# Trouble with BLI Locomotive



## Redjack (Mar 22, 2021)

I purchased a BLI EMD9A locomotive that comes with Paragon 3. I run a DC operation. My problem is that the locomotive makes the appropriate sounds and the lights operate, but it won't move. I tried switching power packs and still no movement. According to all the information I can find it should run on either a DC or DCC setup. I have not had much help from the company so I thought I would ask the experts.


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## Spruslayer (Dec 13, 2020)

Redjack said:


> I purchased a BLI EMD9A locomotive that comes with Paragon 3. I run a DC operation. My problem is that the locomotive makes the appropriate sounds and the lights operate, but it won't move. I tried switching power packs and still no movement. According to all the information I can find it should run on either a DC or DCC setup. I have not had much help from the company so I thought I would ask the experts.


Sometimes rebooting the decoder can help 
If purchased new from a bli dealer they should take care of it if it can't b fixed by you


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## MichaelE (Mar 7, 2018)

Check the CV's for DC operation. It may be set to DCC only.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

MichaelE said:


> Check the CV's for DC operation. It may be set to DCC only.


And he does that on a DC layout how, exactly?


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## MichaelE (Mar 7, 2018)

He would have to find a hobby shop with a test track set up...exactly.


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## Mixed Freight (Aug 31, 2019)

Several years ago, BLI ran a batch of Paragon 3 EMD E-6's including my favorite road name - Rock Island. I bought two of them, one in each road number they offered. The variety of sounds they included was tremendous - you could push buttons all day long on the the DCC throttle for all kinds of sounds - all the way from brake squeal and coupler clanking to even farm animals clucking and mooing and bleating and whinnying as the loco went past a farm!

A little over a year later, I ended up selling them off. You couldn't consist them with any other non sound-equipped locos without doing a lot heavy-duty DCC speed-matching for those locos, which then makes them useless for consisting with other locos yet unless you re-set to their defaults. Just the general engine sounds were pretty cool for about 5 minutes or so, but then started getting annoying. Also annoying - trying to learn and memorize 20 or 30 different "F" numbers in order to activate all the sounds. And if the track wasn't squeaky clean, and they broke electrical contact for even a nano-second, they would come to a dead halt, while the diesel motor re-started and came up to speed, and then the loco would start running again.

They ended up being more of a hi-tech P.I.T.A. than I wanted to deal with. I like to run trains, not push buttons.
That's my take on them, your rail mileage may vary.


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## Jscullans (Jul 8, 2019)

I gave up on bli. There seems to be many problem children in their power. I go with bachmann spectrum or modern bachmann now


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