Well, my new layout is wired for DCC and I am running an Atlas DCC locomotive with TCS decoder that runs beautifully. I got a Bachmann DCC On Board locomotive for my son's 7th birthday and tested it before I give it to him on 3/15/05; it doesn't work smoothly. It doesn't start up without a nudge from me and it jerks at other points on the track. Besides that it also doesn't run very fast. I have followed the instructions with my Digitrax Zephyr manual to edit speed step settings. There does not appear to be any change in performance of the locomotive. I don't want to have to take apart the shell to find wiring problems...could there be some other problem?

-- Thom Lehman (t_lehman@earthlink.net), March 10, 2005

Answers

The fault is not with your DCC equipment, but lies within the low priced loco. Poor electrical pick-up problems are very likely. Check and fix for poor electrical connections and/or pick-up finger springs on the loco and tender. If there is no tender pick-up...add it. clean the surfaces where the pick-up sliders contact the wheels. Add a drop of conductalube or com-drops at the points where electrical contact is made or where electrical joints swivel. (available at train and slot-car hobby shops). Mechanical binding problems can also exist to limit smoothness or speed. Check and fix quartering of steam loco drivers. check and lube moving joints in side rods (use a sewing pin to distribute tiny drops of oil or grease to only where they belong) Let it run for a couple of hours to break in and it may make a world of difference.

-- Don Vollrath (dvollrath@magnetek.com), March 11, 2005.