Lionel Shay - dies on the dead spots

Is it a Legacy item? For some reason the software was changed and they no longer just begin chuffing again. If you don't want to (or cannot) add a battery you'll need GunRunnerJohn's kit to power the tender over current drop outs.

Does the engine stop or just the sound drop out? Item number always helps here.

This is a Shay from 2002, Elk River, not Legacy. The Shay itslef has two contact rollers; while the tender also has two. Not sure why the problem.

I also note sound is garbeled  when running at 18 volts, like when I use the tower cam feature.  Do I have more problems with this engine??

Not a big mystery, the rollers on the locomotive and tender are not shared, so you only have two rollers.  If the spacing of dead spots mates up with the rollers, the locomotive will die.  The rollers on the locomotive are spaced at 10", so see if there's dead spots that line up with them.

No battery possible for the locomotive, nothing big enough would fit into the locomotive. 

A one wire tether between the two will solve this problem.

Thanks for the technical support, I will check things out, but it I am sure  I need what you suggest. Next will be a how to if you do not mind.

Thanks,

Jeff

In order to do a clean mod, you'll have to take the shells off, that is sometimes interesting for the Shay.  I've seen people actually just solder to the rollers and run the wire between them.  I'd personally never do this or recommend it, but I suspect they didn't want to open the locomotive.

So I guess I would need some sort of male and female plug to tie in the two sets of rollers to keep things neater. If this is what you would suggest, where do I get such a set of plugs that are small and to the point?

I use machine pin sockets and pins.  I get mine on eBay, but I buy in quantity so I have them for projects.  Obviously, I also use black wire for the tether, this one was for an antenna lead inside the shell.

OK thanks for the tip.

jeff

Final tip, I put a 1.3A PTC in series with the power tether to avoid any issues if you derail and one pickup lands on an outside rail.  Here's a suitable 1.35A PTC.

gunrunnerjohn posted:

Not a big mystery, the rollers on the locomotive and tender are not shared, so you only have two rollers. 

Good point, one often not known about Lionel steamers, especially those with IR tethers, which transmit only data and not track power. The tenders have the sound boards and rollers and get their own power from the track, but the IR tether sends the sound commands from the loco.

Hard-wired tether locos are usually different, and often had no tender rollers.