Christmas Trolley Erratic

Classic Toy Trains Forum
1

I have an old MTH Christmas trolley that is operating erratically. When I first operate the trolley, after it has sat idle for a few hours, it runs very erratically around the track, jerking, stalling etc. The operation looks like classic dirty track, rollers or wheels because the interior light blinks with the jerkiness.

I have cleaned all of the rollers, wheels, and track twice using a Dremel on the rollers and wheels but the jerkiness remains.

What is very odd is that if I run the trolley around the track about 5 or 6 times, all of the jerkiness disappears and it runs absolutely smoothly and the interior light never flickers at all. The characteristic jerkiness during initial operation and smoothing out after 5 or 6 times has been present ever since the trolley was placed under the Christmas tree in late November. It is very repeatable.

Any ideas what is causing the jerkiness?

Here is the

2

I have similar issues with any powered unit that’s been sitting unused on the rails for awhile. Sometimes days, sometimes weeks or more but not usually if it’s only been hours. My theory is that the rails are acting like an antenna and all the cell phone microwaves in the air are messing with the motor polarities! [swg] But it’s just a theory. [(-D]

3

I had a problem somewhat similar to yours with an MTH PCC car trolley.

It had been sitting idle for several months, so I let it sit on the tracks for several minutes with the power going to it and the problem cleared up.

Just a guess, but unlike the MTH locomotives the trolleys and PCC’s don’t have a battery in them. Could be there’s a capacitor in there that needs a good charging before the unit’s ready to do what it’s supposed to.

Try it and see what happens.