You could just paypal me $300.00 if you like:tb-wink: And I will perform the modifications to anyone elses GS-4 for only $100.00 - includes Free shipping this week only. Hurry now!, don't delay!
Good to see that we are finding ways to solve the problem. I'm pretty sure someone from Kato has been assigned to watch the various postings...not only here but on other websites. They are in a need to know position. Have fun!
This is the ground floor pricing, folks. It's only onward and upward from here. I am going to print out some of this discussion and take it with me to my clubhouse tomorrow and see if I have any of these problems.
I'd like to be a fly on the wall of wherever Kato is holding their discussions. The most difficult fix is for the frame shorting problem and I don't see a way other than a recall. Installing a wired decoder is an an option for those who can or can pay for an installation. Those wanting only a plug-in decoder are the hardest hit. Disappointing for us but the most disappointed person has to be Yuji Kato. Ben
I want my cut of this! I want my fair share of this profit. I had to of contributed something to resolving this problem. No, nothing. Sheesh I'l fix my own thank-you. Real Big Grin! LOL Ben, the "Fly on the wall" thing. Me too! You know papa Kato, is disappointed. One thing in his favor, this is turning out to be an easier fix, then some of us first thought. Till later and have fun!
I was figuring that I was going to hardwire a sound decoder in there, anyway. I am just waiting to raise the money... and also to see some successful installations in pictures that I can use as a guide.
Sound Decoder! Cool. Now that, I might pay you ...to install for me. Sound decoder would be the perfect finish for this classy SP Daylighter. That would be nice.
In the attached thread (dated after you wrote this post) it is clear that there is a DCC issue with this engine. http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/showthread.php?t=96411 Kato at this time recomends that DCC is NOT installed on the GS-4 units.
News Flash - Problem Resolution News Flash! I just got off the phone with a old friend of mine and your's. He has been following some of this "Chatter" between us and suggested I share how he resolved the problem with his GS4's. Go back and look at the motor wipers and I think you will find the problem. The wipers hold the motor in place. During shipping or handling of the locomotive the electric motor may come loose, bending the wipers. The motor and flywheel will come in contact with the shell of the GS4. Causing a "Chatter" or a vibrating noise that is amplified by the body shell of the GS4. Straighten out the wipers and the electric motor will move back in place. No more noise/"Chatter"... Gosh and we were looking hard at the transformers. Good discussion and review of how things work! Just having too much fun! If you want to install a none Kato decoder, to control lights and sound. You will need to isolate the electric motor wipers from the frame. It is recommended we use "Kapton Tape" none insulating tape to isolate the wipers of the motor. There is room for the decoder on top of the frame of the locomotive, inside the shell. I would place the sound decoder and the speaker back in the tender. Incidentally the GS 4, is about two times heavier then the Kato Mikado's. That has to be a good thing. You can pull over 20 Kato passenger cars and 40 freight cars on the flat. MT, Z Scale, #905 knuckle couplers can be installed on the front pilot and they mate well with any N scale coupler. To be body mounted on the tender...as well. My thanks to a good friend for giving me a phone call. If you want to tune into more of his work you only need to go to the N Scale Magazine. Lot's of good articles. Have fun!
Rick, I thought you would have received your GS-4 by now so you could really enjoy the fun. I think it is established that wired decoder installation is being done both by the pro installers and individuals who can do so. With the other problems popping up, why bother? Ben
Decoders...yikes! Ben, You are so right, I don't have my GS4 as of yet. When it comes to decoders I have much to learn and appreciate the good friends who are willing to shot straight and give proper advice. By the way...according to trusted fellow model rails who are in the know. Kato is working on the problems. I can't believe, the circles we run around... here. Interesting ride but sheesh. However, just look at all the fun we've had. Enjoy your GS4 SP Daylighter! You take care.
