More Fun with DCC

Did you know that when you are programming a Digitrax decoder and it asks you what you want your minimum, maximum and middle voltages to be, they don't really mean voltages?

It's true!

So, with the "malfunctioning" DCC decoder once again installed in the Mikado, and properly programmed, the Path Valley Railroad ran one day totally digital (and totally Model Power powered). The Lackawanna Pacific pulled the passenger train while the Mikado handled the freight duties.

In the process I've found that my little layout just really isn't set up to run two trains simultaneously...but then again, that's not the way it was designed in the first place. It was designed as a switching layout with the possibility of roundy-round train running, and it fills those roles admirably.

If I wanted to run two simultaneously I'd really need to put in a dedicated mainline and turn the existing main into the switching siding, that way I'd be able to orbit the passenger train while I was switching the freight. Unfortunately I just don't have that kind of real estate to play with.

Now I just have to fiddle with the SD9 until I can get it to be a good locomotive on DC again, and then I'll try once more to put a decoder in it. I don't know why I'm so hell-bent on putting DCC into that locomotive, but it's become a quest of sorts.

I'm also going to put a decoder into the K4, I just haven't decided if I'm going to wait for the new motor and gear to get here before I do it.

On A Happier Note

Even though the DCC-ing of the SD7 did not go well (see previous post) this weekend's train work did not all go for naught.

You may remember I had some wiring issues with my J class and that I had ordered the wiring harness to repair it. I did in fact hear back from them and for $45 they would be glad to fix it for me since it was over a year old so the warranty no longer applied.

The parts came in Friday, so I declined their generous offer and installed the wiring harness myself. The new harness had much better quality wiring than the Krapton insulation on the stock set and wasn't really that hard to install. I am happy to say the J class, much like its 1:1 counterpart, is once again operational.

I also got a set of PRR shells for my Bachmann GP7's and they are happily wearing their new livery and have been programmed with their new numbers (8803 and 8303; they were both 8803 until the judicious application of a black marker changed it). I like the way they look, but now I have a pair of custom painted Northern Alberta Railroad GP7 shells that are now surplus.

Friday evening my grandson and I ran some trains, so DCC issues aside it was a pretty good weekend.

DCC...or maybe not...

The replacement Digitrax decoder came in the mail Friday.

I immediately put it in the SD9.

It ran about as well on the pulse power as the Pacific did, so I called that one a win and turned on the DCC system. The decoder programmed and all seemed well...until it was time to run the beastie.

The lights came on (in the wrong direction) but the locomotive would barely crawl. I checked the programming several times to no avail.

So I pulled it out of the SD9 and put it in a Model Power Mikado. Same deal, it programmed just fine but it wouldn't move the loco at all.

So I pulled it back out and gave up on ever getting a decoder in the SD9.

I've been told I set the speeds wrong, so I'll put it back in the Mikado and try it again when I have time. If it still doesn't work I wonder if Digitrax will take it back again...

K4

The Bachmann trucks for the Minitrix K4 have been received and installed.

The slow speed performance is vastly improved, before the locomotive would stall repeatedly unless running at ludicrous speed and even then the headlight would flash like it was sending a message in Morse code. Now as you can see it runs smoothly (albeit noisily) at slow speeds, and I have clocked it at a scale 4mph.

I have a remotor kit on the way, hopefully it will improve the low speed running even further and reduce the noise as well. The remotor kit consists of a RE13 maxon motor (a 7 pole precicion coreless motor with precious metal brushes and commutator and Neodymium rare earth magnets) and a custom built compound gear to replace the single red gear, which should give me smoother operation and better gearing.

The GP7's got a new set of duds as well, they are now sporting Pennsy shells. That means I have a nicely detailed pair of Northern Alberta Railroad shells looking for a new purpose in life.

Additionally I have purchased some Kato Unitrack and some Rokuhan Z scale which will be used to create some T-Trak modules with an elevated Nn3 line. As far as I know this has not yet been done, so it should be a first. It is surprising to me that no one has done it yet, but it should be interesting.

Happy Railroading!

Additions

An addition has been made to the blogroll.

Welcome to the High Desert.

And now, since I have one, I'm off to see what he has to say about the ConCor 4-6-4.

DCC

The local model railroad club, which I joined recently, is a DCC only club. So if I wanted to bring locomotives to play on the display layouts they have to be DCC equipped.

Currently I have a pair of Bachmann GP7's that came from the factory with DCC decoders, but that was all. I decided to go ahead and convert a few. First I selected my Bachmann J class only to find out the wiring going between the tender and locomotive was shot. I have an Email to Bachmann about repairing it, but I've ordered the wiring harness in case I don't get an answer. Their customer service tends to suck a bit.

Next I decided to tackle the LifeLike SD9 that I run on my home layout. Following these instructions (with the exception of completely disassembling the shell, not necessary since it comes off in one piece) I first modified the trucks for improved pickup...which I highly recommend, if you have this locomotive...and then following these instructions (with the exception of modifying the rear weight as described in these instructions) I installed the decoder.

It was then I screwed up. I didn't test it on DC as the Digitrax instructions say to do, I just put it on the programming track and attempted to program it. The system couldn't find the decoder, all it did was blink the lights. The instructions say this is A Bad Thing, so I took the power off immediately. I then tried to run the loco on DC and the lights would just flash once when I turned the throttle up.

I tried disconnecting the motor and then the newly installed LED lights one at a time to no avail, so then I just connected the power wires to alligator clips and connected the decoder directly to the programming track. The system could still not detect the decoder, so either the decoder was bad from the factory or somehow I fried it. Fortunately Digitrax will replace it free, even if I screwed it up. Now THAT is customer service!

So then I turned to my newly acquired Model Power Pacific. It ran great on DC, so why not. Installing a decoder in a Model Power Pacific is a dead simple task as long as you aren't trying to hook the headlights up, and it only took a little time to do. The loco ran forward and backwards with no problems on an oval powered by a cheap train set power pack, so off to the programming track it went!

The programming went smoothly and soon I was happily running the locomotive around the track. The problem is it won't run on DC now. Whenever I try to run it on DC it surges; full power, down to a crawl, then back to full power. My layout DC is a PWM throttle so that may have something to do with it, but it is disappointing to say the least.

And now my best running Pacific on DC is once again the ancient Atlas.

As a side note, I also acquired a new Pennsy locomotive, a Minitrix K4.

I am disappointed to say that it runs just as poorly as Spookshow says it does (I have the one with the red gear, of course), mostly because the two drivers on the fireman's side that are wired for pickup have traction tires on them (!!! Really? You couldn't have put the traction tires on the middle drivers, neither of which are wired for pickup???), but fortunately I found some instructions to make it run better.

I have the Bachmann trucks on order (along with the J class wiring and a couple of Pennsy shells for my GP7s) and as soon as they get here I will install them and hopefully overcome it's power pick up problems. Hopefully the Motorman will return my email and tell me the good news that he has a motor upgrade kit for it as well.

So kind of a mixed bag lately railroad wise, but all in all not too bad.