A short while ago I picked up an LGB #2180 at a Greenberg show. It ran fine on the test track and on an oval set up on the bedroom floor but on the garden railway it was another story. It runs on the straightaways but stalls on curves.The locomotive has play in its axels and can be pivoted while on the track. If the engine stals and I pivot it, it will start running again until it gets to the next curve. I paid good money for this engine any ideas on how to fix it?
Best bet is it derailed at one point and overheated the springs in the pickups, collapsing them partially.
See how much tension on the brushes to the wheels.
I’ll have to check to see how it’s wired, but I’ve seen a lot of it over the years with derails and wheels crossing to opposite rails.
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I went looking for a 2180 in my books.
Nothing.
Do you mean a 2018?
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Okay, got an answer back from LGBoA.
A 2180 is a euro 2-6-2, green, no sound.
Are there skates on it?
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No skates, and it does have sound. It is a euro 2-6-2. I flipped it over and conected wirs to all the pickup wheels only two of the 4 pickup axels actualy seem to deliver power. This loco sounds liek a good candidate for conversion to battery power.
Look for the brushes to the back of the drivers.
It has collapsed the springs, even the ones working are probably half collapsed.
You will have to pull the bottom off and check, replacing bad ones.
Bets.
Some of those have brushes in the lead and or trail trucks (I think the 0-6-2 has that), so the problem may be compounded with loss in those.
Once you lose one, all power is channelled through the remaning ones, causing them to fail faster.
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