TMCC Problems with my BIGBOY

gmcmurryOGR Forum Member

Hello!

Because of the season, I find myself getting out all my older engines for the kids when they come over.

I have a beautiful Lionel BIGBOY. I haven't run it for years.

I am using TMCC (the original one) and I am having trouble getting the BIGBOY to run properly. It seems to be getting signals from the CAB-1 as I can blow the whistle and ring the bell. I can get it moving as well, but then suddenly, it will start to crawl slowly and be unresponsive to CAB commands.

I might be able to get it running again by increasing the throttle but maybe not...

During this process, I believe I am talking to the engine as I can still blow the horn and ring the bell.

When the problems start, I also get a flickering headlight. That reminds me of something I think I remember reading on this forum.

I have cleaned and cleaned -- wheels, contacts, etc. -- I don't think that is my problem.

All other engines work normally.

Any ideas?

Thanks!

Greg

11/21/124:31 PM

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RickOOGR Forum Member

Its sounds like it could be a locomotive antenna or possibly a "ground plane" problem. Try holding your free hand hand just over the boiler while you run the locomotive and see if it responds better(humans make great antennas). If it does it could be a loose/broken antennae wire under the shell that goes to the handrails or check to see if the handrail is touching the shell or if there are any insulators missing on the handrail mounts attached to the boiler. If the antenna seems to be ok, you can check for a "ground plane issue" . The easiest thing would be to do a forum search on "ground planes" to inform yourself of how to correct it.

11/21/125:01 PM

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