Honvik Posted December 27, 2013 Share Posted December 27, 2013 Hello and good evening, We just opened up my partners Christmas present to get it set up and tested i.e play around!. Now the steam loco doesnt seem to move/respond but the freight does work fine but using interestingly the ID that according to railmaster as the one for the steam loco. Now is there any reason why the steam loco just wont respond or do anything? I think we both stupidly thought it was plug in play and both locos would work out the box! Any tips would be great. Many thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HornbyRailMasterSupport Posted December 27, 2013 Share Posted December 27, 2013 The Majestic eLink/RailMaster set comes with two locos, both of which are programmed to DCC ID 3 at the factory. You need to have two different IDs in order to run them together. When you install RailMaster and select the Majestic set, it sets up the two locos for you, one on DCC ID 3 and one on 4. You need to program the other one to 4. Have you programmed the other to 4? There are instructions with the set that explain this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Honvik Posted December 27, 2013 Author Share Posted December 27, 2013 Hi Ive just tried writing to the CV to change the id off one of the locos and i keep getting a can not read error ...................... one of them works fine on 3 which is the freight but i cant seem to re program the other train - or do anything with it .................... any help would be appreciated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishmanoz Posted December 27, 2013 Share Posted December 27, 2013 Honvik, all decoders come set to ID 03 as the default. Therefore, it is good practice to get both locos off this ID so that it can be used by the next loco you buy when it first goes on the track. Also, after you first install and activate RM, it will ask to upgrade to the latest version when you next start it. Definitely do this,and you can ignore the run as administrator warning this time if you did so at first setup. Then read the latest manual and you'll find the instructions on changing IDs. It will be on your desktop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishmanoz Posted December 27, 2013 Share Posted December 27, 2013 Honvik, take the freight off the track and see if the other runs ok on 03 by itself. You are putting the locos on the programming track to change ID aren't you, and following the instructions in the v1.55 manual on your desktop, assuming you have upgraded? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishmanoz Posted December 27, 2013 Share Posted December 27, 2013 Also, take a look at https://www.hornby.com/forums/hornby-forums/hornby-railmaster/5777/?page=1&added=false towards the bottom of the first page, HRMS gives a good description of changing loco IDs. Later in the thread, the add more about using long IDs, something you needn't worry about for now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishmanoz Posted December 27, 2013 Share Posted December 27, 2013 And notice this post is in the RM forum where you'll likely find out more about RM than in this DCC forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Honvik Posted December 27, 2013 Author Share Posted December 27, 2013 Sorry i had been a complete muppet and was reading the worng instruction book ! beginners luck!!! many thanks for your informative replys ! New hobby off to a great staert! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spikesteruk Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 I've had a similar issue with my Majestic train set. The issue I'm having is Railmaster is unable to read the CV setting of the two trains. When I put the trains on the track I am able to make them move using the Railmaster program, but both move under the same Bon Acord control section. The control for the Class 47 loco does not contol either train. I get the message that Railmaster could not read the CV settings after several attempts & and another one saying an error occured while trying to read CV's. I removed the Railmaster program from the computer & re-installed it, but still the same issue. I'm running version 1.55. I thought it was maybe my power supply as I was using a power converter/adapter from 120v to 240v that takes a British plug, as I live in the US ( I'm a Brit though). Well I just got the 4amp power adapter from Hornby America, but still having the same issue of it not reading the CV of the train. Any suggestions! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishmanoz Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 Spikester, let's start with the simple - you are trying to read and write CVs on the programming track connected to the programming output aren't you? Reinstalling RM was unlikely to be your problem, unless of course you haven't installed as administrator? If not, just right click on the desktop icon, go to Properties, compatibility tab and make sure Run as Administrator is ticked. Apart from those I can only think of a good connection to the programming track to the loco and through to the decoder. And make sure you are using the procedure as in the link I posted above. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HornbyRailMasterSupport Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 There is a "Quick Start Guide" physical paper guide included with the Majestic eLink train set, which explains that you need to re-program the second loco to 4 and that you need to do this by connecting a short piece of track to the PROG output of the eLink controller. It then points you to the RailMasster PDF guide installed on your desktop for details of setting up and programming your locos etc. All DCC fitted locos and decoders default to ID 3 from the factory and both locos in your Majestic set are programmed to ID 3, so you need to change one of them as per the instructions. Only then can you control both of them independently when your track layout is connected normally to the TRACK output of the eLink unit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yelrow Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 