Start Up

Remedy

When I apply power to the track my engine doesn't do anything. No lights, no sound, no nothing.

Did you press F3 yet? F3 on your DCC handheld will startup the engine.

Check to see if that section of track has power. Use a voltmeter or lighted passenger car to test for voltage.

Have you got that section electrically isolated with a toggle switch or other device?

Sound

Remedy

I have no sound from my engine, but my lights are on and it moves just fine.

You may have it turned off. Repeatedly press F7 on your DCC system to cycle through the volume levels - there are 9 levels: 0 - MAX.

There's a crackling sound coming from my tender.

Check to see if a screw or some other material hasn't lodged itself in the underside of the tender.

When I run Doppler, I can hear the Doppler shift but then the engine sounds fade out and I can't get them back.

This is normal. You will need to press the F12 button on the DCC controller again to turn Doppler off. Once Doppler is turned off, your engine sounds will return to their normal volume setting.

Smoke

Remedy

My engine isn't smoking at all.

Make sure you've got the smoke switch ON. It must be ON for the smoke to operate in DCC mode.

Press F8 on your DCC controller. This will activate the smoke.

If you just added smoke fluid it may have formed a seal in the stack by forming a bubble. Gently blow into the stack to clear the air bubble.

Check the tender/boilder drawbar connection. They must be locked together in order for the smoke unit to function.

My engine barely smokes.

You may have set the smoke to Low. F17 will vary the smoke levels. Or, if you were running the engine in DCS mode, you may have toggled it there (if you don't have F17 on your DCC controller you will have to put it DCS mode and change it using a DCS system).

Check for an obstruction in the smoke stack.

Add 10 - 12 drops of smoke fluid.

Lights

Remedy

One of my lights is out.

Check your F keys. F0 is the headlight (also controls the backup light) and F5 will toggle the cab light.

None of my lights are on.

See "One of my lights is out" from above.

Is the engine getting power? Check to see if there is voltage on the track ormove the engine a few feet in either direction.

Check the tender/boilder drawbar conection. You've got to have them locked together in order for the engine functions to work.

Operation

Remedy

When I apply power and hit F3, my engine starts up (lights and sound) but it won't move.

Check the tender/boiler drawbar connection. You've got to have them locked together.

My engine hesitates at slow speeds.

An engine may do this right out of the box if it has not been lubricated. Follow the operator's manual lubrication instructions and then try running it again.

New engines, even after lubrication, may take a little whilte to get everything run-in. Be a little patient and let the engine run for a while at higher voltages.

Check to see if you have any kind of binding on the side rods. There may be a piece of debris preventing the side rods from turning smoothly.

PFA

Remedy

I hit F4 to start PFA but the engine just keeps ringing its bell.

Bring the engine speed to 0. You will now here the station arrival or freight yard sounds begin. Pressing F4 will cycle you through the subsequent steps in the PFA script.