OK I will try to be succinct. I have a GP-30 Lionel engine that I bought new about 6 weeks ago. Dual engines/Odyssey/Magnetraction. It’s been pulling 10 cars just fine for weeks but today it quit. It looks like it still is getting plenty of power but the wheels are just spinning and the green light is blinking on my CW-80 transformer. I’d think my load was too heavy but it’s been pulling this same load for weeks.
The only thing I can think of is that yesterday I lubed some squeaky trucks on my stack cars. I used a very minimal amount but I used it on 3 different cars. Do you think maybe some lube got on the tracks and it is making the wheels spin?
Again I’m new to this so it may be something real simple.
When the wheels stop spinning, that’s when you are in real trouble. A hard panic stop with a load behind the locomotive can just rip traction tires off of the wheels. Slow stops are much better.
Bob, Even though they have magnetraction the newer models also come with rubber tires. Personally I am glad they do, it doesn’t limit an operator to a single type of track, tubular vs. nickle silver. [^]
I remember when I was thinking of purchasing this my Lionel GP 30 or maybe it was the Williams FM, the advertising discussed magnetraction and since I have MTH Realtrax, magnetraction does not work. I asked someone if it had traction tires before the purchase. It did, and I purchased.
Bob, The newer magnetraction, to be really blunt, ain’t nowhere near as good as it was in decades past. My Wabash GP7 from the mid 50’s is still a real bear to put on or take off my tubular track but the RI GP7’s I have from 2000 the magnetraction is barely noticable.
Doug, how many powered axles does your new Geep 7 have? How many have Magne-Traction? How many have Traction Tires? How many have both? Which loco, the post-war or the modern, will pull more cars? Do they both have the same number of Pullmor motors, or what?
It might be possible to learn something here. Thanks.
Rock Island GP-7’s from I believe the 2003 Lionel catalog, one Pullmor Motor/TMCC/RS/Magnetraction. The one in the middle is a Williams dummy.
Trainmaster Command Control
Control
Electrocouplers
Couplers
Stamped Metal Frame
Frame
Headlights
Directional Lighting
Strobe Lighting
Interior Lighting
Lighting
Metal Handrails
Die-Cast Pilot
Miscellaneous
Pullmor Motor
Motor
RailSounds
Sounds
Magnetraction
Traction
Die-cast Metal Trucks
Trucks
Gauge: Traditional O Gauge
Dimensions: Length: 14”
And the Wabash GP-7 from the mid-50’s, Christmas present for me that year, and still runs like a champ. A pullmor motor with magnetraction and horn, no fancy whiz-bang electronics.
Rock Island GP-7’s from I believe the 2003 Lionel catalog, one Pullmor Motor/TMCC/RS/Magnetraction. The one in the middle is a Williams dummy.
Trainmaster Command Control
Control
Electrocouplers
Couplers
Stamped Metal Frame
Frame
Headlights
Directional Lighting
Strobe Lighting
Interior Lighting
Lighting
Metal Handrails
Die-Cast Pilot
Miscellaneous
Pullmor Motor
Motor
RailSounds
Sounds
Magnetraction
Traction
Die-cast Metal Trucks
Trucks
Gauge: Traditional O Gauge
Dimensions: Length: 14”
And the Wabash GP-7 from the mid-50’s, Christmas present for me that year, and still runs like a champ. A pullmor motor with magnetraction and horn, no fancy whiz-bang electronics.
The only difference between the two, aside from their age, is TMCC and RS. The magnetraction on the RI’s, I have two , was so weak that I had Brasseurs replace the wheels on one egine’s axle on the powered truck with traction tire wheels which really helped. Now they can be paired on any type of track without
Normally a blinking green light on the CW80 is an indicator of an electrical short. Have you checked the engine’s traction tires, tried running it w/o the freight cars, add them back on one at a time to see if you can duplicate the problem ?
Thanks everyone! I’ve learned a lot from reading everyone’s notes.
Couple of things: Yes, I took the load off and tried to run the engine by itself - no dice - wheels were spinning. Leaving the front wheels on the tracks, I also picked up the back and the wheels spun at full power. And yes, I confirmed that my GP-30 came with both Magne-Traction as well as traction tires.
Now forgive this question but would the traction tires come on all 8 wheels? There are currently tires on only 4 wheels. The first set and last set (if going in two’s front to back) do not have tires - just metal.
Might someone with Traction Tires check their engine to see if you have tires on all 8 wheels? Thanks!
Here’s the link to my engine (2nd one down - NY Central)
Any engine, diesel, with a two axle truck will have two traction tires. Most will have both t/t on the same axle but a few earlier models had one t/t on each axle. Yours should have them on the same axle.
When you say “wheels were spinning” do you mean both front and rear truck wheels while ON the tracks?
Yes, while ON the FasTrack, all four rear wheels spin in place, with no load, and the green light on my CW-80 flashes. I’m wondering if per my original post it may have something to do with lubing some squeaky trucks (on other cars) the night before this happened. But I was careful to use quite a small amount of lube.
I will bring it to the train shop on Saturday to see if it runs on their FasTrack and will let you know what they say.
Eureka ! So with the engine sitting on the track and powered up the four “rear” wheels spin in place. What about the front wheels ? If not do you have some wire jumpers with aligator clips ? If yes place the engine on its back and hook one jumper from the pick-up roller cage to the transformers variable output and the other jumper from the transformer common to the loco’s chassis or truck sideframe. Apply power, should power up in neutral, use direction button/lever, should cycle to forward, increase power and observe wheels on both trucks. Are wheels on both trucks turning or only the rear truck ? If the front is not turning you more than likely have a problem with the front truck, bad motor/broken wire/improperly meshed worm gear. With the front wheels locked up the back wheels will not have sufficient traction to push it consequently they break loose & spin. This would possibly be why the green light is flashing on the CW-80, showing as a short.
Be sure to use something to prop the engine in place, I use an old beach towel that I roll towards the middle from both ends. Lay the engine between the rolled ends like it is in a sling and it shouldn’t go anywhere on you.
Update: I brought the engine to the train shop today and they did the test that Da Grump suggested above. Rear spun - front was just tightly locked in place. He said 4 out of 5 times there is just a foreign object in there somewhere. He said they would go inside and find it. I had to leave it there. They said 1-2 weeks. It’s just a real buzzkill to buy a $400 engine brand new and have it in the shop after only a month. I’ll let you know what they say.
