Gee... I really don't know what to do with mine. The only real concern at this time is the non working lightboard. I don't know if it's fried or its just loose. I sort-of regretting the A- grade I gave Kato for the GS-4. Since I didn't run either engine in DCC... I guess I have to qualify the grade as being only relevant to DC operation. Many of you who have been encountering derailing front trucks are looking at my grade with some degree of reluctance.
My statement was not completely true. I was merely pressing on the drivers with the loco upside down. A difference in driver #2 is felt if the drivers are are pulled upward with the loco upside down. Doing that, driver #2 will move but #1 and #3 will not. Driver #4 does have spring action but #2 only has freedom of movement. Ben
I sent mine back to Kato on Wednesday. The headlight did not work. Talked to D in repair and he had me remove the smokebow door and then put it back. Light still inoperative. So sent back. Now they say there is a shorting problem. They have it at Kato (it arrived on Friday) so they should fix it with whatever patch they come up with. BLW cancelled my EM 13 order. Now it is wait and see. Mine was never operated with DCC just DC, but it will be! Jerry
Kosmo, I've got exactly the same forward noise as you describe. Please keep me posted if you find anything. Scott
Found something! Whoa! Kosmo and anyone with forward motion noise in a Kato GS-4 - I just discovered that my noise relates somehow to power source. Does this make sense to any of you electrical engineers? I use DC, not DCC. I usually run locos with Cab A, my ancient highly-reliable Troller Autopulse Momentum 2.5. All locos run smoothly with the Troller. Cab B is a 5-year-old MRC Tech 4.350 that's always been trouble, but which gives me walk-arount control for switching remote locations. MRC sent me a transformer to add to it - that took the "doorbell buzzing" out of locos, but they still operate somewhat jeerkily on the MRC. I use the MRC only when switching remotely with perfect-running diesels. Out of the box, yesterday, my Kato made a high-speed chattering noise in forward (Cab A). I think in the area above drivers #1 or #2. Otherwise, to loco runs like a dream, even through superelevated curves, Peco medium turnouts and insulated frogs. Perfect performance in reverse. Lights are fine, and (knock on wood) no derailment issues. I want to keep it, but only if the noise goes away. A methodical run-in didn't lessen the noise in forward. I was showing my wife (the railroad's CFO) the noise, and she asked, "What if you use Cab B (the 'bad' MRC)?" Trying hard to control my smirk, I threw the toggles and throttled the GS4 forward. Almost no noise (she hears some; I hear almost none). We tested back-and-forth, both throttles. Forward is noisy with the 'good' Troller;almost gone when using the MRC pack. This seems to blow my theory that a gear axle is shifting, in forward, to rub plastic somewhere - suggests the noise is electrical rather than mechanical. In nearly 40 years of N-scale, I've never seen anything like this - does it mean anything to any of you? Any ideas? Scott
I took my GS-4 back to the LHS where I got it last week. They were very aware of the DCC issues, derailing and light issues. Since my engine' light failed, they exchanged it for a new one. We tested this new GS-4 (just as we tested the 1st one) and it ran fine on their layout which uses Atlas code 55. Fortunately... It runs just as good on the home layout which has Unitrack... still no derailing of the front truck. This engine is quiet... no chatter as mentioned by Scott (Siskiyou) above. I use an MRC Tech 4 280 (two cabs). Hopefully Kato will have a 'fix' for all of these problems soon.
Today was the first train show for our club since the Daylight came out. I ran mine DC about 3 hours total. No problems of any kind with loco or cars. A member of an associated club was there and he took his apart at a vendor's test track, to try to see if he could find the DCC short. After lots of testing he put insulating tape on the entire frame and eliminated the short. He is a signal maintainer for a 1 to 1 scale railroad. Since electricity is all smoke and mirrors to me, I will just wait for Kato to figure out what needs to be done before I convert mine to DCC.
More info..... I've posted pictures in the Atlas Forums for N scale regarding the DCC short. Regards, Jose
Grade A Grandpa Joe, I trust your word and I'm not offended. You simply shared your first impression. You also kept us advised as you identified the problems. That can't be bad thing. I wanted to compliment you on your layout. You are hired...you can help me with mine. Nice work! The SP Daylighter looks good on your layout...envious as hell! You know we have reports of a number of GS4's doing the job and performing well. That has to be a good thing. Thanks for the heads up. And that goes for "ALL" who have participated here. If it ain't fun it ain't worth doing.
