# dirty loco wheels using dcc



## alaska railroad (Oct 20, 2015)

Hi all.i have a question .I was running my dcc, dd40ax today, and all of a sudden the headlight, beacon light and number board lights turned on by them self. (By the way all of these lights are all controlled by the same function button). I looked at my nce power cab, and just as I hoped, the light function was not on. It shouldn't have been, being I didn't turn it on. CAN DIRTY WHEELS ON THE LOCO CAUSE THIS TO HAPPEN? Has anyone else had this happen? I hope I don't have a bad decoder or nce power cab. Thanks the ARR.
💭 💭
🚂🚂🚃🚃🚃🚃🚃🚃🚃🚃🚃🚃🚃🚃🚃🚃🚃🚃🚃🚃🚃🚃


----------



## Mister Bill (Jan 30, 2014)

That was the case with me, especially if it has been sitting up for a while. My steam engine just would not go.

I tried everything with no luck.

Then, I soaked a thin strip of paper towel with alcohol and ran the engine over it three or four times.

Problem solved.

Bill


----------



## alaska railroad (Oct 20, 2015)

Thanks Bill for your reply. However it sounds like you're loco wouldn't move. Mine does, but the lights just magically turned on.


----------



## Cycleops (Dec 6, 2014)

If the function was not activated then dirty wheels can't be to blame. Maybe a decoder fault?


----------



## Chet (Aug 15, 2014)

Clean track and wheels are a necessity if you'r running DCC. I am a DC only operator but do have a few DCC locomotives. (Couldn't find certain locomotives that were DC only). I have no problem at all running ny DC locomotives. They run so smooth and ar flawless on the rails. Put a DCC locomotives on the tracks and it's a different story. Claen the wheels and tracks thoroughly and then no problems with the DCC equipment at all.


----------



## tkruger (Jan 18, 2009)

I am fairly new to DCC but have had an issue similar to what you describe when converting locos to DCC. I converted an Athearn Blue Box and it would start OK. As it went down the rails every so often it would perform a function I never sent it. Cleaned the wheels and all was good. My only theory (just that a theory) is that the dirt on the wheel made the decoder think a command was sent by changing the current or something.


----------



## Mark R. (Jan 26, 2013)

Every time a decoder loses power (even a fraction of a second) it goes through a check-sum process. This process looks at all the last commands sent to the engine a resets everything to match the last known configuration. It also checks for what type of voltage is on the rails as well.

There are hundreds of things this process checks, and it's not unusual for it to come back with an error - especially if the check-sum process is interrupted by another intermittent power loss .... that's how run-aways can occur if DC is enabled.

Clean wheels are imperative for good accurate information to the decoder at all times.

Mark.


----------



## alaska railroad (Oct 20, 2015)

Thank you all for your help .mark that makes a lot of sense to me.puts my mind at ease now. Again thank you all for your reply's. ARR.


----------

