the absence of a wiring harness from the tender to the engine?
Rich
Karle,
Everyone,who posted is correct, there are wires,attached to a plug,that plugs into the back of the engine,
Call, customer serv. at 1-386-673-8900,1pm-4pm,EST m-f . If it was New,there should have been a plug…
Cheers,
Frank
Rich,
That is a good question!!! Now,I WANT TO KNOW,
Cheers,
Frank
Rich,
If you just put the tender on the tracks by itself, the pickups from the tender should feed power to the sound decoder. If for some reason there isn’t a plug, BLI should fix that for free - given that it’s new.
I would agree with Crandell that the plug and harness are, more than likely, tucked up inside the tender.
Tom
Tom,
I agree with everyone else. There has to be a wiring harness connected between the tender and the engine for the motor to run and the lights to work.
Crandell may well be correct that the wiring harness is tucked up against the tender or maybe still in the box. On the other hand, the wiring harness may be missing completely, as the OP seems to imply.
We need to hear back from the OP at this point.
Rich
For that particular unit, Rich, the harness is hardwired to the decoder. If the harness and plug aren’t completely missing (highly unlike that they are) then it’s gotta be tucked inside the tender.
One of my locomotives came exactly that way when I first pulled it out of its box. I had to use some flat-nose tweezers to fish it out.
Tom
If you put the tender on the track by itself, you should hear sounds and you should see the tail light come on when you put the engine in reverse.
If the locomotive is not connected, you should not be able to program the decoder. One of the checks that’s made before programming is that there is a motor connected to the decoder’s motor leads. Without that, you should not even be able to change the address.
My BLI Hudson has a QSI decoder, and I can’t program it on the programming track. It either needs a booster or it needs to be programmed on the main.
Which raises an interesting question. Is there a motor decoder in the tender?
You never know.
Rich
That could very much be true, Rich - i.e. if it’s one of the older “stealth” Paragon Hudsons. If it’s one of the newer Hudsons though then it comes with the Paragon2 decoder. In either case, the wire harness and plug will be hardwired into the tender.
Tom
Thanks all for the help. I will very carefully recheck tonight if the harness is there. I thought I did that, but may have missed it. The loco (purchased new from M.B. Klein mail order just last week ) had no wiring diagram included and also no smoke fluid, which also is very odd and does not give me a warm fuzzy.
karle,
Given that the tender is black and the harness wires and plug are also black, you can blame it on the soot from the smoke box. [:D] The liquid smoke should be tucked down in one of the foam openings of the locomotive box. If BLI forgot to include some then I’ll be glad to mail you mine because I’ll never use it.
Tom
All of the J1Ds at M.B. Klein are listed as having DC / DCC operation and smoke, along with Paragon 2 sound decoders.
Update: Yes there was a plug tucked way up in the tender. I could just barely see a couple black wires and upon gently tugging on it I was able to see what looked like a plug. I carefully fished it out after about 20 minutes of work with a hooked wire, being careful not to hook the wire to the speaker. Glad I was able to do it without damage. Thanks again for the help all, and thanks for the offer of smoke Tom. That definitely was not included, I’ll call BLI and hopefully they’ll send it… you may want yours some time in the future.
Thanks for the update, karle. So you plugged the harness into the connector and she’s working fine now?
I’m sure BLI will send you a bottle of smoke. I will never use mine so you’re more and welcome to it.
Tom
I recently received two different locos from BLI, and neither had the smoke fluid included. A third did. I sent an email a month ago and have yet to receive an acknowledgement. I guess they want me to guess that they want me to call…?
Crandell
I din’t get no stinkin smoke fluid with my two BLI Hudsons either. sniff…[:-^]