I have a bachmann 2-8-0 I am looking for parts. I posted on the wanted list in the train store. Please see for details. Know I have a cpl of questions, One Where can you get the wire that is used in loco's and tenders? They use it for DCC hook up and use it to run the wires form the tender to the loco for dcc in the tender. What gauge is it? I do know its stranded but don't know the gauge of it. I need to do some wiring to get rid of the draw bar power. Next is Do I have a Dcc chip in my bachmann tender. This was a replacement tender It had a circit board in it with severy little prongs coming off of it bent in a 90 degree angle. The tender strips that the wheel pickups sit on have wires soldered to this board. please let me know If pic is need I can supply one. The loco did come with a TCS z2 the smallest dcc chip they make wired to the loco. I have allot of studder the loco wheels don't pick up well and the draw bars has a intermediate connection causes stumbling that's why I want to hook up the the tender to loco with wires and do away with the draw bar power. thank you Kenny
You may be able to fix the drawbar...Two possible options,... insert a flat wooden toothpick into the slot in the drawbar pin on the loco. This will spread the pin a bit to give you better conductivity. ( leave the tooth pick in the slot and cut it off even with the pins end ) 2 Try to bend the two wires on the drawbar inward to make them closer together. Or a combination of both might also work.......Mike
I have tried this din't do whole lot. The draw bar wires are scewed up thats why I just want to bypass the whole thing.
To your first question. Northwest Shortline has some great very flexable wire for decoder installing. There is no decoder in your tender only a circuit board with the resistors for the light and pads to connect the decoder if you were using one of their harnesses. I would leave that decoder in it because it is a good one. You should tinker with the drawbar some more and if that fails just run the 2 wires for the power between the tender and engine. If the drawbar was removed from the tender make sure it was put back on correctly. The contacts on it go between the contacts coming up from the truck. It is easy to put it back on wrong and have it on the outside of one or both of the truck pick-ups.
Steamer J beat me too it..... Make sure the drawbar is installed correctly. Wipers should be as shown on the right. The next problem could be in the tender itself. I have seen the DCC ready tenders have issues with bent pickup wipers that don't make contact with the posts on the tender trucks. Look for flashing on the plastic insulating insert that keeps it from nesting properly into the metal floor of the tender. When everything is right, the tender should ride on the pickup springs and have a little float when it is on the track. Finally, if the decoder is installed in the boiler, look for a weak contact where the decoder wires clip to the frame under the large steam dome on the shell. There is a push on plastic clip that secures the wires which is not the best way to connect them. They often fail there even in DC applications.
If you want to hard wire the tender to the loco...and...you have an old computer around...strip off 2 of the IDE HHD wires. They are reallty flexable and should work just fine...JMO...thnxs
I forgot to answer the wire question.....the best I have found that is readily available is from minatronics: http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/475-4813004 It only has 4 colors in the pack but the wire is the softest/most flexible I have found.
As for the wire I plan on using tcs 32 gauge dcc wire. They finaly got back to me and said that there Z2 wire is the 32 gauge. As for the circut board there is nothing hooked to it. The tender was a replacement for the origonal. the light board is is hooked right to the light in the loco. I probly pull the board and wire to wires to the connection the the plastic piece sits on then solder the four wires togther so there is no problems there. thanks all kenny.
