Grande Maurice

I'm about to purchase a Bachmann 3MT 2-6-2 tank engine - the more recent version that's 8-pin DCC Ready (Bachmann 31-976 Standard Class 3MT 82005 Late Crest). I was wondering if anyone had experience of this model & if it runs well at slower speeds, as i read one review say (whilst the model looked lovely) the running gear was outdated & performed poorly. I'm also after suggestions of other classes of locos that share a similar sound to the 3MT. If possible i'd prefer to find a £40-55 Hornby TTS sound decoder, than £110+ on a premium brand like Coastal DCC or YouChoos. There's a cost-of-living crisis don't you know ! All suggestions welcome...

I partly agree with the comments about sorting out the track but i've tried my best and cannot work out the issue, so I have no other option. If i could hire an expert for a few hours to sort it out i would. I need to buy Stay Alives (SA's) anyway as, having committed to DCC sound, I'm fed up with constant glitches or minor stalls causing the sound to switch off and start again. SA's are the only remedy for this & the reason they've taken off, as for many modellers it's hard to have perfect exhibition standard track. And i figure, if I'm buying SA's then I'll buy powerful ones. Also, my 'end to end' layout was designed for shunting and so i need reliable low speed running with no stutters or pauses. And, to answer Albie's point, I've got 'live frogs' with 'juicers'. The problem track (in 2 areas) is the short piece of straight track (7 cms) that sits between 2 isolated points.

I adjusted the run time via CV 113 to the maximum value 255 which improved it slightly but still only getting 1.0-1.5 secs. Disappointing really, as Train-O-Matic went to the trouble to produce an item perfect for Loksound, but (IMO) shouydl have added greater power reserves (4-5 secs to equal LaisDCC products). Do you know if it's OK to use a Lais DCC stay-alive with a Loksound v4? If so I'll switch to that but add a switch so I can isolate the stay-alive when programming.

Thanks for your comments. It's my first layout and my track laying and electrical knowledge has been sorely tested. I've sorted most gremlins out but there's on area of 'dead' track between 2 points that i cannot seem to resolve. Almost every loco I have slows or stops there, and as it's a shunting layout low speeds are required which makes the locos even more likely to stutter or stop. Locos fitted with the LaisDCC Stay-Alives work no problem but this new TRAIN-O-MATIC SPP STAY ALIVE doesn't seem to have enough juice to cover this poor section. Also, the loco in question is a Heljan class 15 (green late crest) and it's probably the most 'sensitive' & stuttering of all the locos i have. I've checked the copper strip contact behind all the wheels and they all look fine so not sure what the issue is.

I recently purchased a 3-wire Stay-Alive from Road & Rails that is suited for use with Loksound 4 (and above) sound decoders - 'TRAIN-O-MATIC SPP SMART POWER PACK (STAY ALIVE) LOKSOUND COMPATIBLE'. It works but its reserves are pretty small (1.0-1.5 seconds with sound & lights on) and nowhere near as large a reserve as the Lais-DCC Stay-Alives i have wired to TTS sound decoders. The problem is I don't think I can add Lais-DCC models to Loksound decoders although I'm not sure if this is because it will damage the decoder or because they don't have a 3-wire set-up (which I understand would make them temperamental when programming - unless i detach the Stay-Alive first). What I need is a bigger Stay-Alive with 3-wires or advice as to whether I can customise the Train-O-Matic Stay-Alive by adding another identical capacitor in series. Does anyone no of a suitable Stay-Alive or a way around this issue? I'm sorry if this is in the wrong section but I don't know how to find the different sections on this blog. If there is an electrical decoder section could someone guide me towards it - thx.

Thx RAF96 - I'll give that a go at the weekend.

I watched a very helpful video on YouTube by 'Strathpeffer Junction' (Parts 1 & 2 - How to make a Stay Alive Capacitor Unit [Hornby TTS Sound Decoder and Others]). In the video he fits a stay-alive to a TTS class 37 decoder, and as part of that he has to adjust the value of CV29 (by subtracting 4 from value of CV29) in order to tell the controls to turn off DC running option (which will otherwise play havoc with the stay-alive). I did this install into a Hornby Stanier 4MT steam loco with great results - i'm thrilled with it - using TTS decoder and a Lais DC stay-alive. So my next loco to receive this upgrade was a Bachmann class 37 (recent dcc ready model). On this occasion I used a DCC Concepts Zen stay-alive, and a TTS decoder. The install seemed to go well with new directional LED's working and great sound... but when I applied commands to move the loco everything stopped. Ah-ha - I realised I hadn't adjusted the CV29 setting, so I did this next, but to no avail. When i apply a movement command everything shut off again. SO, as I have working directional lights and working DCC sound, I'm guessing this is an issue to do with CV settings to support the running of the stay-alive component. I can of course change the Zen stay-alive to a Lais DC stay-alive but it means re-doing some very tricky soldering and wiring, so I'd prefer to see if I can get it working properly in it's current guise. Could anyone give me any assistance on this as I'm pretty stuck.

