One Way Beep

Maybe we should trade. I wanted mine to run "forward only", but after a few minutes, it goes back to F-N-R.

This is a copy of email already sent to Rick yesterday from RMT office...

Walter M. Matuch/RMT

www.readymadetoys.com

I'm not sure I'd call it "high quality", what he appears to be saying is that even a slight residual voltage on the track can lock it into a direction.  However, since it's already switching between forward and neutral, I can't see how that's the issue.  It is recognizing the breaks in the power supply, right?

To test this for sure, instead of using the direction switch, just disconnect a lead from the transformer to do the reversal, there shouldn't be any "leakage" in that case.

Is there an echo in here?

Now that's funny, don't care who you are...

John what echo?

It faded away.

Have tried everything I posted above, plus the recommendation made by Walter from RMT.  The Beep remains a one-way locomotive.  I guess if I want it to 'run backwards' I can take the body off and reverse it.

Otherwise it's a great product and looks terrific under the Christmas Tree!  I am very impressed with the level of detail.  I did expect the headlight and passenger car interior lights to be much brighter.

Rick

I'd send it back after Christmas to get it working properly.

It doen't make sense that the engine will run in the opposite direction if you turn it around. That means it is acting like a DC two rail engine. If the reverse board is locked, it wouldn't make any difference which way you turned the engine, it would still run in the same direction on an AC engine. 

Rick K. ...Rather than be BEEP-less for under the tree...please contact me at RMT after the Christmas Holiday to arrange returning BEEP that you are having problem with. 

Thanks.

Walter M. Matuch/RMT

www.readymadetoys.com

Hi Walter.

I'll get in touch after the first of the year.  Thanks for the great support.  Happy Holidays!

Rick

You mis-read what he said.  If he wants it to run in the other direction on the track, he picks it up and turns it around on the track.  The engine is still locked in the single direction.

I have replacement Beep reverse boards in stock if interested. I will send it at no charge if you can install it yourself.

Chuck

www.only3rail.com

Hi Chuck.

Thank you for your generous offer.  I will work with RMT as Walter offered on this one, as the Beep is under warranty.  I'm sure that they will be interested to discover what happened in this instance.

Rick

The Beep no longer runs.  For few few minutes it would start then stop around the small Christmas Tree oval.  Now it is motionless, even at max track voltage.  I've sent an email to RMT for return authorization.  The Christmas Tree Scenic Railroad is using leased power From Santa Fe (an NW 2 in Warbonnet paint).  Silver and Red work!

Separately I noticed that the screws that allow the drawbars on all four of my Peeps back out from the pivoting motion as they make each corner.  I've thread locked them (all eight were coming loose on inspection) in hopes of keeping passenger service in operation.

Rick K, I have the same problem with my new Beep....long end forward direction only. The switch is in "on" underneath and the "pick up and while power is on" method doesn't do anything for the F-N-R cycling. I'm running a cw80 lionel transformer which I know isn't good with my MTH proto2 zephyr or 0-8-0, but it should be fine here...should...I'm looking into a DCS commander w/power pack for those two to fix that problem.

I just ordered an RMT A-B-A pensy combo and hope those are ok when they come...  

Chuck, is that board the "whole board" that's in there or a partcial board...curious.

Maybe I'm new at this 3 rail stuff...dabbled in G scale, N and HO way too long, but isn't 3 rail done in that the outside rails are one polarity while the inner is the other, making a turned around engine hitting the tracks with the same polarity to the truck{s} as started with?...obviously not gonna happen on two rail that way. ???    

My Christmas Beep was received by RMT on the 15th for repair.  The invoice I received indicated it will be perhaps 4 weeks for the repair work, whatever is involved, to be done.

By way of comparison I recently purchased a 13 year old conventionally powered Atlas B&M SW 9 from a forum member.  I ran it (for the first time in its history) with the same MTH Z Controller that I used for the Beep.  The SW 9 ran smoothly F-N-R Right out of the box.

Rick

No, it does make sense.  You have the polarity of the inner and outer rail right.  But the modern locos know which way is "front."  BEEPs, and other locos, know, due to their construction, which way is "front" -- some GG1s and other very symmetrical locos have a very discreet "F" cast into them because the owner needs to know, too.  In the case of a BEEP, if the swtich is closed to run only in forward direction, the loco's e-board and rectifiers will make sure that its motor (which is DC) gets rectified current of a polarity to make it run "forward"  only.  Ordinarily the e-board is supposed to cycle through F-N-R, but if set to forward only it will do only forward.  This loco may have some failure so that it only goes into foward.  Regardless, the point here is that a loco that only goes in one direction is common: flip the switch to put it in forward only, the run it, them pick it up, turn it around and put it back on the track and it will run off in the opposite direction.  Try it with a BEEP - flip the switch underneath to "F" only and then run it one way, pick it up, and run it again: it will run in the other direction.  

No, it does make sense.  You have the polarity of the inner and outer rail right.  But the modern locos know which way is "front."  BEEPs, and other locos, know, due to their construction, which way is "front" -- some GG1s and other very symmetrical locos have a very discreet "F" cast into them because the owner needs to know, too.  In the case of a BEEP, if the swtich is closed to run only in forward direction, the loco's e-board and rectifiers will make sure that its motor (which is DC) gets rectified current of a polarity to make it run "forward"  only.  Ordinarily the e-board is supposed to cycle through F-N-R, but if set to forward only it will do only forward.  This loco may have some failure so that it only goes into foward.  Regardless, the point here is that a loco that only goes in one direction is common: pick it up, turn it around and put it back on the track and it will run off in the opposite direction.  Try it with a BEEP - flip the switch underneath to "F" only and then run it one way, pick it up, and run it again: it will run in the other direction.