Just found this video, had the same problem while servicing one of these I had just gotten on eBay for a steal, but will be attempting this repair, possibly even tonight! Thanks for the guide.
Many thanks for the info and resources. I have a True-Line of Canada CN U2g 4-8-4 that the headlight lead to the connector plug came loose and now I know how I'm going to fix it. I hate $600 door-stops!
Thanks! Unfortunately, the shop is currently only able to ship within Canada. Hope you can find one, though - it seems like a pretty decent locomotive aside from the wire issues.
Back EMF is a feature built into DCC decoders. You can usually adjust the parameters by changing CV values, and the ideal settings will be different for each motor.
I own a Bachmann Daylight with DCC; this one has an updated tender connection where they've combined both plugs into one which makes this problem easier, should it come up. However, it's still a poor design choice as those wires are very cumbersome and have the potential to interfere with the drawbar when it runs. Not to mention it's hard to connect and disconnect the tender with the placement of the socket below the cab. I might look into upgrading it to something more robust/less intrusive.
It does seem quite prone to derailing, probably because it's so long and not all that heavy. The freshly repaired wires might be a bit stiffer than they were originally, which doesn't help, but that alone shouldn't cause it to derail.
Jeez I hope I never have to do this, that does not look fun. Out of curiosity we’re you able to still unplug the locomotive from the tender, or did the glue slip and make the connection permanent? Looking forward to more videos from you!
I was still able to unplug it, but you do have to be very careful with the glue. I used a thick gel-type super glue for this one, and that worked OK, but on another one I tried to repair recently, I made the mistake of using thinner superglue. It instantly ran inside the plug and completely jammed it. I ended up having to cut the plug off and replace it entirely. In the future, I'm not going to bother gluing them at all.
Mike I just visited the Bachmann parts department and they put their new dcc ready n scale 2-8-0, and the shells themselves cost $100, I mean GOLLY, what’s it made of diamonds. They are really gonna get I trouble if they raise their parts prices. Now I’m thinking of not ordering from the parts department I even shared a post.
Hi Michael, I have recently been looking at upgrading from my Bachmann EZ Command DCC controller to a Digitrax Zephyr DCS51. I was looking around at videos on DCC controllers and I came across yours on the BC Hobbies channel, and you said that you had gone with the Powercab because the Zephyr DSC51 had problems. What were the problems you have heard about? Is it anything major or just some small things? (If it’s small things that’s fine, as I found one for a good price which is why I’m thinking of getting it). Thanks for taking your time to read this! P.S. Sorry for posting this on a random video, I didn’t know if you check the comments at all on the BC Hobbies channel, since I know multiple people run it.
The main issue people seemed to have with the old Zephyr was the display, which just doesn't have room to show very much information, making things like programming CVs more complicated. Functionally, there's nothing wrong with the old Zephyr. If you find a good deal, and you don't mind figuring out the controls, I say go for it! P.S. I do try to check the comments on the BC Hobbies channel regularly, but I usually check the comments on this channel more often. If you comment there, I will try to respond, but it might take longer. Either way works.
I have a small collection of On30 stuff that will get its own video fairly soon. I'd like to build an On30 layout at some point, but the HO layout is taking up all the space I currently have.
I have two ideas for this in my near future. One, by a set of plugs prewired and just splice into existing wire, shrink tube for nice place, or get long enough prewired set to resolder from scratch. Second idea, build as you did, but maybe also place shrink tube ahead of time to bundle wires and make them stronger and easier to unplug and might even look better. nice work though. Next time it will be easier I bet.
If you're already buying another plug, I would just unsolder the old ones from the circuit board and solder the new ones in their place. That way, you don't need to have a joint in the middle of the wire, and it will flex easier as the train goes through curves.
Hey Micheal! Great video. I'm having a bit of an issue with a Bachmann 4-8-2 Light Mountain I'm fixing for a friend, it's been sitting for 8 years following an incident that broke the tender wire plugs (Your video on resoldering the harness came in handy for that haha) I've finally got the it running again but it's very jerky and rough - it didn't come as much of a shock as while cleaning and relubricating the drivers I found that after the bottom plate was screwed at appropriate tightness the drivers would get very poor freewheeling, I'm not sure if this is normal for the these Bachmann split chassis locos or if I somehow reassembled something incorrectly, any guidance would be greatly appreciated.