Okay... I hope I am not kicking a dead horse here. I ran the GS-4 a lot more last night than I had to date when I was at my NTrak club. The loop I ran it on was just about dead level and mostly Atlas C80 track and re-railers (which we have been using as joiners between modules) and C 55 Peco switches. I did not try to change any switch positions. I hauled the ten car set, and I used our DC controller (which I forgot to get the name of... sorry) using a remote control. I ran a mix of slow (approx. 10 mph scale speed) to fast (approx. 75 mph scale speed) with most running being about halfway in between (roughly 45-50 mph). I had no problems with chattering or excessive noise. I had no derailments. What I will say, though, is that I did find EVERY bit of wonky track on the layout. I used it as an opportunity to locate those places and I even fixed a few. When it would go through a PECO large radius (Insulfrog?) switch entering on the diverging set of rails, when the pilot truck would go through the frog the GS-4 would take a little dive to the frog side and then "pop up." The cars all rolled through here as smoothly as glass. Looking at the pilot truck wheels they are very small, and it's as if they get lost in the gap in rails at the frog. The drivers are no problem since they are such large radius. I am curious now. I think I need to get an NMRA gauge and check everything on the switch and loco and see if something is out of gauge. I am not sure, with the length of the gap in the frog exceeding the diameter of the pilot, that I can make it any better on the pilot truck side when the loco hits the frog while on the diverging rails, short of replacing the switch or replacing the pilot truck wheels. In some places where the rerailer between modules is bridging ever so slight height changes, you can see the GS-4 lurch a little. It never once came off the track, not even the pilot truck. Anyway, those are my observations. I am sorry people are having a hard time. I seem to have lucked out and gotten one of the more-or-less perfect ones.
Good new can't be bad news! Oh, why not... take this dead horse and drag him to the glue factory. We might need the glue to secure the track...what with spring next to arrive. Good to hear...I mean really good to hear, your locomotive is running well. You lucked out.
I am interested in trying resolve this seeming incompatibility between the GS-4 and PECO large radius turnouts. I am wondering if something without a worn out looking plastic frog (e.g., PECO ELECTROFROG or some sort of hand-laid turnout) would work better. I will keep on the lookout for GS-4 problems and see if I can find any. I am curious as to where people who have problematic GS-4's bought them. I bought mine directly out of my LHS. I am wondering if one's delivered to customer's homes may have gotten beat up a bit in shipping. I look at that case the GS-4 came in and I would not want to subject that to the standard UPS guidelines as to whether I would be comfortable dropping it, packed in a box, from a height of three feet. Hey, does anyone know if the observation car is supposed to just have one red light or are those little things that look like side lights supposed to light up, too? I guess I should have popped it apart to look for wiring or a board up in there. Adam
I have not had mine apart but I would assume it would be very similar to other tail cars that Kato has done. It is all done with light guides from one light source. The marker lights on the side do not light up very brightly but they do. I turned the lights out and could see them quite well.
Hey, does anyone know if the observation car is supposed to just have one red light or are those little things that look like side lights supposed to light up, too? I guess I should have popped it apart to look for wiring or a board up in there. Adam[/QUOTE] Those little side lights do work; however, you must turn the room lights off or very low to see them.
Since a lot of the club members were actually working instead of just railfanning a passenger train and practically drooling on the track, I didn't feel comfortable dousing the lights to check it out. I might try to brighten those in the future. Thanks!
Marker Lights and the Rear Light! [quote/] Posted by Willyboy: Those little side lights do work; however, you must turn the room lights off or very low to see them.[/quote] Those little side lights are "Marker Lights". During normal daylight the marker lights were difficult to see. It wasn't until a storm moved in darkening the sky or sunset set-on and the darkness of night finally arrived and the lit marker lights accented the end of train. No real difference for this observation car. I know you aren't going to like my next statement. The rear light was actually clear and was turned on only when the train was in reverse or backing-up. When the #4449 ran in it's SP daylight passenger train to destinations in the state of Mississippi, they borrowed a former GN corrugated, observation car which did have a working red light on the tail. Have fun!
Hi Rick, Thanks for the info. On my Super Chief Set, I believe the side markers are clear and I have no problem seeing them with the light on. The SP side markers are a deep ruby red and that's going to take a lot of light to illuminate these babies in daylight. I don't mind it. I am really enjoying my GS4.
