Well all have one I’m sure. You know the one, always needs something, or likes to derail on places that all your other engines fly over. Or it doesnt smoke realiably. You know the type.
My current holder of that title is a Lionel NP Atlantic. I love that little engine and all it does is test me in return, LOL.
I’ve got a Beep that stutters around the layout until it warms up. Then it runs fine.
I have a prairie-type post war steamer that has a finicky e-unit. I think it just needs a squirt of tuner cleaner.
Jim
I would have to say my 2321 postwar FM Trainmaster. It is so long when it goes over switches it trips the e-unit. Other than that I have no other problems with my other 18 locos. Smoke and whistles all work fine on all my steams. Maybe a little problems with horns on my F3s. thanks.
My 726 berk stops at UCS tracks and derails on 022s as well. Im shallow though because shes too pretty to part ways with.
Thats just the problem. If it was a car or the old lady, they’d be down the road.
I also have issues with my Chessie Beep, with it’s E-unit until the engine “warms-up”.
My most problematic engine at this point in time is my Williams Chessie O-27 Hudson.
Smoke output is less than my Postwar 236 2-4-2. Main problem is the reverse unit. I think that it may be the Williams smoke for the sleuthe smoke unit it it.
Often it does not like to change direction as it should, it doesn’t always sequence right. It sometimes will start in foward direction and then stall out.
This loco has been very gently treated and has only had a couple of minor derailments.
Williams’s suggested fix was to try a different transfomer. Even when using my postwar Lionel Type R transformer, it still is as problematic.
I am about to send it back for repairs due to these problems.
If it’s still under warranty, send it back to Williams. If not, a new Williams reverse board sells for approx. $29.00. MA & PA Junction might have one.
Jim
I have the same problem with a Marx 21 diesel. Please explain what the length has to do with this problem?
Baberuth,
I sent you a private message a few days ago about your problem. Did you get it?
Jim
I used to have an N scale Life-Like geep that didnt run worth a flip. It was so horrid that I chuncked it in the trash.
I had the same problem with my 2338. As soon as the truck/frame twisted on the plastic aux. rail I would get a disconnect between the frame and the motor, and a short, resulting in a e-unit cycle and neutral stall.
Installing a ground spring #2367-52 between the motor truck and the frame, and removing the paint in this area of the frame cured this problem.
I didn’t see this spring listed in the parts, but it may be causing your problem.
Kurt
Sometimes All ! [tdn]
Mosttimes None ! [tup]
My K-Line Allegheny… won’t smoke… installed new R2LC… ran fine for 5 minutes… died. It is now in the shop being checked. I really hope to get this fixed because that engine is flat our beautiful.
This is going to be my last EBay engine purchase though. Of the 3 I have bought all 3 have had issues and none of the sellers have been willing to work with me (the Allegheny seller did pay for half of the repair cost).
I have a MTH PRR 0-4-0. The engine looks fabulous, but runs…oddly. I had to have the smoke unit repaired and since then the engine runs a little faster than the rest of my engines. In addition, it emits a pretty loud whine that, again, my other engines do not exhibit. Given my small layout, I mainly run the 0-4-0 and my recently acquired 0-6-0. I am not sure what to do about this little guy. [:(]
Regards,
John
John,
I had the same problen with my PRR 6-8-6 baby turbine. After giving the track a good cleaning, cleaning all wheels and the pick-up rollers on the loco and tender , problem was solved. You may want to give it a try.
Good luck!
Sean
Hello Sean:
Thanks for the feedback. I actually already did that. Since I had airbrushed the the rails, they did get a little gunky. I have subsequently spent a lot of time cleaning the rails, rollers and wheels on all my engines. The little guy just doesn’t run as smooth as my other engines. In the end, that may be part of the charm. I am sure the prototypes were a little finnicky as well.[;)]
Regards,
John
Not common on this board, but my–actually, my wife’s–most PITB locomotive is the BLI On30 2-8-0. It derails on a sweeping curve almost every time, but no other On30 engine in the stable EVER derails there.
sigh
Sean, I’ve had problems with my old pre-war 229 for years. Shows you how dumb I am. If I hadn’t joined this forum, I’d of never thought of that. The front wheels were cruddy. Cleaned them, and now she runs perfect. I remember someone else talked about this, this but for some reason I forgot about it, until you mentioned it. Thanks for suggestion.
A lot of times, pilot wheels derail because there is so much crub built up on them where the wheel surface and the flange meet. I swear, no one ever cleaned track or wheels in the post war era. Whenever I get a used loco or rolling stock, the very first thing I do is clean all the wheels. Sometimes the gunk is so thick, I have to start removing it with a flat bladed screwdriver.
Jim