The split chassis locos are finicky. Most likely, one or more of the drivers is loose and has worked its way out of quarter because the center nylon axle sleeve has started to crack. This happens on almost all of those old Bachmann split chassis locos sooner or later, and unfortunately, there's not much that can be done about it. Of course, you can twist it back into alignment, but it will work its way out again. Your best bet is probably to get the driver aligned perfectly, get the loco running, and then mark the alignment on the axle with a Sharpie, pull the wheel off, and use a tiny dab of epoxy to glue it back on with the marks lined up. It won't last forever, but you might get a little bit more life out of it.
I had one of these years ago with the exact same issues. 8yo me couldn’t comprehend why it kept derailing on 18” curves, and then those tether wires broke. Shame.
I'm not sure. I don't think Broadway Limited has a parts department like Bachmann does, but it might be worth emailing them to see if they can send you one. You could also try to find out what type of plug it is and source one somewhere else. Unfortunately, I've never owned a Broadway Limited loco, so I'm not sure exactly how their plug wires are configured.
@@michaelramsey81 worse part they are starting to overprice their parts for example a shell for the new 2-8-0s is 100 at that point you can get an old spectrum engine with the mechanism
@@NorfolkAndWestern611 Most art supply stores should carry it, but if you want to buy it online, I found a pretty good price here: www.ebay.com/itm/173401308630
The best way to do it is with waterslide decals. I'll make a video on that when I get good enough at it to be able to do it repeatedly without messing it up.
Yes I tried making a new account but Bachmann wouldn't let me. I even tried calling them but still nothing. I really don't know what to do anymore. I think i'm banned from buying from them. Can you still buy from them or is it just me?
I've bought from them several times with no issue since you started mentioning this. I'm not sure how they would even know you're the same person if you made a new account. I wish I could help but I'm absolutely baffled.
The wires are there to make it easier to convert the loco to DCC (or, in this case, because it already has DCC). I have rewired locos before to work without the wires, but it makes them nearly impossible to convert to DCC later.
Excellent job, my good sir! Bachmann trains should hire you for their repair department :)
I'm so glad my body woke me up at 3am for this
Same bro
I used this video as a tutorial for my spectrum 2-8-0. It was broken for months, and then I came across this. Thank you so much my friend!!
I must say that this video was a huge help for me in restoring my little Bachmann 4-6-0 number 87 to operation.
I'm glad! That's why I post stuff like this.
Just found this video, had the same problem while servicing one of these I had just gotten on eBay for a steal, but will be attempting this repair, possibly even tonight!
Thanks for the guide.
Many thanks for the info and resources. I have a True-Line of Canada CN U2g 4-8-4 that the headlight lead to the connector plug came loose and now I know how I'm going to fix it. I hate $600 door-stops!
You did a great job with this engine, I wish I could purchase it.
Thanks! Unfortunately, the shop is currently only able to ship within Canada. Hope you can find one, though - it seems like a pretty decent locomotive aside from the wire issues.
Thanks for explaining how these connectors can be fixed! I would like to learn how you applied “back emf” to improve operation.
Back EMF is a feature built into DCC decoders. You can usually adjust the parameters by changing CV values, and the ideal settings will be different for each motor.
I own a Bachmann Daylight with DCC; this one has an updated tender connection where they've combined both plugs into one which makes this problem easier, should it come up. However, it's still a poor design choice as those wires are very cumbersome and have the potential to interfere with the drawbar when it runs. Not to mention it's hard to connect and disconnect the tender with the placement of the socket below the cab. I might look into upgrading it to something more robust/less intrusive.
Damn you really just went though hell and back with those wires! ,that’s one of my worst fears are when the wires are broken
It's definitely not an easy fix! In most cases, I'd recommend just replacing the whole wiring harness. That would have been vastly easier.
