This is a common problem and one that appears on the various model Railroad forums fairly often. Usually, you’ll see a question or problem statement similar to this:
The Problem:
I have a throttle that when I use the left knob on the
throttle, the train it controls will suddenly stop after a random amount of
time and then start back up after a few seconds This happens with the throttle
tethered to either the base unit or anywhere else on the layout -- so location
is irrelevant. (It is also possible for some throttles’ speed to be set to zero.)
The Answer:
Two throttles
are controlling the same locomotive, the other one is set to zero.
The second answer (below) was one that intrigued the author
because he had never heard a quantitative diagnosis applied to this particular
problem before.
From user Billybob Experimenter:
That suspicion can be confirmed by leaving your throttle left
knob dialed-up to some non-zero speed, then leaving it alone, and waiting for the speed to go to zero. Note the time (including seconds!). After the locomotive starts back up wait
for the speed to be again set to zero (or it stops). Note this time (including seconds!). If the throttle speed was set to zero,
apply some speed setting to it to get the locomotive moving again.
Repeat this procedure and again note the time (including
seconds).
Compute the amount of time between each occurrence. If the
amount of time between the unexpected set-to-zero-speed events
is about the same (and generally around
100 seconds or so) then you have strong evidence that some other throttle device is trying to control the same slot
number which holds the loco that is on the left
knob.
Once you confirm the suspicion, it is "simply" a
case of finding the other throttle which is trying
to control the slot, and performing the necessary
steps to "release" the slot (loco) from the throttle.
Sometimes it makes sense to find the other
throttles which might be controlling the slot, and simply
change the throttle control upward to see
if there is any response by the misbehaving loco; if so, the throttle is influencing the slot and the throttle
needs to have the "release"
procedure performed!
Note the specific use of the word "slot" rather
than "loco" here, because:
- LocoNet-based throttles control a "slot" which happens to "hold a loco”
- a slot can be re-assigned by the command station for use with a different loco
- throttles do not necessarily know that a slot they are using has been re-assigned
- throttles are supposed to occasionally send their slot speed information (generally around 100 seconds or so), but this can vary by throttle type.
And be aware that some non-obvious "throttles" might influence a slot, including:
- DCS5x command station throttles (if you have a DCS5x connected to LocoNet)
- DCS5x "jump" throttles (if you have a DCS5x connected to LocoNet)
- LNWI-connected WiFi throttles (if you have one or more LNWI devices connected to LocoNet)
- Software-controlled throttles. (JMRI, RR&Co, etc., if you have a computer-to-LocoNet interface connected to LocoNet)
One final addendum:
"If you want to give yourself a clean start you can ‘clear’ the mobile decoder slots in your command station using ‘Option Switch 36.’ You could also consider resetting your command station to factory default using Option Switch 39."
Billybob’s answer to this:
Be aware that this is not an effective solution to the problem. If a throttle is making use of a slot before the command station slots are "cleared", then the throttle will still be making use of the slot after clearing the slots. While clearing the command station slots can make it appear as if the problem has been resolved, it may crop up again once a new loco is assigned to the slot which is (still) being (unintentionally) used by the throttle.
The solution to the problem is to properly release locos from
the throttle when the throttle is no longer "in use". Always! Every
time!
If you have an idea for a blog post here, let me know. If I can comment on it, I will or I'll see if someone else can and post it
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