I'm looking to upgrade most of my locos by adding 'stay-alives' to resolve intermittent DCC sound drop-off and give smoother shunting performance. I had good success last week doing this with a TTS decoder (with some RM help - thx). I understand I can do this ok with a Loksound 4.0 onwards but I'm not sure about earlier Loksound 3.0 or 3.5 chips. So my questions are: 1. Can you add a 'stay-alive' to a Loksound 3.0 or 3.5 decoder? Ideally the tried and tested truth, and not 'company policy' (they're all out of warranty anyway). 2. How can you determine what type of chip you have in your loco ie. what series of Loksound, but also if it's a Loksound chip at all and not another brand? Just in case this comes up, I don't have a PC (all my IT is Apple) and I don't have any sort of decoder testing device (I can only use my NCE Powercab). I look forward to your sage advice (uhmmm... chips with sage...🤔).

Good points. I have locos that run perfectly without any hesitation and no drop in sound,... and I have locos i've bought new that stop-start-stop-start constantly with drop-off of sound. I think that alone probably discounts the track laying issue (although it's a fair point) as they're running the exact same routes. Anyway, I'm just delighted to have sorted out a temperamental steam loco. Cheers...

Thx for that. It is, as Nigelcliffe says, a question of changing CV29 setting but reducing whatever value it gives by minus four. I also found this great video from Strathpeffer Junction - an instructive video (parts 1 & 2) on retro-fitting stay-alives (below). I'm pleased to day that i now have a Hornby Stanier 4MT that runs like a dream at snails pace over multiple points. Previously I would only work consistently on simple straights. However, I do need to source and install a very small On-Off switch to the live wire, so I can turn off the StayAlive unit when I'm programming the loco, and I wondered if anyone could recommend such a switch. As a footnote, and considering the prices charged these days for nice DCC locos, manufactures should fit 'Stay Alives' to all DCC models as standard. Smooth and consistent running, even at low speeds, should be mandatory from all manufacturers and models. As a rule, I will now return any locos I buy from new, that doesn't run smoothly, as it is not fit for purpose. The more of us that do this, the more likely manufacturers will raise their game/quality. I used a LaisDCC product with a TTS decoder, and I've got a DCC Concepts version to test so I'll report back on this thread over the coming week. Thanks again...

I've just completed a very nerve racking, arduous and eye straining installation of a LaisDCC 'stay alive' onto a Hornby TTS sound decoder (S15 in a Hornby Stanier 4MT). It's a success and allows what is otherwise a very tricky loco, that stops all the time, to run smoothly at low shunting speeds. However, I have discovered an unexpected issue. When crossing certain point areas the loco has a minor momentary 'short', which then sends the loco into a full speed lunge down the line in the reverse direction!! Scrambling for the emergency stop button i can bring the loco to an abrupt holt, but it's not a great situation. I'm assuming this is being caused by the 'short' confusing the 'stay alive' to suddenly send all it's power in a huge burst? I'd welcome some advice as I'm lost on this one. As an aside, this little LaisDCC 'stay alive' gives 9 seconds at full speed (when lifted off the track [so no sound]) which is very impressive.

A very delayed reply - and thanks to all who contributed - i got he Seep PM1's top work in parallel- EVENTUALLY!! As Brian suggested - it was down to the trickiness in the seating of the PM1's. If they're not 100% at the required angle they don't want to play. (note to self - avoid Seep points, save up, and buy Cobalt or Tortoise point motors next time!).

Thank you everyone for your advise. I uncoupled a pair of the Seep PM1 point motors from the underside of the layout so they hung loose. I then fired the point and they both fired together ok, but maybe not with the snap i'd expect. On closer inspection of the point motors seating I can't really see any obstructions and (as Brian warned) the PM1's are very fussy about seating, despite my efforts to align them perfectly. I'm going to try (as Michael suggested) a 4700 CDU to see if the extra power will overcome the PM1's fussiness. I'll report back in due course.

Thank you - very belatedly for everyone's comments. I've had to leave the layout for some time due to other commitments, and only had a chance in the last few weeks to get back into it. The long & short of it is, that i've re-wired all points related wiring on the layout to install 24/0.2 wiring, so allowing more power from the CDU to reach the points (than 8/0.2 or 16/0.2). The result? Well of the pairs of points i need to switch in parallel, only 1 works well. The others fire a single point whilst the other one stutters and murmurs but fails to move or does nothing at all. I've tried each point in isolation (and ensured they are well adjusted for free movement) and they all work perfectly, but as soon as they're paired up again, nothing. I've triple checked all the wiring and it's fine. And infuriatingly there's nothing different between the pair that work and those that don't. The distances are small as it's a 1.75m long end-to-end TDM layout, and most of the points sit inside a central 1m long zone. I've tried 2 different CDU's - Gaugemaster's 2.5A, and BCL (Brimal) starter unit - with identical results. Any last suggestions are most welcome, as after this I'm just gonna give up on parallel switching, and re-make the control panel box (and its graphic) to allow for a separate switch for each point? It's a massive pain but at this rate I'll never get the scenic work underway.

Thanks Pete - sorry to be such a dawk - I’m forum savvy now.