Like many of us I have a permanent layout, and also set up a small display for around the tree.
4 or 5 years ago, I mounted the layout for around the tree on wood, and it has been pretty fool
proof since then.
HOWEVER, ghosts from Christmas Seasons of The Past still come back to haunt on occasion.
During the course of the year I try to run all my engines to keep everything in operating condition,
and I recently discovered one of my K-Line MP-15’s that hadn’t seen the track in quite awhile.
These engines are pretty fool proof, so when it ran and then stalled I started to investigate the problem
and found the culprit, TINSEL GARLAND from a Christmas Tree of MANY years ago.
I kid you not, it took 3 plus hours, using ultra small tweezers to remove all the tinsel caught in the
drive gears !
Once removed, the engine ran as it should.
Anyone else has a visit from the ghosts of holidays past ??
Ken
Ken,
I start to show my trains and then something doesn’t function, as planned.
It’s frustrating, because the darned thing worked many times before and usually malfunctions when it’s show time, especially when children are present.
South-Center Of Same Island
Ralph
I just serviced one of my 2046 steamers today, maybe for the first time ever(due to what I found and that I am trying to play catch-up with all equipment maintenance).
I had to get out what appears to be wool carpet fibers wrapped around the trailing truck axles.
The last time this was run on carpeting would have been Christmas, 1968 !
Rob
Your problem was like mine. Went to a train show and a guy was selling a trolley. He said it worked. Wanted $40. I tried it on the test track, and it didn’t hum, buzz or anything. Took it back to him and told him it didn’t work. He sold it to me considerably cheaper. I came home and took the body off, found a loose screw blocking the engine from moving. Removed it, and sat it on my test track, turned on the power, and OFF it ran!!! Lucky we didn’t burn it up at the show. Still running today!
I have had plenty of carpet fibers caught in the gears of years past. Also had a ornament hook find its way into the locomotive (Loco had Magna traction). fortunately, got those taken care of before damage was done.
]Dennis