# Syncing Engine and Tender Speeds



## taaronbennett (Dec 11, 2012)

Hello out there,

Does anyone know how to sync up the speeds between and engine and a powered tender?

I have an LGB 69372 tender and a 24211 loco. The tender came with a connector wire that has banana plugs on one side, and the little box on the other. Neither the loco or the tender have a port for the banana plugs, so the wire seems useless.

When I run them spaced apart on the same track, the tender runs at least 2-3 times the speed of the engine. Naturally, if I try to run them together I get grinding sounds.

Please help!

How do I fix this?


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## Dan Pierce (Jan 2, 2008)

Trainli.com has the 2 pin connector for the cable and even have 2 pin cables available. They are sold in pairs.



The tender is DC only unless you add a decoder and the engine is DCC.
These will not run together unless both are DCC and in DCC you can adjust several parameters and make them run at the same speeds.


Myself I use a single decoder and run both engine and tender from one decoder in the engine.


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## Mike Toney (Feb 25, 2009)

The banana plug ports were for older engines or if on the rear of the tender, to feed passenger car lights daisy chain style. Newer LGB have the electrical plug between the engine and tender. This is not for any type of "Sync up", but to share electrical connections to better deal with any power pickup issues, important in outdoor operation. The powered tenders lack(unless someone modified it) any type of traction tire. This is to allow the tender to "slip" some as the engine is usually a bit slower with lighting and smoke units drawing power along with its motor. And no two motors, even of the same model, will run exactly the same RPM for the given voltage. Only way to speed match both engine and tender is with DCC decoders and some time spent programing and consisting them just as is done in smaller scales with multi locomotive lash ups. Mike the Aspie


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## Dan Pierce (Jan 2, 2008)

All LGB powered tenders have track power jacks on the front and rear.
Old ones used the separate pin sockets, newer ones use the 2 pin 100 mil connector.
LGB did have an adapter cable that had both types.
The sound cars as well as passenger cars also get power from engines.


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## taaronbennett (Dec 11, 2012)

So it sounds like even if I got the adapters to connect these, it would do nothing in terms of syncing up the speeds? So how do I make this work? As it runs now, the tender is desperately trying to push the engine and spinning its wheels in the effort. That can't be good, right?

I wouldn't care and just give up, but this train has a lot of sentimental meaning, and I need more power to pull all the cars.


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## taaronbennett (Dec 11, 2012)

Dan, if I understand you right, your using a decoder to basically convert the tender to DCC? How do I set that up?


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## kormsen (Oct 27, 2009)

taaronbennett said:


> So it sounds like even if I got the adapters to connect these, it would do nothing in terms of syncing up the speeds? So how do I make this work? ...


you might try the old fashioned way.
on the quicker motor (in your case the tender) you put diodes between powersource (rail- pickups or batterie) and the motor. each diode uses up about 0.7 Amps.

BUT...
for keeping the ability to move in both directions, you have to put always two diodes in paralel. one pointing to the motor, the other pointing to the powersource.
if one of these "pairs" does not achive enough slowdown, put another pair in series to the first.

i ignore, if different types of diodes use different amount of Amps, but i know, that diodes marked IN5408KD or RL207KI do the job. (whatever these numbers mean)


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## Dan Pierce (Jan 2, 2008)

Diodes will not work for all speeds as the DCC portion uses speed steps to control the engine and non DCC engines just use increasing voltage. I installed a dual motor decoder in my engine and then had a cable for the speaker, motor, rear light and track power. This setup runs real smooth. I did this to 3 of my engine/powered tender combinations.


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## LGB333$$$$ (Oct 11, 2017)

*LGB Tender*



taaronbennett said:


> Dan, if I understand you right, your using a decoder to basically convert the tender to DCC? How do I set that up?


I'm not clear from your postings, are you running DC/Analog power or DCC/Digital power? Your LGB engine will operate on either current but your LGB tender right now will only operate on DC power. So, even if you installed a DC/DCC power decoder as I discuss below, you won't be able to make the adjustments to the speed of the two motors unless you use a DCC system to make the adjustments and then to operate them. Actually, adding a DC/DCC decoder to the tender's motor will probably help sync the two units' speed when using DC power, since now the tender's motor is also getting its power through a decoder just like the locomotive. 

So, the best solution is for you to install a DC/DCC power decoder into the tender. You could use an LGB 55021 DC/DCC decoder (available some places but not made anymore) or a Massoth eMOTION L Locomotive Decoder # 8154001 $84.90 at AllAboutLGB.com........Mohammed there provides good advice to customers too. Massoth used to make most of the LGB electronics and made the LGB 55021 decoder. The instructions coming with these decoders provides the techniques to install it onto either a locomotive four pin motor block or in your case the tender's motor block.

I also see that your tender also has a sound unit in it. So, until I looked up your tender, I was also going to suggest a "KISS" solution, i.e., taking the motor out of the tender and just let it be pulled by the engine. But that would probably also stop the sound unit from operating. In fact, some LGB tenders didn't have motors in them anyway.


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## Dan Pierce (Jan 2, 2008)

I just use ONE decoder in the engine and wire it to the engine and tender motors. I remove all track power from the motors and lights and now the engine/tender combo is just one decoder that controls everything and is programmed for DC and DCC operation and I do run it both ways. Like I stated before, very smooth as both motors get the same power as they are tied in parallel via the DCC decoder.


I use the Zimo decoders at a minimum of 4 amps for these combinations and these have motor/light/sound/servo connections and 10 watts audio.


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