# DCC Is Off To A Rough Start



## TomW2034 (Jun 2, 2015)

In an effort to join the DCC community, Trainmasters just sold me an MTH O Scale Imperial Challenger 4-6-6-4 steam engine. My plan was to run it in analog mode while the myriad of digital command systems were investigated.

In order to do everything right, I even read the owner's manual, and was pleased to see they did away with batteries.

Sadly, the engine ran poorly, then jerkily, then blew its whistle continually while trying to run with my Lionel CW-80.

Remembering that I had stored an MTH Z4000 for a friend, it was pulled off the shelf and unpacked - it appears to have never been used.

That was the ticket! The engine then ran exactly like I thought it should. The Z4000's gauges indicated what I considered nominal readings for the operation. But then I started smelling magic smoke from the transformer in spite of low current draw. After about 12 minutes, the transformer went dark. After shutting it off, waiting and moving the wires, the other side of the power supply came back to life before doing the same thing.

I doubt the Challenger is responsible for the magic smoke. But does anyone know why the CW-80 worked so poorly with the Challenger when it works fine with my other MTH engines with batteries?

Thanks,
Tom


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## TomW2034 (Jun 2, 2015)

*No joy in round three*









I tried the engine today with my Post War ZW with an interesting level of no joy. My hat is off to the product/manufacturer (30-1724-1) for this late-model engine only wanting to work correctly with the flavor of its maker's power supplies. Tough for this analog guy!

Current plan is to disassemble the crippled Z-4000 and poke around for something simple. Wish me luck.

Tom


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Tom -- first of all, clean everything: both track and locomotive wheels. DCC is much more sensitive to dirt and corrosion than DC is. Doesn't matter if it's new. Stuff comes from the factory covered with oils and crud.

Now, the NMRA's DCC standard mandates that all decoders operate in dual mode -- either DC or DCC. The problem is that MTH decided to go their own way and not adhere to the standard... but it should still work, unless the loco is "new old stock" and has been sitting around on someone's shelf for 10 years or more. Look for the words "dual mode" in the decoders description / instructions. 

Hopefully, you didn't fry the decoder with a malfunctioning power pack, which you may have done, given that now you get NO response from the loco.


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## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

Being a MTH, it probably wants a DCS system.


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## TomW2034 (Jun 2, 2015)

mopac said:


> Being a MTH, it probably wants a DCS system.


You are probably right. But just this minute I am trying to run in it standard analog mode while studying which digital system to buy.

Tom


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## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

I only have one MTH O scale. I love it. I run conventional. 
Check your owner manual to see if you need to do something 
to run conventional. I bought a used Lionel locomotive that had
what I think was Command Control. Any way my transformer would
run the engine but I had no other control. No speed control or anything.
Manual had a section for running conventional and all is fine now.


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## TomW2034 (Jun 2, 2015)

Okay - the short answer is my new locomotive prefers to run on DC power. I missed that fine print when the MTH site inferred it would run in conventional mode as I thought that meant my AC power sources would work.

My UP 4-6-6-4 with Proto-Sound 3.0 is now audibly chugging around my track comfortably in FWD & REV with the new DCS Commander with 100W brick that just arrived in "conventional" mode in both directions. Oddly, neither the whistle nor bell buttons work. 

The plan for tomorrow is to read up on how to program all this new gear to work together in DCS mode. Wish me luck.

Tom


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