The Trouble with Digitrax

A couple of weeks ago the club had a show. The setup went fine and everything was looking good... until it came time to run some trains. Unfortunately something had happened with the command station setup (Digitrax booster connected to a laptop with Java Model Railroad Interface connected to a wireless modem) and we weren't able to connect with our cell phones. This made me very sad since that meant I couldn't run trains. However, those club members who had radio throttles were able to connect, via a Digitrax UR93 duplex-only transceiver which is connected to the booster's LocoNet, and run trains with no problems.

One of the club members had an extra throttle that he graciously loaned to me, so I was also able to run some trains, and that got me to thinking that I needed options. So onto the E-pray I went where I found an inexpensive used Digitrax DT400R, which looked like the DT402 throttle that is in my new-to-me Digitrax Empire Builder set (those who know Digitrax are shaking their heads right now). I don't have a receiver for it yet, but I was able to operate it tethered and with the IR, and it works great.

Unfortunately though, it looks like I screwed up with that purchase (those who know Digitrax are nodding their heads right now) because the 400R can't do duplex operations, which is what my club's UR93's are, and I compounded that error by ordering a Digitrax UR92 interface panel for use on my Empire Builder set, which is also duplex-only. Bottom line, the throttle I have won't work with the club's DCC setups, and the interface panel I ordered won't work with the throttle I have, either.

That means I need to order a DT402D if I want to stay vintage and get the proper type radio throttle to work with my club, and either sell the 400R or get a simplex UR91 panel to go with it. I've put an offer in for a 402D since that's what I really need, so we will see what happens.*

To say I'm a wee bit disappointed with my Digitrax experience so far is overstating things a bit, but not by much. It's my own fault, though, so I can't really blame Digitrax as much as I want to.

The problem is that Digitrax has so many different versions of everything, and not everything works with everything else (especially the older stuff), and Digitrax has a bad habit of making their newer stuff not backwards-compatible, so you really have to be careful when buying Digitrax equipment (and plan on buying a bunch of new stuff when you upgrade, apparently). Word to the wise, people, do your homework and refer to this guide from Digitrax that I really wish I had seen a lot earlier than I did.

To go radio with the NCE requires an RB02 radio base station and either an NCE radio throttle or a modification to my current PowerCab to add a radio transceiver to it. I have no plans to do so because it was a whole lot easier (and cheaper!) to go wireless by installing a WiFiTrax WFD-31 panel and use the old cell phone throttle. That doesn't help me out with my desire to go radio in case of issues with the club setup though. 

For what it's worth, going the cell phone route with Digitrax only requires the purchase of a Loco Net WiFi Interface (LNWI) module which hooks up to your existing LocoNet, but since my Digitrax is not currently part of a permanent setup I don't need it, and it's more than I want to deal with right now. (The club doesn't use them because of their limited connectivity; four devices per LNWI and eight maximum LNWI modules per setup, and we have more than 32 devices wanting to connect on some of our big NTRAK layouts.)

*Simplex means the radio traffic only goes one way (between the throttle and transceiver) at a time, duplex means the radio traffic can go both ways at the same time.

Blunami! Pt II

 In a couple of previous posts I told the tale of the new Soundtraxx Blunami decoders and showed how to install one in an N scale Bachmann 4-8-4 Northern locomotive. I believe the N scale Bachmann J class also has a large enough tender to install a Blunami, so I might try that since I have one of the older versions (but not white-box older; it's one of the 2006 and up releases) that I had to put my own decoder in. I equipped that one with a Soundtraxx TSU-1100 decoder, so there should be enough room... maybe...

But I digress.

In those posts I touched upon the operation of the locos using both the Blunami app and the DCC system, and I was also able to test it using my cell phone as a throttle on the club's DCC system. I have yet to try operating the loco(s) on straight DC, perhaps I will one day but since you can control the loco through the cell phone app on DC it's not really important. The only quibble I had with the Blunami app was there wasn't any way to consist locomotives, not on the Android app at least. 

Well, I'm happy to say that there has been an update to the Android app, and now it is completely possible to consist your Blunami equipped locos on the Blunami Android app. You can't consist non-Blunami locomotives, of course, but I was able to consist both of my Blunami equipped Northerns and run them around my test track using my new-to-me Digitrax Empire Builder DCC set that some sweet lady got me for Christmas. 

And even though I programmed these locos on my NCE set, as I had done with my previous locos, they ran perfectly together... probably because they were identical locomotives (I had a third with a newer type can motor that I matched to the Blunami that was in my installation post; the older motored version got a Digitrax equipped tender) with identical decoders. It's probably a fair bet they won't run with differently branded locos and differently branded decoders until I match them on the Digitrax set, but that's an issue for another day... maybe.

