Hi there,
I’m a new in train model. Recently, I bought a set of HO scale tracks and trains from yard sale. When I put the train on the track, the headlight is on, but the train does not move. What could be the problem? Please advise.
Thank you,
masinis
Welcome to the forum, Masinis! Good to have you aboard! [:)]
Try removing the shell and see if there is a loose or broken wire. Chances are that’s probably the problem. You’re getting current up from the tracks (hence, the lights come on) but no power to the motor. See if the culprit is either an orange or gray wire. That’s the color wires that go to your motor.
Hope that helps…
Tom
Welcome.
I have a couple “bargains” that did just that when I got them, including Lil Guy the SW1 in my signature.
You just have to get some oil and mess with it. Somewhere, it is gunked up or corroded and you have to wok it free. If you are lucky it will run right. If not…
I usually start by trying to turn the drive wheels.
Hi Tom,
Thanks for the quick reply. I will check it out.
By the way, I visited your Web site and browsed the pictures. I like the layout. Simple, but elegant.
Best regards,
Masinis
Welcome to the forum!
As suggested above, do everything you can think of the get the locomotive running. If you decide you actually want to do some model railroading you will want to upgrade from the trainset engine. Just a hunch here: When you put the train on the track does it make a kind of “singing” sound? If so you have the track hooked up to the AC power from your power pack. If this is the case switch it to the DC power terminals and your engine will run.
When I first saw the subject line I thought it was a spin on the old " lights are on but nobody’s home" line.[:)]
Have we ruled out the possibility that the engine is a dummy loco?
Masinis - if you’re new to model trains, and you picked this up at a yard sale, I suppose that this could be a possibility.
Is the engine light in weight and does it roll freely on the track? If so, then it’s a dummy engine. If not, then check all the wires and contact paths to make sure the contacts are good.
Good Luck!
-slim
Track power is getting to the engine but isn’t running it. WHY?
Too many possibilitie = too much guessing = nothing get’s done (spinning one’s wheels).
If you buy ANYTHING at a yard sale that doesn’t work, what do you do - like a lawn mower - or TV?
I take it to a place that repair’s thing’s - for an estimate- if I don’t have the expertise to cope with it - . YOU ???
A. Guessing game: ‘frozen’ motor need’s lubrication. Better guess: is it WORTH fixing?? Nothing get’s fixed in the dark.
(edited for clarity in one spot)
There is a lot that can be wrong, but here is how I would start:
Get the shell of the locomotive off. Hopefully it has a full frame that holds the trucks iand motor n place and the motor drives all wheels. Some old train set quality locos had a single powered truck with the motor attached to it.
Try to turn the motor or drive shaft with your fingers - does it turn freely? If not then figure out how to to dismantle the mechanism to clean it or see if something inside is broken or bent.
If the motor turns, locate where the power leads attach to the motor. Connect a pair of wires to your power pack (or even your track). Make sure you connect to the DC terminals. Turn up the power to about half or three quarters. Touch the wires to the metal tabs where the motor power leads attach to the motor. Does the mechanism run? If so, there is a break in the circuit between the wheels and the motor - broken wire or something else.
If the locomotive DOES NOT have a circuit board, try to trace the wiring between the motor and wheels to determine which power lead connects to which rail. Touch one wire to briefly to one motor power lead and the other wire to the corresponding wheel VERY BRIEFLY. You should see a small spark and if your power pack has a short circuit indicator it should also indicate a short. Do the same for the other wheelset / motor lead. This sequence tells you which “side” of the power circuit has the break. (If the loco has a circuit board to control the headlight this step will probably fry it - so don’t do it!)
If all this doesn’t help, then I try to pull the motor out and see if it runs by itself. Sometimes the motor can have a bad coil or commutator - in which case it typically needs replacing.
Hope this helps.
GeorgeV
headlight is on, but the train doesn’t move
Sounds like my wife! [:D]
I had a customer bring an Athearn GP in a couple months ago, with the same symptoms. When I took the shell off, the metal clip that goes between the motor and the trucks was missing! The headlight contact was touching the truck, so the light came on.
Do you have any idea what brand engine it is? That would help in diagnosiing the problem.
The motor might have gotten knocked loose from the frame, if it’s a snap in motor. A wire to the motor may be broken or disconnected. No real way of telling without looking at it.
If you still can’t get it going, I’d be glad to take a look at it for you. You can send it to me at my hobby shop, www.speedwayslotcars.com. I’d be more than happy to look at it for you.
Rotor
Has anyone thought that the Locomotive in question might be a DCC equipped machine? It is not very likely, but it is a possibility, and soeone put a regular DC power pack with it not knowing it was a DCC machine. If you get a chance, check out my website. Lovelady
Well, unless the lights are wired to the track pickups instead of the decoder function outputs, the fact that the lights come on would mean it doesn analog conversion with function on in analog, otherwise there’d be no headlight. I suppose it could be possible, but it would be an odd combination of features, to have function control in analog but no analog conversion for the drive. Easy enough to see if it as a decoder by popping the shell off.
–Randy
Don’t even know yet what kind of loco it is: Steam, Diesel, electric? Who makes it? If an old Maerklin, I seem to recall those ran on a.c. Too many people here trying to be doctors without seeing the patient.
The only advice valid so far is to get inside the engine and look at the mechanism. Just be careful not to bust up the shell, if it be plastic. Then think: Busted wire or burned out motor? A lawn-sale engine could be anything, including (yes) a lighted dummy.
I’ve got one like that! It’s an old Athearn GP-9. I pulled the shell off, and I could get it to run by spinning the driveshaft. It won’t always start up, though, so the manual spin is still necessary. From looking at it, it’s either worn engine brushes or a filthy armature, either of which is a good possibility. One of these days I’ll get in there with some Q-tips and alcohol.
Not very likely. it would have to be a very early decoder. All new decoders are dual-mode.
Well, since you said that you got it from a garage sale, one of the simplest things i could see doing that i havent seen yet is just clean the track and loco wheels. it could be just a bad connection from dirt and oxidation. I pulled out all my dads old track and trains, and the brass track was a flat brown, as were the wheels on my loco, so i hooked it up, and turned it on, the lights came on but the train went nowhere. so i got out some fine sandpaper (220 grit works fine) and gave my rails and wheels a good once-over, making sure the tops and inside edges of the track and the flanges of the loco wheels were nice and shiny, and now this 30-year old loco runs like a champ.
[:O][:O][:O]
Don’t use sandpaper what ever you do this can cause more problems by causing tiny scratches in the wheels and rail. Dirt will get into these and it will never come clean again. The best way I have found to clean loco wheels is with some Oster clipper oil. Just put a few drops on an old rag and run it over the wheels it not only stips the gunk right off it provides protection against oxidation. The only problem is getting the wheels roll to clean the bottom side. It is a good idea to use a few drops on your rail once you clean it. Make sure you use the Whal or Oster brand it needs to conduct electricity if it doesn’t you are doing your self no favors.