Bachmann 2MT 2-6-0 and (not) DCC

No, no one can, not without knowing where they are connected, since DCC uses red and black for track pickup and orange and grey for the motor, so Bachmann didn't do a very good job here.

If there's a standard DCC socket in the tender then you can work out the connections from RP-9.1.1:

Many thanks - I'll have the loco and tender bodies off on Saturday and work it out.

Regards, John isherwood.

Do they not just refer to the chip connectors. What is used everywhere else is not defined - true it would be nice though.

Presume they are 2 from the track pickups and 2 for the motor so they just want connecting to each other. Simple, cut all then use a meter connected between one side of wheels and test each wire in turn. Repeat for the other side. That gives the 2 pickups. Connect each to one of the remaning wires and see if loco goes the usual direction and swap if dont.

Cheers, Simon

"cctransuk" wrote

I think this follows standard Bachmann USA practice, in which case the mini-plug which carries just two wires is transferring +ve & -ve current picked up from the loco power collectors to the DCC socket in the tender. If you connect these direct to the motor instead of two of the four wires coming from the DCC socket that should circumvent the wiring in tender altogether.

Another option thought might be to fit additional pick-ups to the tender and use some of the exiting wiring to transfer this back to the motor in the loco.

John.

Which makes me think - Hornby have successfully had pickups on the tender for some time now, but Bachmann seem to have chosen not to follow suit. I must admit I've rarely had any issues with Bachmann tender locos having pickup trouble, so is it just a case that Hornby's tender locos are 'over-engineered'?

Ian J.

John,

As far as I can see, there are two identical miniplugs, each with two wires; one red and one black.

As someone has pointed out elsewhere, it would be wise to mark which is which because putting them back in the wrong locations could be disasterous if the tender is fitted with a DCC chip.

Regards, John Isherwood.

"John Turner" wrote

I've since checked and it seems that both sockets only carry two wires, which of course negates my earlier suggestion - sorry!

John.

"Ian J." wrote

I'd be inclined to suggest that the pick-ups on Hornby tender locos are UNDER-engineered, and that the tender pick-ups are necessary. Certainly they run *much* better when the tender is attached.

John.

According to Bachmann's catalogue, it's an "8-pin" socket!

This presumably rules out any sound-fitted version in the future?

(kim)

"John Turner" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@news.supernews.com:

Something I'd echo. As a matter of course all my locos have all wheel pick- ups (including tenders) and having so modified them (where necessary) I haven't half seen an improvement in running.

Likewise the "engineers train" I'm currently building has all wheel pick- ups through-out its length and will have a plug and socket arrangement for connecting with the loco.

In my book you can never have enough pick-ups - especially as in my case the layout is in a very dirty garage and my longest (regular) train only has 6 carriages on a tender loco the additional drag doesn't factor in at all.

Suprisingly I'm not really in agreement with your inclined statement. One of the main benefits of tender pickups is the extra length over which current is collected. But as theres a max of 3 wheels per vehicle actually touching the rails in a non suspension vehicle then tender pickups will at least double the number of contact points.

Cheers, Simon

Of the 3 yes it should be 1 on side and 2 on the other but if you have sharp curves and high speed trains then it doesnt have to be.

It extends the flexible wheelbase so you will always have at least two wheels on each side picking up current.

Given 3 wheels touching on any given loco, one will be on one rail, two on the other. That gives us a loco dependant on a single pickup point for traction current! Dead frog turnouts almost guarentee the loco will stall at shunting speeds. A rocking axle or suspension doubles that to two, which by my reckoning gives a decent chance for a loco to pass dead frogs IF wheels and rails are clean. A rigid loco and a rigid tender with pickup gives us between 2-4 or 3-3 pickup points. That still leaves us relying totally on _2_ pickup points for traction current, which given the average model railway environment is something of a gamble!

Greg.P.

"simon" wrote

Indeed, which is why I suggested to John Isherwood that he might use ALL of the wiring provided with the Bachmann Ivatt to add pick-ups to the tender.

I've no experience with Bachmann 'kettles' of this being necessary, but it might potentially produce better running, whereas there have been any number of instances with recent Hornby locos which I've tested prior to sale that have very definitely NEEDED the tender to be attached to get optimum performance.

That's all I'm saying, but have you seen the way some of the pick-ups are fitted to Hornby locos? They rely on the chassis keeper plate to hold them in place. Remove the keeper plate & they literally fall off.

John.

Funny that. In my experience you're absolutely right. What's even more weird is that I have Hornby MNs that have sprung rear axles, yet they still need the tender for optimum pick up, but the Bachmann tender locos don't have such a problem. What are Bachmann doing right that Hornby are doing wrong, when Hornby's approach *appears* to be correct? (that was a rhetorical question, btw)

Ian J.

Surely a case of the more the merrier. It is not just the overall length of the pick-ups but the number of them. Logic should also say that the so called "3 points of contact" is a minimum. The odds are that there will be more than 3 in contact. So an 0-6-0 tender loco could possibly have 12 wheel pick-up and would most unlikely stall compared to a sister model with only 6.

Kevin Martin

I'm afraid you can't dispense with either of those two wires. They aren't anything to do with DCC - cut them and the loco simply won't work, as it provides the pickups from the tender to the motor.

John

John.

You can - just did it.

Remove the axle keeper-plate on the loco and unsolder the red and blue wires from the pick-up strips; (noting which is red and which is black.

Snip the other red and black wires which come from the motor where they enter the insulating sleeve, strip the ends and solder these to the pick-up strips instead. Reinstall the keeper-plate.

Remove the tender body and unscrew and dispense with the connecting sockets and the PCB. Reassemble the tender.

Job done!

Regards, John Isherwood.

dont think so, unless wheels and track are an abolutely perfect fit then it can only be three wheels per vehicle. Compare it with a 4 leg table on a flat surface. Nearly everywhere you put it you can slide a thin piece of paper under one leg.

Cheers, Simon