Great video. I had to do the same thing to the exact same locomotive that I bought for my son. But now the thing won't stay on the rails...🤦♂️
It does seem quite prone to derailing, probably because it's so long and not all that heavy. The freshly repaired wires might be a bit stiffer than they were originally, which doesn't help, but that alone shouldn't cause it to derail.
Jeez I hope I never have to do this, that does not look fun. Out of curiosity we’re you able to still unplug the locomotive from the tender, or did the glue slip and make the connection permanent? Looking forward to more videos from you!
I was still able to unplug it, but you do have to be very careful with the glue. I used a thick gel-type super glue for this one, and that worked OK, but on another one I tried to repair recently, I made the mistake of using thinner superglue. It instantly ran inside the plug and completely jammed it. I ended up having to cut the plug off and replace it entirely. In the future, I'm not going to bother gluing them at all.
Mike I just visited the Bachmann parts department and they put their new dcc ready n scale 2-8-0, and the shells themselves cost $100, I mean GOLLY, what’s it made of diamonds. They are really gonna get I trouble if they raise their parts prices. Now I’m thinking of not ordering from the parts department I even shared a post.
Hi Michael, I have recently been looking at upgrading from my Bachmann EZ Command DCC controller to a Digitrax Zephyr DCS51. I was looking around at videos on DCC controllers and I came across yours on the BC Hobbies channel, and you said that you had gone with the Powercab because the Zephyr DSC51 had problems. What were the problems you have heard about? Is it anything major or just some small things? (If it’s small things that’s fine, as I found one for a good price which is why I’m thinking of getting it). Thanks for taking your time to read this! P.S. Sorry for posting this on a random video, I didn’t know if you check the comments at all on the BC Hobbies channel, since I know multiple people run it.
The main issue people seemed to have with the old Zephyr was the display, which just doesn't have room to show very much information, making things like programming CVs more complicated. Functionally, there's nothing wrong with the old Zephyr. If you find a good deal, and you don't mind figuring out the controls, I say go for it!
P.S. I do try to check the comments on the BC Hobbies channel regularly, but I usually check the comments on this channel more often. If you comment there, I will try to respond, but it might take longer. Either way works.
@@michaelramsey81 Okay thanks for letting me know! Sounds like I might go for it then!
what are you doing with the on30 box cars i saw you had in a video from a year ago
I have a small collection of On30 stuff that will get its own video fairly soon. I'd like to build an On30 layout at some point, but the HO layout is taking up all the space I currently have.
You can file the solder iron tip to better the point size.
Great video Micheal!
I have Bachman spectrum 2-6-6-2 that has the same problem I’m gonna try this and hopefully it will work
I have two ideas for this in my near future. One, by a set of plugs prewired and just splice into existing wire, shrink tube for nice place, or get long enough prewired set to resolder from scratch. Second idea, build as you did, but maybe also place shrink tube ahead of time to bundle wires and make them stronger and easier to unplug and might even look better. nice work though. Next time it will be easier I bet.
If you're already buying another plug, I would just unsolder the old ones from the circuit board and solder the new ones in their place. That way, you don't need to have a joint in the middle of the wire, and it will flex easier as the train goes through curves.
Is it possible to just Souter the wire directly to the dcc board.
Thanks for the video! I’ll be attempting this on a Niagara soon enough…
Hey Micheal! Great video. I'm having a bit of an issue with a Bachmann 4-8-2 Light Mountain I'm fixing for a friend, it's been sitting for 8 years following an incident that broke the tender wire plugs (Your video on resoldering the harness came in handy for that haha) I've finally got the it running again but it's very jerky and rough - it didn't come as much of a shock as while cleaning and relubricating the drivers I found that after the bottom plate was screwed at appropriate tightness the drivers would get very poor freewheeling, I'm not sure if this is normal for the these Bachmann split chassis locos or if I somehow reassembled something incorrectly, any guidance would be greatly appreciated.
