I am building a small layout that has some hidden track for staging. I don't have any DCC equipment and don't think I want to go that route. I do want to lash a couple of locos together. I've read other posts about lashing locos that run at about the same speed but none of mine do. Any suggestions as how to modify the locos speeds? Thanks!
I am not sure what you want to do? Have several different makes run together? There is no real way to do anything to the engines themselves, like re-gear them. You might try to get several engines of the same manufacturer and let them run together. If you want different manufacturers engines to run together, you might try what I do sometimes. I put several different types together and always have the fastest running engine on the front.of the lash up. There can be a little difference in running speeds among the engines, but not a real big speed gap.
Hi Porkypine, To be specific, what I have are two Life-Like SD-7's that I want to lash together. They run about the same speed when I open them up, but I like to run them r-e-a-l-l-y s-l-o-w. At the slow speeds, one responds well and the other doesn't. I was wondering if there was a way to attach something (like a grain of rice light) inside the shell that would cause the faster runner to slow down. Any thoughts?
The slow running locomotive could have a number of problems that would cause it to run slow. Since one engine runs well, your track must not be that dirty, so maybe the wheels on the slower unit are dirty. Watch and see if its motion is erratic and the headlights go on and off. This usually means dirty track. If thats the problem, clean them off as best you can. If it ISN'T the problem, I have another suggestion. If you have the courage to open that bad boy up, clean out all the old grease and gunk (Magnum works great-comes in a spray can and used for cleaning electric motors) and re-lube it. Light oil for everything, and remember a little goes a long way! Excess will attract more dirt, believe it or not. If that doesnt work, you may just have an odd engine. Hope that helps you, and maybe somebody else has the right answer. Happy railroading- Dave