hi, have same problem with majestic, both locos run at once, and i could not work out how to change. how does connecting a small piece of track help, and why is set sent out with this fault, yelrow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDS Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 @yelrow It is not a fault but both Loco's have the same decoder address of 03. This is the standard address given in the factory to all Digital Loco's. There are instructions as stated by HornbyRailMaster Support above, about how to change the decoder address on one or both of your Loco's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yelrow Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 hi, just posted reply, from france having same problem with majestic, both locos run at same time, and will not change. The only only entry in quick start guide says set to a new ID. there is nothing about using a small piece of track. I am a 70 year old disabled user and find it amazing that a firm with a name like hornby can send out a set that needs a re-programming expert to make it run. I expected the thing to work from the box. You cannot have the instructions on the screen at the same time as you are trying to re- programme. Has anyone got a solution in simple language that i can follow, as i would like to be able to control trains and have not got a degree in computer management, yelrow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yelrow Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 Honvik said: Sorry i had been a complete muppet and was reading the worng instruction book ! beginners luck!!! many thanks for your informative replys ! New hobby off to a great staert! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yelrow Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 honvik, what did you read to sort all this out, cos there are those of us that cant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graskie Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 Must be frustrating, yelrow, but DCC (digital) operation can be just a bit more complicated at times than the old DC (analogue) system. Fortunately it does have a lot of advantages, though, including having more than one loco running independently on the same piece of track. It sounds as if you're reading instructions from your PC rather than from the hard copy included with your set. Trying to do that would involves trying to minimize one screen, if not both, so that you can read both at the same time. Another way can be to click on the top of a screen and drag that one down to show the other underneath. As has been said already, it is common practice for all manufacturers to factory set all loco IDs to 3. Most people want to change that number anyway, and it is probably advisable to change both of yours to other different numbers, bearing in mind you might acquire a third loco in the future which will have an ID of 3 as well. You need a separate piece of programming track because, if you try to do that with both locos on the running track, they would both be changed to the same different number. The programming track should of course be connected to the relevant connections on your e-Link and you should program one loco at a time on it so as to avoid setting them both to the same ID. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yelrow Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 hi, graskie, thanks, i have another computer that i can put disc in, but worried that it might interfere with licence. Now understand about about a piece of track, but having connected it and put diesel onit, then what. There is nothing in hornbys notes about this. As you clearly understand my ignorance, can you advise what to do to change numbers in words of one syllibul, or similar. Also on top of screen, should little green engine for loco recognition be lit up, thanks, yelrow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishmanoz Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 Yelrow, let's do the basics first up here, which should get you up and running in no time. First thing you do when you open the box is to run the installation for your RM software as nothing will work until you do. I will describe the next steps briefly as you can find the detail of each step in posts earlier in this thread on page 1 and that will save me having to type them again. On installation, you must run as administrator. If you didn't, see earlier on changing it from the desktop icon. Next you must update to the latest software version and eLink firmware by allowing the program to do that the next time you start it. As you've already installed as administrator by one of the methods above, you can ignore the warning you get doing this. Now in putting your layout together, you will note there are 2 sets of outputs on your eLink. They are for connecting to the track for those labelled Track, and the other pair go to the programming track, which is that separate piece of track mentioned above where you can change lots of different things set in your locos' decoders, including their ID. Every DCC loco ever made by anyone, including the 2 in your set, comes with the Loco ID set to 03. It is because the NMRA specification for all DCC insists this is the starting address to be set. If this were not so, how would you know where to start? So the first thing to do is to put one of your locos on the running track and make sure it runs, that you can make it go forwards and backwards and change its speed. You will have no problem knowing which address to look for it on because it is set to 03, and that will be the case no matter which loco you first put on the track. The next thing to do having satisfied yourself the loco is working is to remove it from the track and put it on the separate programming track. The reason is to change its ID from 03 to any other ID that suits you. Why do you want to do this? Because the next loco you put on the running track is going to have the ID 03, and you don't want the two to clash. Now this will be the case whether it is the other loco in you Majestic set, or any other loco you buy from anywhere. Having