I ordered a pair of UP C-40-8’s about 2 years ago and I just got around to opening them last week and just ran them yesterday and what an ordeal it was. I almost burned down the MRR Club I belong to. I was breaking the units in when I noticed one started bucking horribly. [:(!] I immediately stoped my train and went to pick the engine up. But as I reached down there was extreme heat coming from the engine. To top things off smoke starts belowing from the engine and remember were theres smoke theres fire and sure enough there was. After alot of yelling, some burned up scenery a melted shell and of course a fire extinguisher things calmed down. I then tried to find out what happened and all I could find was a faulty solder on the PC Board. So just as a caution. Watch your back when your test running these possible death traps.
wow, how ever this is probably a one off, but thanks for the heads up
I’ll try and be careful if I buy any new Atlas stuff, which may not happen in a while. I own most of the things I find interesting that they sell.[:D]
darth; do you have any ATSF 8-40BW from atlas? i have one, man its sweet, even working ditch lights
I don’t have the BW, but I do have the B, which doesn’t come with ditch lights, but it’s still an amazing engine![:D] The only other Atlas diesel I have is the SD24, which is about 30 years old now.
I just bought one HO scale UP # 9067, haven’t tested it yet, still working on the layout. Hope it runs fine, from what I know about Atlas your problem sounds like a very rare occurance. I hope Atlas will replace it.
they are the best i’ve ever owned
i have the 8-40BW and a UP 8-40B
Just last week, I had my Atlas Conrail Dash 8-40C blow out something on the circuit board inside; I opened it up, scraped away something that was on the board (it wasn’t a diode, more like a smallish rectangular thing) and some of the charring, and had it running again, minus the front headlight.
Modeling the prototype are we?
Victor
Happy Railroading.[swg][swg]
I’m going to throw caution to the wind again here and recommend that you people who seem to have defective Atlas products contact Atlas. I know it’s a stretch to actually use common sense, but it will probably get you better results than whining about it here. Of course you wouldn’t get all the attention you so richly deserve.
At the least post your problem on the Atlas Forum http://forum.atlasrr.com/forum/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=72 but I would also recommend that you change the title of the post so you don’t pee in the Wheaties of the people who could help you the most.
Based on my own experience, I think it’s probably an oddball problem. I have close to 20 newer Atlas engines and they all run great and I’ve never had any trouble with them.
Just a question. Did you move the dummy plug, if you were running DCC? It would look like the small rectangular thing mentioned.
Could the resulting failure have been a result of storage? You had these units sitting around for two years. Could they have been exposed to liquid or other foreign material? Additionally, your “fire” issue seems to be isolated so either it’s a coincidence or something related to how you stored them or some other unforeseen factor.
Sorry about the problems.
Hey… icmr is right, if the prototype can throw out some flames… why not the model ???
Again to all lovers of Atlas which I am myself. I am aware that this is an isolated occurance but isolated occurance doesnt meen it wont happen to anyone else. This was just meant as a word of caution and just for the books I already have two of the MP15’s in UP on order so I didnt give up on Atlas just Yet. [:(]My sincere appologys to anyone I may have offended[:(].