Runaway engine

Tim,

First, make sure that if they'er PS2 engines, that they have fully-charged batteries. Then, Factory Reset and re-and add both engines.

Barry,

Thanks so much for your reply, both engines are 3.0 one premier one imperial, batteries are charged, I had already reset the problem engine, will try the other as well. 

Thanks again, Tim

Since they don't have batteries, I'm not sure how you charged them.

I was just saying batteries were not the problem, I know they dont have them.

Need more specific detail.  What happens when you apply power to layout via the TIU.  Does it start up and move on it's own?  Does it stay silent until you start it up?  Does it only take off when you move thumbwheel to start moving?  If latter is sounds like bad tach reader signal, which can be a number of different things.  G

Hi thanks for your reply, engine in question does not move when track is powered up,it will stay silent. I do not even have to pull it up in the menu to have it start up and take off. It will start on its own when i start up a second  steam engine and use any functions associated with the  second engine. It does not do it with any of the 4 diesel engines on the same loop. It behaves when running them. I have performed factory reset on both engines and changed address in the remote. Both engines PS 3. One premier, one Imperial. 

Thanks again,

Tim,

I had already reset the problem engine, will try the other as well. 

Make sure to do factory resets, not feature resets.

Hi Barry, yes I did factory resets

Thanks,

If the Strasburg is physically NOT on the track,

1a. Can you startup and control (does not runaway) the Camelback?

1b. If you attempt to control the Strasburg (which is not on the track), presumably you get an error message (since engine should not be found) but does the silent Camelback still startup and runaway?

2.  Do you have a conventional transformer (with Bell and Whistle buttons) and perhaps a test track on which you can operate the Camelback?

It sounds like both engines may have the same ID number...Maybe try editing the address of the Reading camelback to a different ID. 

Yes a Factory engine reset should have  worked but.... seems it didn't.

What IDs are  showing up on the remote for both steamers?

BTW   when adding a engine make sure it's the only one on the track receiving power, Everything else should be off the track or on dead track.

Hi,

yes i have a programmig track to add and edit engines, engine ID # are 6 & 15

thanks

I will try to see  what happens with trying to operate Strasburg off the track, 

Thanks

Is your new steamer that causes these issues a PS-3?  If the camel back operates normally when by itself or with the diesels, the engine is probably ok.  What is signal strength on this Strasburg when on track by itself.  Sounds like the Strasburg kills the DCS signal and some how the Camelback slips into conventional when it loses the DCS signal.

Test each steam engine DCS signal strength on layout by itself.  Then lower voltage to about 12V to TIU and test both engines on track together.  Look at DCS signal strength on Strassburg when the camel back starts up and takes off.  Lowering voltage will allow it to run.  Put some non powered rolling stock on the camelback so it can't over speed.  If signal strength drops off significantly that is the issue most likely.  At that point see if you can address the camel back.  IF not, use transformer to cycle power and get it into neutral.  If that works and you can address it we can go from there with some issues to check.   G

Thank you G  Yes all engines are PS 3  I was thinking along those lines as well, it is if the Strasburg is ( for lack of a better description ) stealing track power and the watch dog signal for a split second causing the second steamer to go into conventional mode and therefore take off at full speed. I will try the testing you suggested as see what happens.

Thanks, 

OK here is what I have done to address my problem. First thank all of you who responded to my request for help. First i did a factory reset on both the steam engines causing the problems, second I changed addresses from 6 & 7 to 7 & 15,

I then checked track signal with both engines and found a small section that was a little low, I ran another feeder to that area. So far so good, I stiil keep one finger on the kill switch but will continue to test it. It seems that it may have been a low signal that when steamer # 1 passed through that area it would take away enough voltage to cause steamer #2 to go into conventional mode and off to the races. 

I just could not figure out why it would not do it with any diesels just these 2 steamers. Hope the problem has been resolved ??

Again thank you all so much for your help, Tim

Actually, losing the DCS signal totally should not cause a locomotive to revert to conventional mode unless something else is happening.  What should happen if it's running in command mode is that it continues to do what it was doing until it sees a signal again.  Only a power cycle of a few seconds with no DCS signal should cause it to drop to conventional mode.

These things have minds of their own!  Really.  For the first time, I have parked all my engines on the spokes around my turntable.  Now, every time I turn power on to the layout, the same 3 engines start themselves.  Two are PS3s.  The other a PS2.  I guess I need to station them somewhere else because until I parked them on the spokes they never did that.

I need to be smart and just turn off the power to the tracks that contain DCS engines after the initial TIU recognition.  That way when I re-power the track, of course the engine will come on and I can shut it down (6) then restart and I'm good.  This will beat the "phantom" starts everyone seemingly experiences some more so than others.

I wrote this earlier but I discovered one of my engines running spinning its wheels pinned up to the side of the turntable bridge--not good.

Perhaps this has been recommended in a previous thread, but what about locking engines in neutral in conventional mode?   Then, when operating command, should an engine revert to conventional mode for whatever reason it would start up (sounds, lights) but just sit there and not take off at full-speed.

Obviously if you frequently alternate between command and conventional you need to unlock the engine before conventional operation, then re-lock before using command...so I suppose it could get tedious.  But if you primarily or only run command, the procedure takes less than a minute with a conventional transformer.  Seems locking in neutral could be preventative as there have been several threads about engines being locked in forward or reverse (for whatever reason and unbeknownst to the user) so simply entering conventional and the engine takes off at full-speed.

A related procedure, which I admittedly haven't thought through, would be to set the conventional volume control knob to a level different than the volume level you operate in command.  This way, if the engine reverts to conventional for whatever reason you would be able to hear that the engine is in conventional mode...might be a useful diagnostic indicator.