The split chassis locos are finicky. Most likely, one or more of the drivers is loose and has worked its way out of quarter because the center nylon axle sleeve has started to crack. This happens on almost all of those old Bachmann split chassis locos sooner or later, and unfortunately, there's not much that can be done about it. Of course, you can twist it back into alignment, but it will work its way out again. Your best bet is probably to get the driver aligned perfectly, get the loco running, and then mark the alignment on the axle with a Sharpie, pull the wheel off, and use a tiny dab of epoxy to glue it back on with the marks lined up. It won't last forever, but you might get a little bit more life out of it.
Where did you acquire the mountain back scene ?
It's from TrainJunkies.com.
I had one of these years ago with the exact same issues. 8yo me couldn’t comprehend why it kept derailing on 18” curves, and then those tether wires broke. Shame.
Great Video!
How about converting a Atheran SD40-2 #6410 (8888) to Kadee couplers
I don't have one on hand, but if I ever end up with one, I'll make a video.
I have some hi cars that are not necessary and I want to sell them but I don’t know how what do you recommend?
If you're on Facebook, see if there's a model railroading group for your area that accepts sale posts. If not, try eBay.
I really cannot be happier because Michael uploaded 3 videos CONSECUTIVELY 🥹
Sometimes I go for months without posting, but sometimes I get a flurry of sudden inspiration, lol.
How did you know what number the decoder is?
It's the road number of the loco.
Is it possible to but a new wire for Broadway limited locomotives
I'm not sure. I don't think Broadway Limited has a parts department like Bachmann does, but it might be worth emailing them to see if they can send you one. You could also try to find out what type of plug it is and source one somewhere else. Unfortunately, I've never owned a Broadway Limited loco, so I'm not sure exactly how their plug wires are configured.
They’re almost the same as Bachmanns. Just thought I’d ask for the hell of it
"You wanna be very delicate here..." as he strips wire with cutters. 🤦🏻♂️🤣
Do as I say, not as I do, lol
...dentist for spiders. brilliant!
Nice
The only promblem I have with ordering the plug part, in fact any part from bachmann is that once it’s gone they never restock.
That is definitely annoying. They do sometimes restock parts for models that are still in production, but that's relatively few of them.
@@michaelramsey81 worse part they are starting to overprice their parts for example a shell for the new 2-8-0s is 100 at that point you can get an old spectrum engine with the mechanism
I bought a 2-10-2 Bachman spectrum engine and it broke within 2 labs on a 6x4 loop with 22' radius curves
Hmm, that's not great. I've never had one of the 2-10-2s. What went wrong with it?
@@michaelramsey81 the lights come on, but nothing else, it also broke both my power packs somehow
Is the model still for sale?
Unfortunately not - it sold only a few days after I posted this video.
@@michaelramsey81 Aw
@@michaelramsey81 can I get a link for sculpta mold?
@@NorfolkAndWestern611 Most art supply stores should carry it, but if you want to buy it online, I found a pretty good price here: www.ebay.com/itm/173401308630
How do you permanently letter an ho train
The best way to do it is with waterslide decals. I'll make a video on that when I get good enough at it to be able to do it repeatedly without messing it up.
I hope this works
Lol. Oh boy. I’ve done a few of this type of thing myself over the years. Good job though.
Yes I tried making a new account but Bachmann wouldn't let me. I even tried calling them but still nothing. I really don't know what to do anymore. I think i'm banned from buying from them. Can you still buy from them or is it just me?
I've bought from them several times with no issue since you started mentioning this. I'm not sure how they would even know you're the same person if you made a new account. I wish I could help but I'm absolutely baffled.
That is a really loud GS-4
The crappy decoder doesn't help. I tried removing the decoder and putting in a jumper to run on DC, and it was much quieter.
I wish Bachman could set up their engines to work without the wires Just on straight DC like some Hornby locomotives
The wires are there to make it easier to convert the loco to DCC (or, in this case, because it already has DCC). I have rewired locos before to work without the wires, but it makes them nearly impossible to convert to DCC later.
@@michaelramsey81 As you said in your Prairie video that's future you's problem
@@chasesrailwaylinesrr6447 That's exactly the one I was thinking of, lol.
It went something like this: "This will be a serious pain if I ever decide to convert the engine to DCC, but hey, That's future me's problem"
i am geting a 4-6-0