Send it back

If your not happy with your purchase, Send it back.

Lemon

You probably got one assembled on a Monday!!  If they were all bad, in this day and age, we'd know about it.  Have them replace it.

Peter

Ditto- I'd send it back

Ernest,

As with any supplier I'd call them first to get instructions for their return / exchange policy and then follow those instructions to send it back.  You may be tempted to "tinker" with it (take it apart, lube the gears, etc.) but this can void the warranty.  You paid for a perferctly working locomotive and that's what you should get.

That said, before you send it back did you do a "break in"; that is, run it around at different speeds and directions?  Some locos get much quieter after a little break in.

Rick

Send it Back

 My new Athearn SW1500 doesn't run like that. Send it back. Probably flash somewhere in the gears, or an iffiy motor. If you like tinkering be my guest, but if it were me I'd send it back.

Contact Athearn.

Give any company a chance to fix the problem.  "Lemons" happen with any manufactured product, give the manufacturer a chance to fix it.

break in

Hello,

  I ran it most of the night, slow and fast, It seems it is not improving. I am going to take all the advice and see if either Athearn will fix it or if I have to send it back to the hobby store I got it from for replacement.

Thanks,

Ernest

Thanks all.

I called the shop I got it from. And like many of you said to "break it in" for today and if by Friday it's not running right, call for a return Auth #.  I told them I am not sure how much more "breaking in" I can do. I ran it four hours in low and high speeds, forward and back. I also tried other decoders, and cleaned the wheels.

Thanks for all of your help on this. I will let you know my out come Friday.

Ernest

Now I'm mad

The engine (ATHEARN sw1500) quit working all together. I Called the hobby shop, which I will not mention names right now, and they refuse to take it back because I "installed" a decoder. I explained to him that the Athearn trains comes with a quick plug to install a decoder and I used that and did not alter the engine at all. He gave me so much grief and refused to let me return it....So, I called Athearn, which is on the move to a new building and all the phone lines are down. Stuck with a lemon...... I know I said I wouldn't mention the name of the hobby shop.......but, If you live in Saint Charles, MO and find your self on 2793 west clay street and see a "hobby" shop, DONT STOP, KEEP GOING. THEY ARE RUDE AND UNCARING. ONCE YOU PAID YOUR MONEY, THEY GOT YOU.

e

+ +

So remove the decoder and put the DC plug back in.  Judging by the noise it makes and the jerky bind/stop and go It may have  blown the TCS decoder on you.

Marc Fournier, Quebec

Face to Face

I would remove the decoder carefully and put everything back as it was from the shop.  Then take the loco back to the shop in person and politely demand a refund.  Make it clear that you have all day to talk about it.  It is often easy to say no on the phone or in an email but sometimes more difficult when you are there face to face in the store and other customers are in hearing range.

"Submitted by Hard Luck and

Unbelievable. My LHS would take it back in a heartbeat. I assume you're not a regular there and they don't know you? Even then they could easily just send it back to Athearn. If it runs on DC like crap, who cares if a decoder was installed. In any case they need to keep their customers happy and coming back or we'll all rebel and buy ALL of our stuff online. Muhaaa haaaaaa.........

Sadly

Sadly I do not live in MO, I ordered it over the Net. I guess it's a buyer beware kind of world, and I leared a lesson about order from a "hobby" shop that appeared to have good prices on trains. I just want everyone to know that this place is not a place to spend your money.... Lesson learned.

Now, I am waiting for Athearn to get settled into there new HQ so I can send it back in under the warranty, I hope to have better luck with them than the "hobby" shop.

So in closing DO NOT BUY FROM  hobby1.com. Unless you like rude, unhelpful, overbearing people that once the sale is over....they are done with you. No Customer service skills..... Sad. They wouldn't even let me talk to the owner or another person about my issue.

Lesson Learned and shared with the world....

E

Too Bad

Ernest,

That's too bad.

For future online purchases I'd recommend MRH sponsor Dallas Model Works as a place to find good prices, great service and a commitment to satisfying customers.

If you are looking for something you don't see in the catalog be sure to email and ask Craig if he can get it for you.  I've found him to be a great help in bringing in non stock items for me at good prices.

Give Athearn time to comeplete their move and then contact them.

Tehy are one of the best companies to deal with and I'm sure they will do what is necessary to replace your model or make it right if it is just an adjustment issue.

Thanks Kevin

I took your advice and signed up for membership. lol....already have an order in for some WoodLand turf... Thanks!

E

Thanks Russ

Thanks Russ, Took a chance and called the number on the box anyway. Got a real nice guy that explained they were moving but helped me the best he could with some trouble shooting...told me his name and told me to call next monday and ask for him, come to find out he was the manager in charge of service... he was very sad to hear the store I got it from was not helping me, but told me he would after the move.... your right they are nice, even in the middle of a major move.

