Trailing Unit not stopping

[MRL Trains]

Ran into a problem while consisting.  Happened multiple times.     One loco on the head end and one as a pusher on the rear of a 23 car train. When I stop the consist and change direction,  rear loco will take off until the slack runs out.  This with throttle and speed both at zero.  Change direction again and it goes back the other way until they're all bunched against the lead loco. It seems the rear loco is not fully stopping even at zero speed. 

Lead   LM-3S    2.03
Trail    LM-3      2.03
CI-1 for control.  (I don't current have an HC) 

I'm guessing it may be a radio issue.  I have a CI-1 on a 15ft extension and keep it close to the train. Still happens.   Could it be the distance between the locos (23 covered hoppers)?
Any ideas?

Thanks in advance,
Chris

[William Brillinger]

Chris,

You may need to run the updates again. It sounds like something may not have been applied properly during the update.

Question: If you are only using 1 loco, do you have any issues?
What about if you have the locos adjacent to each other instead of one at the rear?

[MRL Trains]

Chris,

You may need to run the updates again. It sounds like something may not have been applied properly during the update.

Question: If you are only using 1 loco, do you have any issues?
What about if you have the locos adjacent to each other instead of one at the rear?

I'll test first,  then update.  Maybe even take a video.

[MRL Trains]

They do run fine individually and in a DCC consist.   Only have the problem in RailPro consist run with CI-1.
Chris

[KPack]

Let's see a video.  Something sounds odd with this situation.  How long are you waiting before switching direction? It almost sounds like the rear loco is running down the rest of its momentum.  Usually the following locos will short their settings to run well with the leader.  I'd be interested to see if the behavior is same if you switch which loco is the leader.

DPU works very well on Railpro, I run DPUs all the time.  Let's see if we can figure out what the issue is.

Kevin

[Alan]

I do not think this is a problem for you but I state it so you are aware.

Maximum cable length for USB 2 is 16 ft. Even shorter for USB 3 at 9 ft max. Beyond those lengths you must use an active cable (1 port hub essentially).

In the past I have had USB devices that would not work properly on 16 ft cables but did work on shorter cables. A DVD burner I once had would not work on anything longer than 3 ft.

[William Brillinger]

That's a good point Alan.  (sp err. fixed!!)

I have my CI-1 on a 6ft cord. I had problems programming with it at my desk until I moved it up above track level, now I can upload programs without issues from about 10 ft away.

I don't think the CI-1 radio is as strong as the one one in the HC-2.

[MRL Trains]

I do not think this is a problem for you but I state it so you are aware.

Maximum cable length for USB 2 is 16 ft. Even shorter for USB 3 at 9 ft max. Beyond those lengths you must use an active cable (1 port hub essentially).

In the past I have had USB devices that would not work properly on 16 ft cables but did work on shorter cables. A DVD burner I once had would not work on anything longer than 3 ft.

I will try a shorter cable and see if makes a difference.
Thanks
Chris

[MRL Trains]

Let's see a video.  Something sounds odd with this situation.  How long are you waiting before switching direction? It almost sounds like the rear loco is running down the rest of its momentum.  Usually the following locos will short their settings to run well with the leader.  I'd be interested to see if the behavior is same if you switch which loco is the leader.

DPU works very well on Railpro, I run DPUs all the time.  Let's see if we can figure out what the issue is.

Kevin

Kevin,  I agree. They run great as a DPU (except for the previously mentioned problem).   I ran a 32 car train around my entire layout with no problems.  Lots of curves on a 2% grade.  Constant checking showed the lead loco pulling about 2/3 of the cars and the rear loco pushing the rest.  On DCC I run the pusher on a separate throttle and continuously have to adjust the speed to prevent too much tension or too much pressure by the pusher.  With RP I can now consist on one throttle, then stand back and watch!  Set it and forget it.  Amazing!

The best part is watching it crest the summit.  This can be tricky with multiple DCC throttles.  To condense a long winded explanation:   As your long (uphill) train crests the summit, the bulk of the load shifts to the pusher (still going uphill) causing it to slow down while the lead loco starts speeding up because it's now going down hill and has much less load.  On DCC this requires good throttle coordination until the whole train is heading downhill.   RailPro  handles this beautifully.   I have noticed some "surging" on downhill trains. The longer the train, the more apparent it becomes.  I'll start a separate thread on this if needed. Sometimes it has to do with poor rolling cars, not the locos, so more testing is required on my part.

Best Regards
Chris

[MRL Trains]

I don't think the CI-1 radio is as strong as the one one in the HC-2.

Bill, I can confirm that.  Got this in an email from Tim Ring;

"An HC-2 can have a lot more range than a CI-1 and since it is portable it is normal for you to follow the train and keep the distance to the train relative short for good radio connection. So a real HC-2 can work a lot better than a CI-1 for running trains."

Chris

[William Brillinger]

Bill, I can confirm that. 

Thanks Chris, good to know!

[KPack]

I don't think the CI-1 radio is as strong as the one one in the HC-2.

It's also not quite as fast at transferring files as a HC.  It takes significantly longer to upload a prime mover file to a locomotive using the CI-1.  But it doesn't drain batteries like using the HC does, so it's a trade off. 

I have noticed some "surging" on downhill trains. The longer the train, the more apparent it becomes.

I've noticed the same on occasion, but it's intermittent.  I ran a rather long train on a friend's layout with grades the other week, specifically to test this.  On the first run it started to surge slightly when the locomotives reached the bottom of the hill and the entire train was pushing downhill against them.  However, a second time on a longer grade had no surging.  Same locomotives, same train.  No DPU on this train....I wonder if that would've made a difference?  A separate thread with some test results would be great.

-Kevin

[Alan]

I've noticed the same on occasion, but it's intermittent.  I ran a rather long train on a friend's layout with grades the other week, specifically to test this.  On the first run it started to surge slightly when the locomotives reached the bottom of the hill and the entire train was pushing downhill against them.  However, a second time on a longer grade had no surging.  Same locomotives, same train.  No DPU on this train....I wonder if that would've made a difference?  A separate thread with some test results would be great.

-Kevin

I'll start a thread. I have at least one result to share.

[William Brillinger]

It's also not quite as fast at transferring files as a HC.  It takes significantly longer to upload a prime mover file to a locomotive using the CI-1.  But it doesn't drain batteries like using the HC does, so it's a trade off.

I don't think that's my experience. I'm going to have to test that theory.

[MRL Trains]

It's also not quite as fast at transferring files as a HC.  It takes significantly longer to upload a prime mover file to a locomotive using the CI-1.  But it doesn't drain batteries like using the HC does, so it's a trade off.

I don't think that's my experience. I'm going to have to test that theory.

I have no experience with the HC2 but I thought I remember reading that the CI-1 is supposed to be quicker?
Chris