Help With Big Boy Auxilary Tender (6-28087)!

If your father's Big Boy is a Legacy, you will need to change out the R2LC board to the R4LC version.  The board in the "R2" TMCC AUX tender cannot decode the Legacy commands.

Marty,

Sorry - the Big Boy is a TMCC Big Boy (6-28029) with a cruise board installed by the late Boxcar Bill. Could this be the culprit?

No matter how hard I try, I always leave out some key piece of information.

Thanks

Can't say for sure.  Seems like it should work if it's TMCC.

This is Nicholas's dad. I am really surprised that we are having trouble with this tender. It does seem like it should work. I am confused because it works when it is programmed as an engine but doesn't work in the lash-up

When you created the train, did you add the BB first, then add the tender?  If the tender somehow became the lead locomotive, it could cause this.  Also I just thought of something.  When you have the tender selected via the ENG key, what is it set up as when you push the Info button?  It should be TMCC, RailSounds or RailSounds 5, and Steam.

sinclair posted:

When you created the train, did you add the BB first, then add the tender?  If the tender somehow became the lead locomotive, it could cause this.  Also I just thought of something.  When you have the tender selected via the ENG key, what is it set up as when you push the Info button?  It should be TMCC, RailSounds or RailSounds 5, and Steam.

sinclair,

yes I programed the lash-up with the big boy first and the aux. tender as a steam engine in reverse. I also set it to railsounds and TMCC mode.

There is your problem, the tender should not be placed in reverse!  It is already set up as the light being the rear light, and the coupler as the rear coupler.  By putting it in as reverse, the light and coupler will not fire as it thinks they are pointed to the BB.

sinclair posted:

There is your problem, the tender should not be placed in reverse!  It is already set up as the light being the rear light, and the coupler as the rear coupler.  By putting it in as reverse, the light and coupler will not fire as it thinks they are pointed to the BB.

I agree.  That was the missing element.

Let me run something by you.  I run the Legacy UP 844 with an AUX tender.  I have the tender programmed with the same number as the engine.  I program them together.  Inside the tender, I moved the rear coupler wires to the front coupler pins.  When I desire to uncouple the engine from the AUX tender, I hit the rear coupler.  When I want to keep the AUX tender with the engine, to uncouple the AUX tender from a train, I hit front coupler and due to the wiring modification, the rear coupler fires.  Just a thought for you if you program the engine and AUX tender together as one unit you may have some luck.