Strange I was looking at my GS-4 today, the good one that does not derail. Discovered there is no spring on the pilot truck assembly. My bad one, the one that derailed, had a spring. The spring I assumed was to exert downward pressure on the truck. I put a spring on the truck and ran it and derailments galore. Took the spring off, NO derailments. Does your GS-4 have a spring on the pilot truck assembly? Ben
I'm sorry to hear about everyone's GS-4 problems. Reading everyone's reports I have to say that I've been incredibly fortunate. I picked up my decoder on Friday from the LHS. When I got home I put my GS-4 on my quick-and-dirty layout to test it before installing the decoder. This layout has an outer oval with 11" radius turns and a double crossover into a 9 3/4" radius figure-eight. The whole layout fits in 24 x 66 inch. My GS-4 ran on this torture track for over half an hour with no derailments... even in reverse. I just checked, and my GS-4 has a spring on top of the pilot truck as Ben describes. So the secret to my success isn't sans-spring operation. Maybe the fact that everything was Kato... Unitrack and DC powerpack... is the reason. <shrug> Anyway... I was fortunate in that I saw the posting about the DCC problems, and checked out the Kato link before I got to installing the decoder. Maybe I should be buying lottery tickets this week.
I had to try the derailing GS-4 without the spring in the pilot truck assembly. Without it will negotiate all 25 turnouts, both directions, without derailing. And it dived at half of them with the spring. Maybe it is my 12 year turnouts that are the cause. But I will consider the GS-4 as fixed, sans spring, and get on to better things. I've run the Daylight so much in testing that I'm bored with it. Ben
hmm, stange. I do have a spring and No derailments ever on mine, and that is with kato #6, Kato#4 & even a few Atlas code 80 switches. Just the lights problem, grinding noise under load (more than 8 cars) & inclines (maybe from the driveshaft area?) and had a traction tire spin off one side, I put the tt back on and ran it some and it is still on. but have not run it a whole lot since re-installing it. Thanks to my wife for helping hands/fingers to help get it back on.
My just acquired replacement does have a spring in the front pilot truck assembly. I 'believe'... though can't confirm now... that the one I took back to the LHS also had a spring in the pilot truck assembly. Neither of these engines have had derailment issues over the Kato #6 turnouts. Is it possible... that the spring on you engine is improperly seated in the assembly?
Not sure, it fits very precisely. Or the tension of the spring may have been wrong. Both the pilot truck and trailing are very light. So my "fix" may be only temporary. But for the moment I can sleep with visions of Daylights dancing in my head. Ben
Hmmm... spring tension... Perhaps the tension of the springs are not consistant... different batches of these springs could have enough difference in the tension that there are ones which operate correctly while other constantly derail. Both GS-4s (original & replacement) came from the same LHS... no pilot truck derailment issues on either one. Maybe they were from same batch with correct spring tension?
My Kato GS-4 also made a 'buzzing' kind of sound at slow speeds in the forward direction, but was quiet in reverse. The noise went away at higher speeds. After removing the boiler, I discovered the motor was vibrating against the left frame. I performed a "cheap & dirty" fix by putting a couple of layers of masking tape between the motor and the frame to act as a mechanical isolator. This totally solved the noise problem. It now tracks flawlessly and quietly in both forward and reverse. ryan
'Noisy' GS-4 "Train Guy" Vince did a lot of testing SUN of the forward-chattering GS-4 and developed an interesting conclusion - it MAY be the power source. He found the loco noisy when using an older pulse power, momentum-producing power pack like mine. When he substituted a newer, pure DC pack (no pulse of momentum), the noise went away. It's too late in the day to test, now, but let me ask: of anyone experiencing noise, are you using an old Troler Autopulse pack - or any other brand and model that produce pulse or momentum? If so, can you sub another pack and see if the noise goes away? Please let us know if this works for you. Scott
I am using an old MRC Tech II 2500 pack (with pulse power). I'm wondering if this pack is causing the extra 'buzzing' at slow speeds. Anyone have any suggestions for a power pack with pure DC (or less pulse than the old Tech II)? ryan
