My new "DCC on board" Bachmann On30 2-8-0 will not run on DC

Well I'm surprised ! Because my Consolidation has loco pick-ups, their easy to miss but if you look on the assembly drawing you'll find them at the bottom by the drawing of the base plate assembly. Yes they do run very well they should they have six pickups each side. Of course sound makes them even better. I'm just running a 4-4-0 American I've just received DCC fitted I might add, and it's smooth as a baby's bum right out of the box. BTW under your loco should be two plugs they both have to be fitted. I have a rail car also Bachmann DCC fitted and it's been super smooth since I first ran it - proves Bachmann do do things right
shows why On30 is the fastest growing section of this hobby world wide. At least us silver surfers can see what we're running without bi focals .

QUOTE (Dennis David @ 6 Jan 2008, 15:33) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>There must be a contagion going around. I just bought two locomotives myself; the 2 Truck Shay as well as the Climax. I'm looking at adding DCC and sound and would like advice on what I should get for each. I understand that most people use Soundtraxx for these models.

***Dennis

Either the Tsunami or the LokSound V3.5 will do fine. Geared loco's are a bit impossible to do any Steam synchronisation with of course but they come up just fine with either.... LS don't have an out of the box grared loc file and I can't remember which LS steam file I played round with the get the frantic chuffing needed but it wasn't really so hard to do in the end.

Of course if U don't have a lokprogrammer, the choice is easy - the Tsunami

I'm starting to HATE working on On30 loco's - They run well and are such excellent value too... So every time I do one for a client they tempt me more and more..... and each time its harder to resist!!!!!!!!!!

Richard
DCCconcepts

QUOTE 2 Truck Shay as well as the Climax. I'm looking at adding DCC and sound and would like advice on what I should get for each. I understand that most people use Soundtraxx for these models.

Lovely aren't they and the run so well. Both my Shay and the climax have drop in decoders from Soundtraxx the speaker fits right under the main board. BTW it's the same type of decoder in each although they have different sounds. The little 4-4-0 American is simply fantastic, great hauling capacity, and runs with a smoothness which you seldom see with British stock - all with a bog standard Bachmann decoder fitted by the factory. If your looking for further stock I've found "The Favoritespot" on ebay has good prices and can be depended on for good deliveries.

Re the Soundtraxx decoders.
The majority of my stock have Soundtraxx Tsunami decoders. Early on I bought a Powerpax from Tony's to enable me to program the Broadways in my fleet. This works quite well and I've subsequently upgraded both chips with the new drop in upgrades. I have a DSD 1000 Tsunami which is proving very difficult to program, which I'm unable to reprogram, (the loco was purchased with the decoder installed on Ebay. I'm just wondering Richard if the Soundtraxx PTB-100 offers anything extra over the Powerpax ?, your thoughts please BTW I've made sure that CV15 & CV16 match each other, and CV130 =1 so in theory at least the decoder is unlocked. All I want to achieve is to reduce the sound volume, the quality is great but I get blasted every time I use the loco.

QUOTE (Makemineadouble @ 6 Jan 2008, 17:27) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Re the Soundtraxx decoders.
The majority of my stock have Soundtraxx Tsunami decoders. Early on I bought a Powerpax from Tony's to enable me to program the Broadways in my fleet. This works quite well and I've subsequently upgraded both chips with the new drop in upgrades. I have a DSD 1000 Tsunami which is proving very difficult to program, which I'm unable to reprogram, (the loco was purchased with the decoder installed on Ebay. I'm just wondering Richard if the Soundtraxx PTB-100 offers anything extra over the Powerpax ?, your thoughts please BTW I've made sure that CV15 & CV16 match each other, and CV130 =1 so in theory at least the decoder is unlocked. All I want to achieve is to reduce the sound volume, the quality is great but I get blasted every time I use the loco.


***Not sure re the ST PTB-100. I've only used the powerpax but now I use neither by preference... After checking the install is OK I tend to do most of my Tsunami & Broadway programming on the main and it goes smoothly enough... Although the PowerCab (when I can keep one in stock long enough) will programme them OK on the programming track!

Have U tried on the main??

Richard

Yes of course and all four programming modes on the DCS100, with and without the Powerpax. It's possibly some feature that needs to unlocked, it probably one of those rare times I'll have to sit down and study the manual. I'm tempted to try a Loksound for the 4-4-0 American, I see there's and extensive range of sound
in any event I just love On30. It's bigger without being Massive, and the ability of stock to handle tight curves down to 20" is simply amazing making it ideal for tight UK layouts.

QUOTE (Julian @ 3 Jan 2008, 21:57) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Thanks Gary ,
yep it does, this is the fist time I have known a loco that is loco dirven but the pick ups are in the tender only !
Julian there are pickups on the loco too but to allow the DCC plug to work all the pickups go to the tender PCB then the motor leads go back to the loco through those two plugs you mentioned.
I've used the tsunamis in some of my On30 locos too although I haven't got round to the shay and climax yet as the original chip was too big to hide easily, I'm going to test the stall current and see if the smaller micro tsunami will be powerful enough as they do a sound chip especially for the geared locos.
I've got the MMI K27 which is a real beauty and ripped out it's useless sound unit and put in a Tsunami. The new DRGW no.50 diesel by Accucraft in On30 is a cracker too.
I like the Bachmann 4.4.0 but I was suprised they chose the small low boiler one over the bigger version they modelled in G scale with all the nice colourful livery options.

That little 4-4-0 has prolific pulling power, mines just coasting around pulling a combination load primarily made up of pulpwood cars and their really heavy. Of course the same train sound better with a pair of Forneys with Tsunami sound !