Several years ago, Bachmann very kindly replaced my original Consolidation with a brand new one, so this loco is probably of 2005 or 2006 vintage.
I installed a Tsunami DCC sound system and noted that I saw sparks at the wheels when the loco passed over one of my Peco switches. I thought that a bit odd, so I checked the switch tolerances with the NMRA standards gauge. Other than the frog flangeway being a bit wide, it checked out OK.
So I checked the wheels on the loco. I found EVERY wheel set but for one of the driver sets to be very tight gauge. I had to re-gauge three driver sets, the lead truck and all four axles on the tender were very tightl. Given the high quality of the detailing and how well the loco runs, I am surprised. So, it might be worthwhile checking wheel gauges if you have one of these.
BTW, I had to use a NWSL puller to adjust the wheel gauge. Pretty handy tool.
Scott,
Very tight gauge may cause a ‘bump’ problem with guard rails, but I suspect the corrected ‘wider’ gauge may not completely resolve the ‘sparking’ issue. If you are using ‘Insulfrog’ turnouts, the insulation area right at the tip of the frog is quite small. The tires of the drive wheels may bridge that gap and the ‘spark’ will occur. With DCC, this is a real problem as there is a lot of power on the trackage. I have seen this on DC layouts and there is no problem. I modeler changes to DCC and starts to see the sparking or a booster shutdown may occur. The ‘fix’ is to use some clear nail polish and paint the tip of the frog. Clear/flat model paint will work as well.
BTW, I checked my pair of Spectrum 2-8-0’s and the gauge is a little ‘tight’, but I have never had a problem(I use Atlas ‘Customline’ turnouts). My pair are of the 1997-1999 vintage and have the ‘drop in’ Soundtraxx LC decoder. The motor control is ‘OK’, the sound is great. I may ‘upgrade’ this in the future with Tsunami’s to get better motor control…
Jim Bernier
My first Spectrum 2-8-0 (the one in which the motor failed and which Bachmann very kindly replaced) had the Soundtraxx LC drop in decoder. My new one has the Tsunami.
I was going to offer a comparison between the two but that probably wouldn’t be fair to Soundtraxx because there are at least three years between my hearing and working with the two different decoders. The Tsunami offers a WHOLE BUNCH of sound adjustability, most of which are not particulary useful for many modellers.
I had hoped that the BEMF control offered by the Tsunami would be useful in fine tuning the operation of the locomotives in which I installed them. So far, a Mantua switcher and the Spectrum 2-8-0 have them. I have fooled around with the various settings quite a bit and have come to the conclusion that the default settings offer the best control. The changes I made, following the Tsunami manual, only seemed to make things worse.
The Tsunami offers a lot more whistle settings. So I am on the horns of a dilemma: I have four Diesels (3 Atlas and 1 Kato) that have the Soundtraxx LC decoder. I was previously considering replacing them with the Soundtraxx Tsunami, if they are ever released, or the QSI unit if it ever becomes available separately. But now I am not so sure. I would want to hear what either decoder sounds like before I spend $100 to $130 each to replace the LCs.
Thanks for your suggestion about the Peco Insulfrogs switches. I previously used clear nail polish to “paint” the rails a little ways past the frog but I found my track cleaning removed most of it fairly quickly.
What I have done in place of that is to glue either a .010" or .005" piece of styrene on the side of the guardrail away from the frog; i.e., between the guardrail and the stock rail opposite the frog. The choice of thickness depends on the amount of “slop” there is in the flangeway.
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SOME 'sparking is normal. It is more idicative of an OPEN than a ‘short’, as it is caused by ‘current interuptus’ - current NOT getting to the motor - such as dirt on the track or wheels, or goIng from full power to no POWER. like across a ‘dead’ frog.
A ‘SHORT’ stops the train by sending all the power to a fuse or ‘crowbar’ circuit in your Power Pack. Generally it stops everything by shutting down until the ‘short’ is removed.
Tight wheel gauge becomes a problem when track products become too generously wide. I would try a Micro-Engineering turnout, or a BK (where you spike-in and set the distance for the guard rails).
MASS PRODUCED turnouts are made for the mass market. PECO’s are European and much of their market has Non-NMRA ‘Cookie cutter’ flanges.
WHAT you have is two different products - one with tight tolerances, one with ‘looser’.
Pros would re-gauge the guard rails. I would try different turnouts. COMPATIBILITY is the answer.
I would also try a PECO code 75 turnout - which would be closer to the the sized rail 2-8-0’s actually ran on. WARNING: things would run better and look better, too.
I have never looked at the code 75 Peco switches. Do they offer the same geometry as my Peco code 100s? Also, since I am using Atlas code 83 track, I would need to come up with some type of shim for under the switch equating to .008", wouldn’t I? How would I do that?
ATLAS Code 83 is code 100 high (yes) due to thicker ties. ANY substitutions would entail ‘shimming’. That incudes Peco’s (and Micro-Engineering’s) code 83.
A thin sheet of styrene or sheets of paper-cut to shape - should do the job.
Code 75 is Peco’s fine rail.