Uncooperative Bachman 70 Tonner

Tim Holmes Sep 22, 2019

  1. Tim Holmes

    Tim Holmes TrainBoard Member

    313
    1,154
    21
    Hi Folks:

    I have a bachman spectrum 70 ton diesel with dcc on board:


    https://shop.bachmanntrains.com/ind...ucts_id=5098&zenid=ajpqpoi250qn5o75n7e8adsmp1

    it was given to me by a friend, now that I have a working layout, I have been trying to get it to respond to my NCE Power cab -- I CAN read cv's and I changed the decoder address to 1122 and long address, but I can't get it to respond to power commands, or light commands -- on the same track my other 2 engines work great on.

    Can you please suggest some trouble shooting steps or other good ideas?

    TIM
     
  2. umtrr-author

    umtrr-author TrainBoard Member

    2,835
    3,394
    78
    Many Bachmann locos have low-end decoders. Could be that even if you were able to program a long address, that doesn't mean the decoder understands it. Mine is programmed to the short address (70, of course :) ). I also have an NCE Power Cab.

    I did a quick search for the owner's manual online but didn't find it.
     
    Tim Holmes likes this.
  3. Tim Holmes

    Tim Holmes TrainBoard Member

    313
    1,154
    21
    Hi Folks:

    It turned out to be a balky decoder, I re-programed it for short address 3 and it works fine -- I think that one is gonna get a new decoder one of these days -- otherwise, it seems to run ok

    TIM
     
  4. ogre427

    ogre427 TrainBoard Member

    258
    201
    17
    Sometimes Bachmann decoders can present challenges to our DCC command stations during programming due to the noise filtering circuits and low amp motors. I spoke to Bachmann at a train show and they recommended placing a 1000 ohm resistor across the rails of the programming track. I have gotten this trick to work for me on my Digitrax Zephyr, your mileage may vary. Use this advice at your own risk.
     

Share This Page