Runaway Trains

Check the operating instructions on the legacy engines. The run sequence may be forward, neutral, reverse. I am assuming you only run conventional.

Rod Miller

romiller49 posted:

Check the operating instructions on the legacy engines. The run sequence may be forward, neutral, reverse. I am assuming you only run conventional.

Rod Miller

Rod;

Guess I left something out. I only run TMCC/Legacy. But, that being said, I will need to check the connection to the Cab2 base for the yard area.

Thanks.

Sounds like a loss of signal to the track to me.  Maybe just on the tracks the Legacy locomotives were on?

gunrunnerjohn posted:

Sounds like a loss of signal to the track to me.  Maybe just on the tracks the Legacy locomotives were on?

Thanks John. As I originally mentioned, this came to light while I was in the throes of my least favorite task... wiring!!! Since I seem to be in a wiring groove, I'll trace the wiring from the Cab2 to the yard area tomorrow.

Thanks again.

  Oh, that's not what you meant?  

 Farmer_Bill posted:

  Oh, that's not what you meant?  

Bill... Bill... Bill... Good thing you like trains because I can see some coal in your future   

You weren't running and doing wiring at the same time were you? Or had the system power on while doing it.

You weren't extremely specific on how you "powered up". That might give a better clue for the "command experts" to follow up on...??

Some of those old transformers don't have a zero voltage setting. It is possible you recreated a command by chance and the board recognized it but didn't have the umph to move them, or you sent them into conventional operation somehow.

Fully isolating both hot and common for those tracks would help to eliminate that happening , but it's not all that unusual of an issue either. A flicker of loss of power can trigger conventional operation on a board.

Well, I did a survey of all of the leads from the Cab2 to the the four electrically isolated areas of my layout (each of three main lines and the yard). Everything appeared to be fine, but I still had the two Legacy engines starting up as soon as I powered up the yard (to answer Adriatic's question, when I say power up, I mean pushing the handle on the ZW from 0 to app. 18 - per my multi-meter, it does register 0 when fully off, but you need to check to get exactly 18, can't go by the marks on the transformer). It should be noted that when the Legacy engines start up on their own, the Cab2 remote can not address them. So, next, I tried addressing several of the TMCC engines in the yard, including some that were on the same tracks as the two Legacy engines, and had no problems. I moved one of the Legacy engines to a different track (one which exhibited no prior issues), and the Legacy start up issue persisted. I also tried taking the Legacy engines off the track, then replaced them. I could then address them, move them, but when I shut them down and then shut the power to the yard off and back on again, the start up problem was back.

So... unless someone has some additional suggestions, tomorrow's project (unless it takes too long to get the Christmas tree!!!) will be to pull up some of the track in the yard to see if there are any mis-wired sections.

And to answer Adriatic's other question, when I was wiring the second/new yard, the tracks were not powered and I wasn't running trains. Frying a board on one of these babies is not something I would want to do!!! And, despite a VERY strong urge, I was NOT mainlining Irish Whiskey!!!

More to follow...

Thanks

  Just makin' sure, I get reckless myself, lol.

  I don't have a good answer except that it seems they are going into conventional way too easily. Maybe its a ground plane issue disruptining your legacy signal there or antenna issue within the locos? Too slow on the throttle rise? I know others have had the yard block specific issue, but can't recall the specific solution. It might have been the above, but I seem to recall a switched preset voltage or bipolar cap being suggested. Searching is kinda hard on an Android, but I think the key words would be command, block, rocket, and isolate for.the thread I'm thinking of. Hopefully the mention of Gunrunner John will get his attention as I'm pretty sure he provided the final solution. (What's new, lol)