So today I'm runnin trains. I notice my FVM Es44AC lights are flickering ever so slightly...hardly hoticeable really. Figure I will clean some wheels. Decided to clean the wheels on my Atlas GFP40 thats running on the other main at the same time. I'm running 1/4 throttle and didnt even bother shutting the throttles down. I just grab the locos off the track. Over to the workbench and perform some 'maintenance'. Afterwards I grab the rerailer and slide the Atlas loco down the ramp to its consist and let her go...grab the ramp...away she goes...everythings fine. I do the same with the FVM ES44AC. Slide it down the ramp to its consist...let her go...grab the ramp...away she goes...everythings fine. Both locos are crusin around just fine. Same throttle speed as before. Now...I decide to come in the house and catch up on TB. I pull the Atlas GP40 in the yard and shut her down....perfect I run the FVM ES44AC into the yard...go to shut her down...no response ! Zero the throttle...crank up the throttle...nothing !! I hit 'emergency stop' on the throttle...nothing !!! Change the throttle to other UP5's...no response from the locomotive ! I got me a runaway !!!!!!! :-( I finally had to shut all power down to the command station to get it to stop ! :-( When I restart the command station...trains act normally again. This same thing happened about a month ago when I cleaned the same locomotive...got a runaway afterwards !! Thought it was just an anomaly back then. This time its just plain wierd *Cue the Twightlight Zone music again!* Is there something in the decoder on the FVM that 'sticks' when ya take it off the track at throttle and when ya put it back on rail it reacts all fubar ? I have never experienced this behavior on any other of my locomotives. Kinda freaky I tell ya....LOL. :uhoh:
i bought 8 digi decoder for my gevos and two have been acting odd also put the train on the program track the lights blink like normal the computer states sending signal train flashes its light then put it on the main and the light flicker real dimly then nothing
Could be that it decided to stop being consisted or perhaps the consist stopped being. I suppose it's a Digitrax system? I have little experience in those matters, but if it works anything like NCE, then removing the locomotive from the consist and selecting its address may fix the problem.
I've had my Digitrax system do that before. It seems that sometimes when you take a loco off the track, the decoder forgets that it's tied to the throttle. It then reacts as if the address has been "stolen" by another throttle. If you hit "loco" and reacquire the address, it should fix the problem.
George, I have had several TCS decoders take a mind of there own. They will not stop on E-Stop, lose control, no throttle response, have to short the track to get it to stop. TCS says "it is my layout" and not the decoder. I do not have an answer. Bob.
I may have to try the short the track trick next time. shutting down the command station and rebooting is a pain at times.
One thing I have learned, if you use a 2 digit address they will E-Stop most of the time. The bad actors are CN-GP, CN, K5D7 and the one for the MP36 Kato. No idea why. I have installed over 400 decoders, only the later TCS seem to act up. I have around 130 locos, the rest were done for other people. Bob.
The last time this happened to me, it was a Kato GG1 with a Digitrax drop in decoder. This problem is certainly not isolated to TCS. Fortunately for me, my loco was stopped when I pulled it off the tracks.
Things that make ya go "DOH !!!" :closedmouth: I never thought to just rest my left wrist (metal watchband) across the track and cause a short to stop the ^%$*&^*^$*^% thing...D O H !! The command station would have automatically reset itself once I lifted my wrist...and everything would have been fine !! Turning off the power wasnt really hard to do...it was the climbing over 'stuff' I temporarily have on the floor at the back of the aisle to reset it that was a pain !! hboy:
I use a remote AC power switch on the booster for a fail-safe emergency stop, and hang the control around my neck. The only time that it was been a problem was when I didn’t put it on because I thought I didn’t need it! Bob
One thing that I found that seemed to help on my own locos is to turn off analog conversion. (DC operation) I do this as a matter of policy when programming a new install. I don't have any specific science behind this other that it seems to help. YMMV
George and all The runaway syndrome is caused by a static spike of electricity hitting the decoder. The best way to fix is to reprogram the decoder. This is a decoder agnostic problem, happens to all makes and models. For the FVM units, you may want to try the Zimo MX621N. It is a great decoder and about the same cost as the TCS decoder. I think it is the best decoder for these locomotives. All my Gevos have them.
