Ok, I am perplexed. I’ve had this Williams GP9 engine about a year and it always performed flawlessly. Sometimes it still does. But then:
When operating in one direction, and that one direction only, the engine makes a sort of screeching/squeaking noise - a short “SCREEE!” when stopped. I hasten to add that the engine is well lubricated. Unlike (2), this ALWAYS results when the engine is stopped in that direction.
Sometimes, but only sometimes, when I press the directional buttons, the engine tries to move and then it seems like something is literally blocking the wheels or motor - i.e., the wheels move forward and then kind of lock up, for lack of a better description.
The only thing that has happened out of the ordinary with this engine is that I, in a moment of panic, reached out and grabbed it as it was ready to hurl itself off the track. I had, you see, switched the control knobs for that track on the transformer and naturally turned the knob the wrong way, thus leading to my panicky grab.
There are no obvious blockages on the wheels or gears based on visual inspection, ie, nothing bent or obstructing. The engine didn’t hit anything in (3), but was merely very abruptly stopped.
So, based on this, the engine still runs but obviously something is wrong. I like to take care of my stuff, so I am thinking of taking it to the smart guys at Todd’s Trains for a look. However, I would greatly appreciate any comment or diagnosis anyone can give here. Thank you in advance.
I have three GP-9’s by Williams and don’t have any problems with them. Are you using a decent oil to lubricate with? Personally I don’t recommend 3 in 1 oil for locomotives, get something a little heavier like Labell’s oil at a hobby shop.
Have you looked at your transformer and track for the problem with trying to start but won’t? You will be surprized at what cleaning the track does to solve problems!
Sometimes an old transformer will play tricks on you as for performance, post war transformers mainly as they get old and lose functions at times. Use a new transformer and see what your GP-9 does then.
I have three GP-9’s by Williams and don’t have any problems with them. Are you using a decent oil to lubricate with? Personally I don’t recommend 3 in 1 oil for locomotives, get something a little heavier like Labell’s oil at a hobby shop.
I’ve been using Singer sewing machine oil. It seems to work very well. Is that a bad choice?
Have you looked at your transformer and track for the problem with trying to start but won’t? You will be surprized at what cleaning the track does to solve problems!
The problem appears to be worse when the track is not cleaned in terms of the locking up. The “screech” occurs whether the track is clean or dirty, and on both tubular and FT
Sometimes an old transformer will play tricks on you as for performance, post war transformers mainly as they get old and lose functions at times. Use a new transformer and see what your GP-9 does then.
The transformer in question is a PW Trainmaster Type R that was fully maintained by the crew at Todd’s about four months ago. I agree with what you are saying, because sometimes I am still suspicious of it. However, the identical symptoms occur with the new Williams 150-watter that operates the Fastrack portion of the layout. I should have noted that.
I expect you have something loose in the drive mechanism. Either a loose screw or a foreign object may be floating around in there. If you are comfortable opening up the locomotive, give it a try. The trucks float a little under the engine and that is probably why the screech occurs in one direction and not the other.
If it does it in one direction or locks up, as EIS2 suggests, it sounds like the motor has come loose from the truck causing the motor worm to walk away from the gear. Or the motor shaft thrust bearing is worn causing too much play in the shaft.
I think you are on to something here. The sudden stop - from high speed to a dead stop - from that embarassing incident I mentioned may well have caused the motor to come loose from the truck.
I have not had a response to my email from Williams, so I will call them and ask.