Well, the first (hopefully of many) Northeast Large Scale Trains Show has come and gone. I think the show was a great a success and I’m looking forward to going back next year.
I had planned to update on installing revolution in the new Bachmann Large Scale Dash 9 but in the process of checking it out I noticed a strange issue. I noticed when running it on standard track power that the directional headlights were not working as they should. After doing some research and talking to Stan Ames (Thank you Stan!) the issue was found to be PWM or Pulse Width Modulation. You may have heard this referred to as PWC or Pulse Width Control by Aristo-Craft and/or Crest. It seems that if you are using a power source that does not put out linear power it causes the electronics for the directional lighting to not behave as it should. I did testing using an older Bachman Spectrum linear transformer, Aristo-Craft PWC Transformer, PWC Motor Controller from Amazon and two different generations of the Revolution Trackside Base Station. I found that everything but the Bachmann Spectrum linear transformer caused issues with the headlights but you can get a PWM to linear adapter to put between your transformer and the track to correct this issue. I do want to point out this issue isn’t something new or specific to the Dash 9. Other manufactures have had issues with PWC/PWM over the years as well. This is an issue that a lot of people won’t see but for the ones that do I hope this info helps them as there is a solution to it.
Several Dealers have these in stock and ready to ship including (Prices below are as of the date of this post and may change): RLD Hobbies $769.89 Star Hobby $775.00 Reinedeer Pass Railroad $769.89 Train World $849.99 Split Jaw $899.00 Only Trains $879.99 Roll-EZ Wheels $750 (Free Shipping)
The Bay Area Garden Railway Society (BAGRS) will host the 38th Annual National Garden Railway Convention in the San Francisco Bay Area. There will be multiple layouts to visit, food/dining and even a BBQ. They will also have a variety of clinics and workshops, meet and greet opportunities, and a Fourth of July fireworks show. To attend […]
Well, we have to say goodbye and hello all at the same time as Shawn “Dakman” leaves us and Nico “4TrackRR” joins us to take Shawn’s place.