good morning to all. I hope I am posting in the right area my genesis 282 light stalls when the wires from the tender to loco connection is moved either by hand or on a curve. I know there is some electronics in the tender for dcc installation could that be any problem? I don’t know how to take the loco apart to check the wiring at the motor any one have the same problem? rambo1…
How old is this locomotive? The Genesis 2-8-2 Mikado I have, which was their original release several years ago, does not have any electronics in the tender, and the tender does not have anything to do with the decoder other than the fact that the decoder is stuffed into the tender at the end of the umbilical cord. The locomotive will even run without a tender.
You should be able to pull the decoder out of the tender through the slot in the front of the tender, and make sure the decoder is securely inserted into the socket at the end of the cord. Depending on how many hours of operation your locomotive has, some of the insulation may have worn off some of the wires in the cord, so check that while you have the decoder pulled out.
Another note, the “stiff” plastic jacket over those wires tends to bend upward from the genesis foam in the box. I had issues w/ a light tender and the harness exerting an upward force causing intermitant derailments. Flexing the harness out straight and even bent downward did help. Adding weight to the tender solved this. If placing the loco back in the original box for any extended period, cut away the foam to reposition the decoder and harness.
Cacole has basically addressed the connection problem, besides a poor connection @ the decoder, you could also have a loose wire within the plug itself. I really like the Genesis Mike, even tough it is a light puller and the early runs suffered from the “cracked Gear” issue.
Rambo, it sounds like a connection problem, but it could be connection due to wear 'n tear as much as something that’s just loose finally.
The BLI steamers need to have their plugs from tender to loco cab inserted deeply and firmly, sometimes to the point where I am scared I’m going to drive the socket out of its receptacle and cause even more problems. Or, that I will break a wire on the plug from attempting to squeeze it into its socket. Unless I do, though, sometimes I’ll just get sound and no motor control at all. I’ll even get the chuff sounds, but not a turning wheel.
You may benefit from a new harness…but only if you inspect it very carefully with good light and a magnifier and see worn insulation or a broken wire. It may even be a broken wire still covered by perfectly good insulation. Bending wires still experience fatigue. Maybe an electronics cleaner spray in the socket, just a quick burst, and then slide the plug in and out a couple of times to help wear away any corrosion that might be there. Also, although remote, a solder somewhere along the path may have finally let go.
A multi-meter set to the correct scale would show you if/which wire is the intermittent one. IF it’s a wire and not something else.
Crandell
the locomotive is over 7 years old and has had this problem almost since new. It has no decoder on it. It has to be in the wiring or a soldering joint at the motor but it’s hard to see.rambo1…
Those early Genesis steamers had no DCC installed, only that umbilical with a plug-in which could be removed to allow installation of a decoder.
Disengage the tender from the loco’s drawbar by lifting it, then withdraw the wire bundle from the tender. Check to make sure that the dummy plug-in is firmly engaged, as it’s an integral part of the circuit if there’s no decoder, then place the loco on the track to see if the problem has been corrected. If not, my guess would be that a wire has broken off one of the connectors at the motor, which will require the loco’s superstructure to be removed.
I run straight DC, so removed that umbilical completely and re-wired the loco from the pick-ups directly to the motor, then later added tender pick-ups, too. I also re-worked the mechanism to increase the pulling power, boosting the weight from the stock unbalanced 12.5oz. to a balanced 17.5oz. These are very smooth-running locomotives.
Wayne
but how do you take them apart to check the motor connection? rambo1…
To disassemble the loco, first remove the damper control - it’s located on the engineer’s side of the smokebox (right side if you were sitting in the cab) at the point where the main walkway meets the short stepped-down walkway. Grasp it with tweezers and pull straight out. Also remove the two braces which run from the sides of the smokebox to the pilot - they’re a press-fit into the smokebox and a loose fit into the pilot deck.
Next, remove the lead truck (note how the parts are assembled, and, if necessary, make sketches to aid in re-assembly), then remove the screw which goes up through the cylinder block and into the boiler.
At the rear of the loco, disengage the lower ends of the cab handrails - use pliers to gently pull them straight out. Next, working inside the cab, use a small screwdriver to carefully spread the bottom front corners of the cab, then use your free hand to lift the cab straight up.
Now, grasp the lower rear area of the boiler and squeeze to disengage the tabs from the firebox, then lift the rear of the boiler high enough to clear the top of the motor - this is a tight fit. Once clear, slide the boiler forward until it’s clear of the front end of the main boiler weight and lift off
Wayne