figured out how wonderful DCC is, you will surely decide to buy more at some stage. So having put the first loco on the programming track, how do you change it? Back on page 1 I posted a link to a post from HRMS that gives some detailed instructions. Follow the link and print the page so you have it in front of you when you go into loco setup in RM to do the change. Once done, you can put the loco back on the running track. All the instructions for this are also in the manual that has been downloaded to your desktop when you upgraded the software to the latest v1.55. Now, and only now, you can put your second loco on the running track. Remember what it's ID is? I won't say it again. Check that it too runs OK. At this stage, you can run both your locos on their separate IDs and you can leave the second on 03 if you wish. But for the reasons I gave above, I suggest you don't. Change it to something else and then you are ready to set up your third loco when you buy it, using its default 03 ID. Having done all of this, you are now up to the enjoyment part - you can happily play trains. Or you've just started on the path to being a serious railway modeller. Heaven forbid this ever getting serious. So nothing quite worked straight out of the box unfortunately. The RM software had to be updated to the latest version (this will happen again from time to time as Hornby make further improvements). The eLink firmware had to be updated, again probably not the last time. And the locos needed their IDs changed. If you have more problems, please do come back and ask here. There are lots who can help. And you can simply get help from Hornby Railmaster Support from directly in the program. Just go to the Help window in RM and click on the email support button. They are very responsive and available 24/7 to assist. They may even be faster then getting a reply on these forums. Note to HRMS - I think you need some detail as I have included above in the Getting Started instructions, if not already included. It is clear here that some are having problems with what is there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDS Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 @Fishmanoz That is a very good and detailed response you have given. I had thought about adding a note to HRMS as well because I think that when 2 loco's are supplied in the same set, that maybe they should have unique ID numbers. I know that it is standard practice to assign the ID of 03 to all loco's but (and especially at this time of year) some people who are completely new to this hobby, will want to use the system straight from the box, without having to learn about changing the ID first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GarH Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 Well done Fishie - excellent help as ever and as you say HRMS could make the instructions a bit clearer to beginners. Having only recently upgraded from Select to eLink and RM I've not had to program any new locos yet within RM and was left cold by the instructions as they are currently laid out and was of a mind when my latest acquisition turns up using my Select to program it - as that is so much easier - and then introduce the loco to RM already programmed. A bit of a cop out on using RM but hey if you know one method and it has worked in the past then why not. All my locos and accessory decoders programmed via Select have worked on RM - it is other problems I have experienced and been helped with by these threads and a some input from HRMS direct. Keep up the good work it is much appreciated by us lesser mortals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GarH Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 And well said RDS although red tape will probably prevent it - it was what I was thinking would be good for sets like this too but thought better of suggesting it earlier. But, if the instructions are made a bit simpler with pictures for us old Marvel Comic Readers then it would help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graskie Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 I always knew you Aussies could express yourselves simply. Great answer, Fishy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishmanoz Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 Thanks guys. I too thought about suggesting one loco is not on 03. To do it though, it means the factory has to have a programming track rig and someone to operate it, so more time and expense. It is hard to remember after having learned the basics and more that the very basic instruction is first open the box. And then to remember what the second one is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishmanoz Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 GarH said: Well done Fishie - excellent help as ever and as you say HRMS could make the instructions a bit clearer to beginners. Having only recently upgraded from Select to eLink and RM I've not had to program any new locos yet within RM and was left cold by the instructions as they are currently laid out and was of a mind when my latest acquisition turns up using my Select to program it - as that is so much easier - and then introduce the loco to RM already programmed. A bit of a cop out on using RM but hey if you know one method and it has worked in the past then why not. All my locos and accessory decoders programmed via Select have worked on RM - it is other problems I have experienced and been helped with by these threads and a some input from HRMS direct. Keep up the good work it is much appreciated by us lesser mortals. Gar,it will work fine until you get your 65th loco, then you'll be in trouble with Select won't you. While the manual does cover it, even HRMS realised that maybe all the steps hadn't been emphasised, so posted the detail in the link I gave on page 1 of this thread. Take another look and give it a try, you'll only need to do it once and you'll be away. And don't forget later on the linked thread, it gives the definitive detail for long addresses too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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