Hello. Hope all is well. Just trying to understand this, sorry for asking questions.

By control track do you mean that small track (aprox 4”)which has a plastic nub in the center between the rails? When placed on the track it stops or starts the locomotive?

Are you saying the nub on your track does not contact your Br320? I travels over it and the stop or start feature is not triggered?

Do I understand, the other locomotives continue to function properly on the track?

I know that track uses a physical shift on the position of the nub from one side to the other, either stoping or starting the locomotive. Dirt can interfere with the movement and this is a common problem. Have you examined the track closely to determine if the nub is worn or damaged? Clean it paying close attention to the nub location.

Please let me know. If the track is as I described above, I am sorry I don’t use this. If you don’t spot damage, if you have another track, could you replace it and see if it makes a difference?

I don’t know if this feature track is used that much anymore as many don’t like the abrupt start and stop action it causes. Perhaps others on this forum will have other suggestions.

Best wishes. Take good care.

Zme

They also made this loco incompatible with the old Electronic 08 controller (I think I read they are doing a recall for this). They could also have neglected to design the bogies to be compatible with the switching tracks.

You could very well be the first person to notice the issue.

I for one am not too impressed with the latest diesel and electric locos. The pantographs don't often work with the catenary straight out of the box, for example. I put my brand new RE460 in the track for the first time to discover the pantograph contact force was strong enough to bend the overhead wire upwards and cause the loco to struggle to move. One pantograph had such a terrible surface finish on the head, that it would just bind up on the wire and prevent the loco from even moving.

Märklin did send me some spare pantographs, but I am still going to have to go through the bother of weakening the springs before I can use them.

In short it seems like these locos are no longer even tested on the märklin track system.

Hello again.

Since this may be a design flaw and a disappointment.

Do you think it possible to put your own nub on this locomotive. Seems this is actually something that is done, but usually magnets are epoxied on to the bottom of the boggie. These trip contacts on the track.

Maybe you could do something similar to build your own, as long as it will trip the track nub. Might work. I don’t know if you would be interested in trying this. That track nub is just a small plastic post. You might not need to add much to make something to cause the nub change positions.

Just a suggestion, may or may not be a solution.

Take good care.

Zme

Thanks!

Building up a nub on the bottom of the biggie is what I was thinking. I was wondering if anyone else experienced this. Oh well. I guess I need to get with DCC (someday).

Hello, hope all is well.

I don’t know if you will get any other advice from the forum. You are the first to bring up this topic. You might also have to be the first to report your solution.

I suppose it would be okay if the hub were made out of a metal material as this is what the original ones were.

Perhaps something like JB Weld would give a permanent bond, I don’t know. I know the anxiety level will build performing this task, but the end result could be just what you want.

Let’s us know what you come up with.

Best wishes, take good care.

Dwight

For an issue with an 8842. I while back I had a non-op 8842 and figured out it was the circuit board. I was able to pick up a replacement and it also had attached LED lighting on each end. This was factory made. Put it in, and it worked fine. Source was Z Scale Hobo. Maybe he still has some of these available.

Might work out.