LED lighting Roco Railjet

Unknown
in Specific Questions
The train:
1)Roco 72457 Electric locomotive Rh 1116,
2)Roco 64715 Wagon Railjet, 1cl., light, +BB R-64715 OBB Railjet-Business Coach w. LED Lighting
3)R-64714 OBB Railjet-Economy Coach w. LED Lighting

The locomotive is correctly CV-programed, but the light on the wagons will not go on. Does somebody know why?
Thanks

Arnold

Comments

  • Unknown
    Hi Arnold

    I am personally not familiar with this product. After looking into it, it seems to me the loco has an interface to control the coach lights lights via current conducting couplers. I am guessing that, but I can't be certain, as I can't see the train in front of me.

    You may want to try to reprogram the locomotive, but with both cars connected to it. This may do the trick.
  • Unknown
    If my theory about the current conducting couplers is incorrect, you may want to try to just run the coaches for quite a while. The pickup mechanisms may be a little corroded from sitting idle on a shelf for a long period of time. Try that.
  • Unknown
    Thanks Choo Choo, I will try again following your suggestions.

    Arnold
  • RailwriterRailwriter Durham, NC


    I think I have figured out your problem after doing some research.  (I could be wrong.)
     
    But, from reading some information on the Roco site, it looks like the power to the coaches is provided via the cab control car in the 64089 base set.  It has a function decoder that controls the lights -- independent of the engine.  That cab control car then feeds the rest of the consist via the conducting couplers. 
     
    You did not mention that you had the base set with the cab control car.  Do you? 
     
    You can have the lights on in the consist before you couple up the engine.
     
     
    That keeps you from having to install special conducting couplers on the engine, which would mean that the engine would not couple to regular rolling stock.  You could still do this, however. but it might take some work.
     
    Hope this helps.
     
    -- Ernest
     
     
     
  • RailwriterRailwriter Durham, NC


    Some further thoughts on my previous posting:  The reason it makes sense to have the lighting in the cars tied to the cab control car rather than the engine is as follows:
     
    In the terminals where these trains originate, the engines and cars (which are normally kept in a fixed consist) are serviced and maintained in different locations.
     
    When a train oiriginates at such a location, a switcher may deliver the cars to the originating platform.  The cars are plugged into ground power, which allows lights/heat/cooling, etc. to be on.  You can simulate this with the model by turning on the car lights (via the cab car) after the consist is placed at the platform.  Don't forget to briefly turn off the lights to simulate the ground power being disconnected before the consist is connected to engine.  (On the real cars, there would be dim backup lighting from the backup batteries in the cars during that time.)
     
    The engine may only arrive a few minutes before departure.  If needed, if there is a problem with the normally assigned engine, a substitute engine can be provided.
     
    During detours following severe weather within the past year, some RailJet trains were run with tandem sets of 2016 diesels because the detours involved non-electrified lines or lines where electrical lines had been damaged.
     
    -- Ernest
     
     
  • Unknown
    If Ernest's theory is correct, which it probably is, you should be able to see the metal contacts on the couplers of the two coaches you mentioned, but not on the loco couplers. Check that out.
  • RailwriterRailwriter Durham, NC


    On the prototype, only the end car next to the engine, known as the Kuppelwagen, and the cab control car have standard couplings on one end.  All the intermediate cars have automatic center couplings that connect air and electrical lines.  Cars other than the designated end cars would not be able to couple to an engine -- unless that engine is equipped with a special coupling adapter.
     
    The shops where the Railjet cars are maintained probably have one or more switch engines with such an adapter or flat cars with regular couplers on one end and the automatic center couplers on the other end.  That would let the shop crews take a fixed consist apart if one car is defective and to then move the defective car by itself.
     
    -- Ernest
     
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