Will Hay Posted September 8, 2020 Share Posted September 8, 2020 This has literally just happened.Anyone ever come across anything like this?https://www.dropbox.com/s/oxigj6acqm7nn4y/20200908_195059.jpg?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/6p00qaby02tsau3/20200908_195050.jpg?dl=0 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellocoloco Posted September 8, 2020 Share Posted September 8, 2020 Not to me, but its fascinating. Can you please deatils the chain of events running up to 'total failure'? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Hay Posted September 8, 2020 Author Share Posted September 8, 2020 I've figured it out. Obviously I've inadvertantly bought a Transformer robot that changes into a steam engine, on the basis of the amount of smoke that came off this thing. I'd just completed my track amendments/subtle re-design and had four locomotives on four loops.I reset the Z21 as there was an error message flashing.I removed each loco in turn and reset the controller, all to no avail.I didn't remove the loco in question as it's a dummy and only has a chip for controlling lights.I rebooted the controller and the error light turned from red to green.I moved the Virgin Class 47 Vitrains locomotive off, which pulls two virgin carriages and the dummy virgin train [which I'll now call Sparky]. It moved a few inches and that's when I saw the smoke coming out of the bottom of Sparky, specifically by the wheel area. I went to lift Sparky off the track and it started to bend as a result of the heat emanating from it's centre. I took a few photos, made a post on the forum, reset the controller and everything was fine for an hour after.I guess the smell will be gone tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Hay Posted September 8, 2020 Author Share Posted September 8, 2020 Oh, and I bought it new in January this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJ73 Posted September 8, 2020 Share Posted September 8, 2020 Clickable Links... https://www.dropbox.com/s/oxigj6acqm7nn4y/20200908_195059.jpg?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/6p00qaby02tsau3/20200908_195050.jpg?dl=0 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Hay Posted September 8, 2020 Author Share Posted September 8, 2020 Thanks jimyjames.Great signature by the way. I read it earlier tonight in another thread and was going to comment on the wonderful sentiment but didn't want to be accused of adding nothing to the thread by some of the moderators. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atom3624 Posted September 8, 2020 Share Posted September 8, 2020 That's pretty impressive!! I've had a couple of PCB's short out, but nothing like that - not a joke, so I won't.What are your plans now? Al. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Hay Posted September 8, 2020 Author Share Posted September 8, 2020 Hiya.My imminent plan is to buy a small fire extinguisher for the loft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJ73 Posted September 8, 2020 Share Posted September 8, 2020 Thank You Will - I only wrote that b/c of my Dad died last year & it just made me think - Don't take your Friends & Fam for granted!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinB Posted September 8, 2020 Share Posted September 8, 2020 Yes, I have had a few DCC decoders smoke, on one loco it looked like a real steam train. If you put some DCC decoders onto old Bachmann or Hornby locos you can get them to smoke. Generally, it is because the decoder cannot cope with the motor current.Just looked at the photos, that is impressive. I bet that was a Ringfield motor and the decoder was a Hornby one. Use a Zimo next time they seem to handle the current better. The Hornby decoder current limit is awfully close to a Ringfield motors normal current drain, if the loco motor stalls the decoder smokes. Sadly, it has happened to me many times, with different decoders, fortunately not as badly as that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissaf Posted September 8, 2020 Share Posted September 8, 2020 Colin.If you had read Will's follow up post you would have seen this line:.I didn't remove the loco in question as it's a dummy and only has a chip for controlling lights..Thus the melted loco was a motorless dummy..This is further confirmed by Will's follow up paragraph:.I moved the Virgin Class 47 Vitrains locomotive off, which pulls two virgin carriages and the dummy virgin train [which I'll now call Sparky]. It moved a few inches and that's when I saw the smoke coming out of the bottom of Sparky,. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinB Posted September 9, 2020 Share Posted September 9, 2020 No, I didn't I read the initial post, sorry. Obviously a couple of wires touching. As I said I had many decoders smoke, but normally i can smell them before it gets serious. So he must have had some electrics in it to smoke. As I say mine only smoke when I put them into old Hornby ringfield or Bachmann split chassis locos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
96RAF Posted September 9, 2020 Share Posted September 9, 2020 There was a recent post on another forum where a Hornby loco had overheated and burnt out the bodywork, but inspection of the photo of the burnt area showed that a resistor on the loco main pcb had had a shorting link soldered across it. This had taken out several diodes and capacitors on the pcb and the heat had melted a similar hole to yours in the loco roof. It is thought the shorting link was fitted to improve the brightness of the loco headcode lights. If you could post another picture of the damage with the body off so we can see exactly where the failure track is, that may help us get to the bottom of the problem. I suspect bad wiring of the decoder installation but will wait for the picture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Hay Posted September 9, 2020 Author Share Posted September 9, 2020 What does 'bad wiring of the decoder installation' mean? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maw78 Posted September 9, 2020 Share Posted September 9, 2020 I just made the very rookie mistake when I first started modelling ( 3 or 4 years back ) of running a dc shunter loco on track with dcc voltage going through it if I remember rightly from the guy in the model shop. I didnt even notice until my wife asked if I could smell burning and I turned to see the loco going round with smoke coming out of the wheel area lol. Good job it was a cheap model !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
96RAF Posted September 9, 2020 Share Posted September 9, 2020 What does 'bad wiring of the decoder installation' mean? Bad choice of words - incorrectly wired may have been a better way of saying it, which includes solder tracking of the socket which has often been seen or simply the wrong wires connected to the socket pins as been seen out of the factory on a steam loco. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinB Posted September 9, 2020 Share Posted September 9, 2020 Normally when I have had a fire, the heat shrink wrap on the decoder melts, a certain make does it very easily. Seems weird though he has obviously used it since January, so if it was wired wrong the fault would have shown up long before now. There again my HST just failed running round the track on a hot day and yes it did overheat, but I put that down to the TTS decoder was driving a ringfield motor so it was near its limit for cooling. If I had continued to put power on it they usually burn the input diodes off the board. In his case no motor, so it is not that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Postman Prat Posted September 10, 2020 Share Posted September 10, 2020 Hi, A very flippant reply to a serious question. BR had a number of fires in the oil bath on Bulleid pacifics prior to rebuilding. This started between the frames and by the time the Fire Brigade had done their stuff there was damage to the air-smooth casing (I know of a couple of cases where the incident was a long way from the road) 😆 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Hay Posted September 10, 2020 Author Share Posted September 10, 2020 The outer case has moulded itself to the chassis.This isn't coming off without damage and I'm expecting a refund or exchange so won't be attempting any further pictures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinB Posted September 10, 2020 Share Posted September 10, 2020 @Will Hay, it does not say in the text unless I had missed it, which version is this. You say you bought it last January, which I would have thought would make it a Railroad version as they had just come out. Then you say that this Dummy has a chip in it, which if it was a Railroad version all it would be would be a couple of leds/bulbs. Or is it the non Railroad expensive version. I find it amazing it could do so much damage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Hay Posted September 10, 2020 Author Share Posted September 10, 2020 Hornby R4859 Virgin Trains Mk3 Driving Van Trailer (DVT) 82141 Dcc Ready Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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