RailPro > RailPro Specific Help & Discussion

Linking/Speed Matching

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drisdon:
I have had some issues linking and operating one pair of locomotives and thought one of you on this group may have experienced something similar. The consist is an Atlas GP40-2 with LM-2S module and Proto 2000 GP30 upgraded with Stewart trucks with LM-2 module.  These will always be ran as a pair so I want them to run well together as a slug and slug mother; CSX GP40-2 and GP30 RDMT. 

Both have same settings for acceleration and deceleration.

Getting the pair to link is not the issue, but the speed matching seems to be the issue.  When linked the GP40-2 will start spinning its wheels several seconds before the GP30 moves. I have tried adjusting the start voltages both ways for each and adjusting the accel. and deccel. one at a time to to troubleshoot, but none resolved the problem.   They will run separately well, but not together.

What am I missing? How would you get these two to work well with each other?

Thanks,
Dan R.

Alan:
Try resetting the stall current on both. If you repeatedly set the stall current you will notice there is quite a variation in results. Keep setting the stall current until you get it set on the highest or near highest reading you notice.

Josephbw:
One Question, are you trying to run the engines back to back or nose to tail? If back to back you need to set the direction of the engines before you link them. Otherwise they will be trying to run in opposite directions.

Good luck, Joe

drisdon:
I will try resetting the motor stall, that is one thing I didn't play with.  I also wonder if it would be helpful to "warm up" the locomotive before setting the stall current? 

Thanks for the suggestion, I will try it and report the results.

As for the suggestion to set the locomotive direction, yes that was set properly. 

Alan:
I'm not so sure warming up the motor is critical. The issue with stall current setting is when do the wheels slip. As soon as they slip the current falls off. So, anything that changes when the wheels begin to slip, including random chance, will affect the stall rating.

My fleet is exclusively 4 axle Atlas. I own a a few 6 axle Athearns but haven't yet put a module in any of them. The Atlas units at stall are all somewhere between 300 and 350mA. Any one loco can be anywhere in this range each time it is set. I keep setting stall until I get a rating as close to 350mA as possible. I do this to get the truest reading of real stall at maximum wheel traction. My Atlas units run well together.

Shortly after I first got RP, out of curiosity I set the stall current real low by lifting the loco. Sure enough, it ran fine by itself but did not play well at all with the others. That experience is why I immediately recommended you reset stall current.

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