my ne loco dont work…i tried to set it up so my gf could see it and i set the track up and all then nothing…i tried the codes that come with the rail king set but it keep flipping the transformer…so i looked under and all around every piece…i found 1 thing made me curious…the switch for the smoke is gone…so i pulled it apart and pulled the motor out the way and there are 4 wires with a wire nut on them…two wire nuts with two wires to each…just wondering if this is the way it comes ? and if thats not my problem then what is? and just incase your wondering i did try it on my other track which is working and still no go it just causes my transformer to reset just like on the other track…i have no idea were to begin…
Zeke, what you can do isn’t much, but there are a few things to try. I noticed in your other thread about your yard sale finds you got a DC power pack. First, trace the wires that go to the smoke unit, and disconnect them if possible. Then to check the motor, connect it to the power pack using the DC terminals. It should run with only a few volts(3-6). If the motor runs, then the smoke unit is suspect.
The next step is to take it to a repair shop, and get an estimate of what repairs need to be made. MTH has several service stations in California, you can go to the MTH website at: www.mth-railking.com/service/center.asp and follow the instuctions on how to find a National Authorized Service Center/ Authorized Service center near you. A national service center is supposed to be able to repair ANY MTH engine, wether it’s in or out of warranty, regardless of where it was bought.
A couple things to try. With a set thats been sitting around for a few years, I’d put a new battery in the tender. The other thing is to make sure the connection from the tender to the engine is good and tight. For some reason I have had problems with the tether/engine connection. But definately replace that battery!
Zeke, I totally forgot about the battery[#wstupid]! That will need to be replaced, too. I also forgot to ask what the engine is-- Is it Locosound, Protosound 1, or PS2? This is important, as the repair paths can be different—
The thether is also the weakest point in these type of locomotives. The wires used are very small and the constant flexing of assembling and disassembly the loco and tender pair often causes breakage at/near the socket.
Ok, zeke, it’s a Locosound engine. I’m not too familiar with Locosound engines, most of mine are PS2 with a few PS1 still around. I’m pretty sure there should be a tether cable that plugs into the engine-- there should be a multi-pin jack under the back edge of the cab-- There should also be a circuit board in the tender----
Did you try running the motor or the smoke unit yet? and if you can find the set number on the box, it would help to track down any information MTH has.
It should have a format like this: 30-xxxxx- as all the ready to run sets were/are Railking series—
Zeke, all you need is 2 pieces of wire- The MRC power pack has 2 sets of terminals marked “cab 1” and “cab 2” just connect one wire to one terminal and one to the other, then turn up the knob about 1/3 of the way. touch the ends together, you should get a spark. the overload light may blink–that’s ok. then you would put 1 wire on each of the motor terminals–I saw them in the pictures you took–
once you put voltage to the motor, it should run. If it does, then reinstall the motor to the frame, and put voltage on the motor again. The wheels should turn-- if they don’t, then you can try turning the flywheel (the big brass knob with the stripes on it) by hand. The wheels should turn. IF the motor runs, and the wheels turn, the possibility exists that the board in the tender is bad, or the tether has open wires/broken pins,etc. The repair shop should have tethers, locosound boards are another matter—
i’m gonna go see if I can find some info on your set–
MTH has both the parts list/exploded diagram and the Manual on their website-- I did a quick search on Ebay for MTH 2-8-0 engines, most of them are PS2, but there are locosound engines still being made in 2007— SO if your circuit board is toast, then it should be possible to get a replacement board.
Zeke, the power pack I was telling you to use is the one you got from the yard sale–the HO power pack— You see, almost ALL modern O gauge engines use DC motors. The AC from the Z750 is converted to DC to run the motor/speed control/sounds that are in most modern O gauge engines. So, that’s why I told you to try to run the motor with the power pack. as for the helping, well that’s why we’re here—