E

Thanks Marc

Marc,

    I thought that too, but lucky for me I had another, Brand new, in the package - TCS T1 ready to go. It produced the same results. After placing the DC plug back in and hauling out the old DC box, it acted the same way. I think it's the motor binding up or a problem with the DCC/DC card in the loco. That's what I got from Athearn when I called the other day. They promised to help me after the move and I was lucky enough to get the service manager when I called.

E

If you're keen....

Dear Ernst,

I'm not going to weigh into the "should you accept such performance out-of-box" or not argument,
that's a personal decision, which has many factors to consider.
I'd only make the comment that I have bought 7 x "current spec" Athearn SW1500s over the last 18 months,
all have been bulletproof on analog DC control,
smooth, slow, and sure-footed.
(I also have 2 original versions, one which is a good runner except for it's inefficient motor,
the other has always had a strange rear truck axle-alignment issue which I am yet to 110% nail...)

I would also make the point that in any debug-situation, "simpler is better".
it only takes a length of flextrack, and a regular 9VDC alkaline battery to test/diagnose an "analog DC" locomotive.

However, for the purpose of todays exercise, I'll assume that you've got your reasons for insisting/sticking with diagnosing the issue with the decoder/DCC-system "in circuit".

For myself, I had a close look/listen to your video, and if you are willing to _have_a_look_Yourself_,
(with the full knowledge that it _may_ void warranty), I'd be interested to know the following:

Q1 - Do you have the decoders in _both_ locos set to TCS factory defaults?

Q2 - I ask Q1, because the RED SW1500's headlight appears to be flashing in a regular manner, which is unlikely to be a "decoder-driven-led VS camera scan-rate" issue. This _may_ indicate

- a wiring issue (did you remove the JST jumper PCB as per the Athearn instructions?)
- deliberately wiring the headlight to a "flasher" function wire
(which would also presumably mean you've tweaked some CVs in the decoder, see Q1 above)
- or possibly mean you have a speed-step mismatch between the decoder and the DCC command system
(seem to recall some decoders will "flash" their headlights if there is a Speed-Step mismatch, because they are "hunting" between valid values???)

Q3 - I hear a low "whirr" noise, which may be the flywheel whipping/glancing past the interior of the shell,
or part of the mech. Does it make the same noise/have the same performance when the shell is OFF?

Q3a - If NO to Q3, check for the motor being mounted slightly 'tilted' off-centre,
any scrape marks on the inside of the shell,
or any wiring which may be getting push into interferrence with the rotating mech parts when the shell is in place...

Q4 - Based on the apparent "regular bind/stalling" evident in the slow L> R pass in the video starting at 1:25,

without disassembling the shell, you can

- tip the loco upside down in a service craddle,
- unclip the truck cover plates (do one truck at a time),
- remove the wheels/axlesets from the truck,
- and apply power.

With ONE of the truck's axles removed, does the sound/performance improve?

If YES, you may have found a binding component. Check for flash om the gears.

If NO, replace those axles, and do the same test with the _other_ truck's axles removed.

If Still no joy after testing _both_ trucks seperately, its unlikely to be specifically axle-related.

Q5 - with all 4 axles removed, apply _LOW_ power/low speed setting,
and note if either of the truck assemblies "kick" as the internal truck gearing moves.

A "kick" in either truck may indicate a geartrain position which is creating a temporary bind.
If you _really_ want to dig into it, and only ONE of the trucks is "kicking",
carefully disassemble that truck and inspect all gears and the top worm for flash or other casting issues...
 

From here, you could give up, or delve deeper,
depending on whether you are "mechanically inclined" or not.

Basic loco mech debug procedure is not particularly hard, if you apply a methodical approach.
Not being afraid to revert to regular analog DC control for diagnostic purposes at the least, 
is also a key "ace-in-the-hole" ...

Hope this Helps,
Happy Modelling,
Aim to Improve,
Prof Klyzlr

Hello Prof Kiyzlr

Thanks for the help. So here are some of the answers you asked for. Oh, I did try the 9vdc battery on DC with the decoder removed and the "dummy" plug back in. It ran like it did with the decoder in. I'm thinking it's the motor.

Anyhow here are some of the answers.

A1 Both Switchers in the video have the same settings. No, not factory but the same. I printed the decoder CV list for both from JMRI decoder Pro and they are the same except the address.

A2 The red and the Green both are set to flash on reverse and low in front at idle and hight in front on moving. I can't explain the different appearance in the video, except maybe it's the video....?

A3 Never tried it with the shell off, never thought of it. I will try it tonight to see.

As for the rest, I have not decided to go into too much disassembly before Athearn has a chance to help me.

I have printed off your reply and will give it a go as soon as I get Athearns ideas....If they take it back as it is now, then I won't need to do it, but for some reason they don't take it back, I will try it.

Many thanks for your ideas,

Ernest