Hi

Have just received my mobile station 2 and seems to be working fine. Took some fiddling as to start, all locos operated together, fiddled with addresses and all now can be controlled individually. But I have Percy loco from Thomas tank engine set that the station is not picking up at all. Does any0ne have any hints?

Thanks

PS thanks all of advice on interior lights.

Thanks, had done that but with no luck. BTW, can anyone explain how I change loco parameters (speed etc) on mobile station 2

I only use a 6021 and it did not recognize our Percy. He just goes full speed like an analog loco would. Were you able to control Percy's speed with the MS?
Does it indicate an address for Thomas/Percy?

Thanks
Mark

Hi Mark and Tom

I had the same issue with Percy, ran like analogue but then deleted. I then took Thomas off and used his slot and Percy worked as digital should. So now confused, do I use the Thomas slot to change Percy,s address or put Percy back on and try to find again. I recall the first time it said there were three engines already.

Thanks

Thanks.

All resolved.

Hi Nunk (do you have a real name we can use?},

The 29640 set is supposed to come with a Central Station. How come you are using a Mobile Station instead?

Have you tried deleting the entries in the MS and allowing the locos to register again? This sometimes does the trick when the controller "forgets" the mfx loco.

Let us know if this works.

Firstly I deleted all the locos in my MS2. There were 7 listed, why I don’t know as I have only 2 locos. The locos deleted were:

BR 24 014
MM2 – 20
MM2 3
MM2 – 16
BR 50 981 DB
DCC- 0
BR 03

I don’t understand the MM2 and DCC references in relation to locos. The terms aren’t explained in the Instruction booklet. The BR’s are definitely locos.

Having now deleted all locos from the MS2, I set about reentering my two locos. I placed the BR 50 981 (29640) on the track and followed the instructions for:Entering a Locomotive with the resulting outcomes:

1. Registering an mfx Locomotive - No loco detected

2. Entering a Locomotive with a Locomotive Card - I have no card so could not action.

3. Finding a Locomotive (Select Find) - Loco found as BR 50 981 DB. Loco runs perfectly with all functions working. Excellent.
Note: This loco address is the same as the name set at the factory according to the loco Manual. This loco address is NOT in the Database. The Database lists 33840 BR 50 3448 but I found my Loco
did not respond to that address.


I removed the above loco from,the track and replaced it with the BR 03 and repeated the process with the following result:

1. Registering an mfx Locomotive - No loco detected

2. Entering a Locomotive with a Locomotive Card - I have no card so could not action.

3. Finding a Locomotive (Select Find) - Loco found as DCC – 0 (with f1, f2, f3). Loco responded to ON/OFF commands only. No control possible.

4. Finding a Locomotive (Select From Database) – 100’s of options available – couldn’t find the appropriate address.

5. Entering a Locomotive Manually - I couldn’t understand this section. MM2 Programmable, DCC, Domain. What’s that all about?? No explanation in MS2 Instruction booklet.


I then became suspicious about the BR 03 loco. After spending several hours with Professor Google, I concluded:

1. The BR 03 loco included in a 29640 “Era III” Mega Digital Starter Set is a 37957? BR 03 252 with name set at the factory: BR 03. ( I have the Manual)

2. The BR 03 loco that came with the so-called 29640 set I bought is actually a BR 03 1022. My research indicates that this is a 2000/01 model with fx , not mfx.

To confirm this conclusion, I removed the tops of the tenders from both locos and found the BR 03 has a 602758 fx(?) decoder. I could not locate a reference number on the BR 50 decoder but assume it’s the latest version mfx decoder.

I’m going to contact the vendor and try to get resolution to the problem of the substituted BR 03’s.

In the meantime, is there any way of getting the BR 03 1022 to operate on my set-up (MS2 and C-track)??

Cheers

Thank you Tom.

Firstly, I decided to search the MS2 Loco Database for 29845 which is the Starter Set that I believe my BR 03 1022 originated from.. I found and selected it.

The MS2 screen now displayed BR 03 and 4 icons: Headlights in f0, Smoke generator in f1, Running gear lights in f2 and what looks like a turtle in f4. I think this is for ‘Switching Range’, whatever that is. I can’t discern any difference to the loco running whether it’s on or off.