Fox Valley Models

 In a previous post I said that I have been collecting Norfolk Southern heritage units. So far I have three; Erie, PRR and Southern. I also have a few non-heritage Norfolk Southern units, of course, because you may recall it all started out with an SD70Ace to lead J class 611.

I also have locomotives in the other Big Three American railroads (BNSF, Union Pacific, and CSX, which is TOTALLY NOT C for Chessie Systems, S for Seaboard Systems, and X for all the other railroads in the merger, oh no). I like to run them in foreign power consists because you are seeing more and more of that on the rails these days.

The two Big Canadian railroads (CP and CN) are also represented in my collection since their locomotives are also seen in foreign power consists, and because they both have mainlines running right down the middle of the US; one on the western side of the "man with chef's hat" states (Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas and Louisiana) and one on the eastern side.

And, since the CP merged with Kansas City Southern, and because I like the KCS Southern Belle paint scheme, I had to have at least one loco with that livery. However, I ended up with two. The first one says KCS de Mexico on its markings, and I didn't catch it before I got home from the train show with it, so I had to get another one that didn't say "de Mexico" on it.

I tell you all of that so I can say this; all three of the NS heritage units and both of the KCS units are made by Fox Valley Models, and they are visually stunning, with lots of little add-on parts that I haven't bothered adding on because they are just too fiddly for me to feel comfortable messing with. They also run great, and are so easy to put DCC in that it's ridiculous; just pop the shell off, unplug the 6 pin shorting plug, insert a 6 pin decoder, and reinstall the shell.

But of course, since they are a different manufacturer with a different decoder than the rest of my modern diesels (mostly Kato, but also two ScaleTrains and one Atlas), they run at different speeds on my NCE system than they do on Digitrax. And therefore, as per my last post, I put them on the "speed match with Digitrax" program.

One thing I should probably mention, when I got the KCSdeM loco the front headlight didn't work. The vendor I bought it from at the train show said he had burned it out when putting the DCC chip in it. That should have told me something... but I just replaced the LED and moved along.

During my speed matching routine I found my PRR engine wouldn't reach the same speeds as the rest of them and the KCSdeM loco was very noisy and ran slower the longer it ran. I swapped in the shorting plug and found that the PRR engine had a bad decoder, which was easy enough to fix, but the KCSdeM loco was unchanged with the shorting plug and started emitting a strong ozone smell (but no magic smoke). So, it looks like it has a bad motor in it.

ScaleTrains bought FVM last year, so I sent them an email to see if I could send it in for warranty repair. Their response was they don't fix different branded locos so I would have to contact the manufacturer. I pointed out that since they had bought FVM they WERE the manufacturer, and they replied, "Yeah, but we didn't make THOSE locos so we're not really. So sorry."

(Come to find out they won't be making ANY FVM locos since some of the tooling was lost. Without that tooling they can't rework the locos for sound and fancy lighting, as ScaleTrains likes to do. Because of that they are just going to design and release their own line of locos with brand-new tooling. So, even though they own FVM, they don't really own FVM, if that makes any sense.)

Bottom line, if you have any Fox Valley Models N scale locomotives they are now expensive (might I even say, overpriced) pretty looking future shelf queens.

In happy news, I put out a plea for FVM motors on one of the N scale forums and I have a few replies, so it looks like I'll be able to put this one back on the rails at least. I've also been informed that the motors are very similar to, if not the same as, new Atlas motors, so that also may be a source of parts. The driveline certainly looks Atlas-like, which is no surprise really since it also looks very Kato like.*

When Atlas severed ties with Rivarossi they contracted with Kato to make their chassis, and when they severed ties with Kato they sent all their tooling to China. And once you send something to China, China owns it and makes it for everyone at cut-rate prices, so that's why all modern diesels share the same design now. But I digress.

At any rate FVM joins the list of very expensive nice looking and running locomotives that have no support beyond the point of sale. Say what you want about Bachmann, at least they have a robust support system in both service and parts.

And now I'm done with my rantings. I still have locomotives to speed match.

*UPDATE: The FVM motor I received was a tad bit sketchy, too, so I put it's flywheels on a Kato motor I had sitting around and the Kato motor went right in as if it were made to do so. The new Kato motor runs at a way higher speed than the original FVM motor did, so the Atlas "slow speed" motor may be a better match, if you can find them. I don't have one of those, so I can't check on it. At any rate, I was able to speed match them to the others (using CV settings closer to what I use on Kato locomotives than the ones on my other FVM locos) and all is right again.