That is a supposed flaw with the TCS Z2 decoder according to a member of RW forum. TCS is supposed to correct that situation. To combat this, I run the Atlas Two Truck Shay at a very low speed ( about 8-10 mph). At this speed a speed table isn't needed. I also maintain very precise control of my NCE radio controlled Power Pro throttle. Having fun with it...... Shades
They haven't corrected it yet, lol. I'm still breaking mine in occasionally, but it doesn't seem capable of slower than 15Nsmph Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk
Bend that left rear contact strip down away from the frame with sharp tweezer tips last night, and that did the trick. It's now in relatively constant contact with the pickup wiper 'ear' below it, and I can creep it through the back-to-back #6's successfully. Runs quite well. It is somewhat slower than the first run. I'm not sure if that's motor, gearing, or both, but on DC it's noticeable. I'm really wondering how many of you complaining about dirty track are actually running into this issue in some manner. Check it out. If it's only picking up from one truck, or one side of a truck, it's certainly going to stall a lot more. Can't help you with your decoder issues. That's an incremental can of worms on its own.
When I ran my test on the new run had both of my older first run also on the track. My guestimate is it is about 50% slower. However when I get my out for repair one back I will time both at the same throttle setting on the same length of track.
Just proceed slowly with the installation. Before you attach the led wiring to the decoder, make sure you test out the Shay to see if you wired the contact strips and motor wiring correctly. BTW, if you decide not to wire both front and rear leds to the decoder, both front and rear lights of the Shay will always remain on. This is another option to consider as wiring both leds to the decoder can be time consuming and at times frustrating. This makes the decoder installation relatively simple. Have fun with it..... Shades
I haven't studied it closely....yet... but it's very obvious that the new motor is a lot smaller than the old one. The new one is an elongated version of the same case drilling and size of the Kato 11-105 motor, the one in the Atlas 4-4-0, and the Bachmann 44/70 tonners. The body shell, however, appears identical. One would think there's now some unutilized empty space in there now where that bigger motor was. I don't feel like tearing my first run apart to compare the insides of the body shell to the new body shell.... just a thought for somebody to consider. I'm assuming the DCC decoder is in the tender tank above the rear worm, right? So room to add some more weight and improve pickup? It would be rather logical that Atlas wouldn't want to retool the body shell if they didn't have to just to get some more weight in it.
Correct. The DCC decoder can be placed above the rear worm gear or alongside the rear worm gear at an angle to the worm gear. There isn't much room to add any additional weight. Getting the decoder installed is about all you can accomplish. Have fun with it...... Shades
OK, so here's a good shot of the new mechanism - for those of you that don't immediately tear things apart. Now, here's the old one:http://www.spookshow.net/loco/files/atlasshaymech.jpg Pay particular attention to the motor orientation and size, worm gears, etc. The flywheels/worms don't look much different. The old motor is considerably above the flywheels, the new motor is just about level with them. Also notice the hand-soldering around the contacts, new LED board, etc. Look in the cab window right above the motor/flywheel and you can see there is now room above the motor - and there's nothing in the boiler above that all the way up to the front flywheel. There might not be a lot of room, but there is room for weight. Weight for the versions is about identical - even with my changes (I removed some cab material and added a coal load) - 55.1 grams vs. 55.0 grams on the new one, with the couplers removes, so I'll say identical.
Thanks for the picture, Randgust. That's a big help to see what's what. With Shades decoder tips I have a better idea of what to expect. If I understand, removing the front and rear couplers, and 4 screws will get you there?
That's correct. Don't mix up the four screws holding the frame. Separate the two front screws from the two back screws. On the first run the front and back screws were different sizes (length). Be careful when removing the boiler so that you don't disturb the front and rear leds. When you install the decoder, make sure you avoid putting any pressure on the drive train as the connections to the front and rear trucks are very delicate. You can remove the drive train if you feel comfortable doing so. There are two screws holding the drive train in place under the frame. This is another option. Have fun with it.......
If you think how this drive actually works, the normal 'slack' between worms, worm gear, spur gears and wheels exists on two trucks, just like any diesel. It's how you can slightly move a locomotive back and forth on its wheels with the gear tolerances. In this mechanism that also exists on the sets of gears on the front dummy drive crankshaft, universals, and bevel gears. If you pull the motor off, you can accidentally get the worm gears off even a tooth or two, which is just enough to take up the slack on the crankshaft and therefore actually put force through it instead of the truck drive gears; one truck will actually attempt to propel the other one through the crank instead of just idling along for the ride. I found this out when I had a universal pop apart. It repeatedly popped apart until I found the 'secret' of analyzing the slack in the gears against the slack in the crankshaft so they weren't fighting each other. Once I got it back right I vowed never to do that again. If you DO remove the motor, put some kind of indicator mark on those truck worm gears so you can line them up exactly the way they were when you removed the motor from the frame. Don't say I didn't warn you. I lost little parts of universals in a forest of ground foam on my layout and spent several evenings on repairs. After this had happened several times, I caught on.
Warning heeded! I would prefer not to remove the motor or drive train. I don't get along well with precisely placed mechanical parts. Dropped parts often end up in the next county or another dimension. For now I will continue to have fun with my decoder-less Shay.