Now the loco will run and obey all available commands from the MS2 The only problem with its performance is that it runs in a continuous hesitant, jerky fashion. Not smoothly like the BR 50 does. This is not good! Any ideas why??

Secondly, I entered a ‘New Loco’ via Enter Manually/MM2 Coding Switches/Address 3 (according to the dip switch positions) and named it BR 03 MM2.

The MS2 screen now displayed BR 03 MM2 and Headlights in f0, plus f1, f2 and f4. I changed these latter three to the same icons as above, respectively.

Again, the loco will run and obey all available commands from the MS2 with the only problem with its performance being that it runs in a continuous hesitant, jerky fashion.

So there we have it. Definitely the incorrect BR 03 loco has been supplied with the set, I’m going to try and get this resolved with the seller. I’m not holding my breath though!

Regarding the number, my searches with Professor Google (Search, Images, YouTube) confirms to me that it is a BR 03 rather than BR 03.10. It has a black boiler and spoked front bogie wheels, if that's any help.

Cheers,
Neil

Thanks Tom,

I defer to your superior knowledge on the numbering system. I think you're telling me that the '10' in the number '03 1022' (is that the 'Road number' or 'Operation number' or what?) is what defines the model as a BR 03.10. I found a '03 1014' in Set 37955 which is also a BR 03.10 I believe.

I've cleaned the tracks and the pick-up shoe, so that leaves the brushes, axles, and wheels. As the locos 12-13 years old, maybe some TLC will do the trick.

Thanks again for your assistance.

Cheers,
Neil

Thanks again Tom for your assistance and especially for the two links you provided.

The link to the decoder details nicely explains the function of the two pots. I'll try adjusting themt. I notice there's another pot for 'Volume" but I guess that this isn't applicable to my engine. I haven't yet addressed the maintenance issued you suggested.

You presume correctly that I don't have the Manual for my old BR 03.10, although I do have the Manual (29640) for the loco that should have been supplied with the set. The link to the explosion (exploded) diagram reveals drawings twice the size of the ones in my manual so it's easier to see the detail. The reference numbers however differ totally.

In my list 1 is Zubehor-Set Windleitbleche E183 603. On the 37952 you sent it's 2 & 3 23 780 & 23 890. I assume my 1 and your 2/3 are identical parts. So does that mean the Marklin part numbering system has changed sometime between 2000 and 2012??

Just a pity Google didn't translate the German to English although it said it had at the top of the page. Perhaps this is because the page was in .pdf format?

I've just now noticed at the very bottom of page 23 of my 29640 (BR 03) manual (the parts list page) a line: Motorola-Adresse: 03. Seems odd that this should be printed here. As you have explained to me, it relates to the old fx decoder which isn't used in the 29640 BR 03. Perhaps it's been overlooked in the editing of the Manual?

By the way, I must confess I had to Google "NRW" to find what that meant. Now I know.

Cheers,
Neil

Thanks Tom.

Yes, the Australian flag (if recognised) would help decipher QLD as Queensland.

I've now dismantled the BR 03.10 to get to the motor. Thanks to the larger detailed exploded diagram you sent, it made the job straightforward. What I found was that one of the brush tension springs had corrosion deposit on the coiled portion. This effectively cemented the turns of the spring together and prevented full tension from being developed at the brush. I carefully removed as much of the deposit as I could, put a tiny drop of WD-40 on the turns and it all freed up nicely. Cleaned the motor housing with compressed air and also cleaned the commutator (5-pole armature). Hardly any wear on the segments and there is still plenty of life left in the brushes. Reassembled, lightly oiled the moving parts and tested on the track. Now runs perfectly!!

I've yet to experiment with the ABD and Max speed pots. Of course there is no Volume pot that I can see on the 602758 decoder.

Also, I've now viewed the loco in daylight and you'll be pleased to know that the boiler is indeed blue, with the nose and wind deflector section being black. Almost impossible to spot that under incandescent/fluoro lighting.

I'll be very careful not to break anything- sounds VERY costly.

I haven't been able to contact the vendor as yet.

Cheers,
Neil