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6 replies

And the beat goes on.....

B BucoOGR Forum Member SUPPORTING MEMBER

Hi guys, and in particular Gunrunnerjohn:

While waiting for the replacement side frames for my Williams U33C "Chessie System" loco to arrive here in Australia from Bachmann (please refer to my previous thread about finding the dreaded "Zinc Pest"), I thought I'd give the loco a good service (removing all of the old grease from the gearboxes and replacing it with "Red-N-Tacky" etc), and then put it on the layout to see how it performs (without the body shell).

Went great first up - moved slowly forward and increased speed by applying more power from the transformer. Hit the "Direction" button and released it, only to have the loco continue in the forward direction. Turned the power off at the transformer, waited a couple of seconds for the reverse board to sequence to neutral, and applied power again. Fool thing will only travel in the forward direction.....no neutral or reverse!!!

In the words of that great Sunny & Cher song......."and the beat goes on"!!!    If its not one thing with this loco, it is another!!!!  

Anyway, is there something I am missing here, as there is no "lock-out" switch (to hold it in one direction) that can be activated?

I am about to order a replacement reverse board from Bachmann, but before I do, and get it on its long journey "down under", should I be doing something else to solve the problem. I have four other Williams diesel loco's, and they all operate satisfactorily.

The other thing I have noticed is the replacement circuit board from Bachmann is not exactly the same as the one in my particular loco. The part number on my circuit board is: 335-X-001, where-as the part number for the replacement board is: 335-X001R4.

Mine also appears to have small "heat-sinks" attached to it, where-as the replacement board doesn't appear to have any, and my board has the wires soldered directly to it, where-as the replacement board appears to have built-in plug connections. This won't pose a problem for me as I have developed some skill now in the area of removing and replacing crappy printed circuit boards in my Buco "Swiss Made" loco's.

Looking for help yet again in my quest to get this loco looking and running as it is supposed to.

Peter (Buco Australia) on the fabulous Gold Coast (Google it!!!)

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B bmoran4OGR Forum Member

From the Instructions: https://www.bachmanntrains.com...sa/dwg/dwgs/U33c.pdf

Direction Control

Williams reverse units sequence FORWARD, NEUTRAL, REVERSE, NEUTRAL, and again FOWARD. To sequence the reverse board, simply depress and hold the direction button, release the button 1 second after the train has come to a complete stop. PLEASE NOTE: If you do not wait for your train to come to a complete stop the reverse unit may not always sequence properly. After approximately 7 seconds without power, the reverse board will reset to FORWARD.

lehighlinelehighlineOGR Forum Member DIGITAL SUBSCRIBER

What transformer are you using? If a Z4K, try putting a light bulb across the outputs. Leave it connected and connect to the track. Bulb and track in parallel, not series. See if that helps. Also, do wait 2-3 seconds after the engine stops before releasing the direction button. The board in your pictures appears to be old. The newer ones have fewer soldered components and plugs for connections.

 

Chris

LVHR

B BucoOGR Forum Member SUPPORTING MEMBER

Thanks Adriatic for the help.......the track is reading 0 volts when the transformer control is at zero.

Chris (LVHR)......I am using a Lionel RS-1 transformer, and every other Williams loco I have is running just fine with it. 

After some trial and error yesterday, I finally got the reverse board to sequence properly. I have two "Buco" AC transformers also wired-in to my layout (separate toggle switches to isolate them), and one transformer has a "power button" on it. When you press the "power button" it provides an instant over-voltage of 25-28 volts (AC) to trigger reversing switches in the Buco loco's. 

I used the Buco transformer to run the Williams loco, and hit the "power button" briefly while it was stationary. This seemed to "unscramble" the locked reverse board in the loco.

Long story short....the Williams loco is now running exactly as it should, and sequences properly between forward - neutral - reverse - forward etc either using the "direction button" on the Lionel transformer, or by just shutting the throttle down and powering up again.

We can all sleep well tonight!!!!

Thank you everyone for your help, but don't ask me to explain how I got that little "Gremlin" to leave the circuit board.

Peter (Buco Australia)

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