Loco Stops and Starts

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November 24, 2015

16 year old Jonty is new to the hobby and would like some advice from some wise older minds:

“My Bachmann loco (the only loco I have so far) is running funny on the points and straight track. I am saving to buy a second one but want to try and fix this one first. How?”

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8 Responses to Loco Stops and Starts

Danielle says:

November 24, 2015 at 11:59 pm

Try cleaning the track as well as the wheels.

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Adam Young says:

November 25, 2015 at 12:10 am

Be sure your track is clean and clean the pick-up wheels on the locomotive. No need to buy expensive track and wheel cleaners.

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Peter says:

November 25, 2015 at 12:12 am

The first thing to check is the cleanliness of the track and wheels. Then using an Ohm meter check at each joint that the rail joiners are tight enough to convey the power from one rail to the next.

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Brian says:

November 25, 2015 at 12:48 am

On some Bachmann locos sometimes the gears crack. If you get a clunking sound thats your gears. Easy fix though.
If the loco is stalling or running slow or sluggish try cleaning your track and also your wheels.

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Robert Morey says:

November 25, 2015 at 1:40 am

Sometimes if your track is twisted it can lift a contact wheel off the track while a second is passing over a dead spot like a point (or switch) frog, so use a metal straight edge to see if there are any dips or humps in the track work.

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Scotty Nankivell says:

November 25, 2015 at 3:52 am

Hey their friend I too am relatively new to the H0/00 scale setups. But what I learnt when I was starting out with N scale was a lot of the time when an engine stalls on a set of points. The common issue is gunk build up between the switch blade and the main rails on the points. Best method is to clean between these spots with a quetip

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- Newman Atkinson says:
  
  November 26, 2015 at 2:33 am
  
  Good idea cleaning the switch rail. Also ensure the switch rail is making good contact against the main rail, The frog is also a point of lost contact especially if it is an insulated or plastic frog. Bachmann and tyco included also are noted for not having enough wheel pick-ups to give continuous power across bad spots from Newman Atkinson
  
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Frank B says:

November 25, 2015 at 12:51 pm

Also check out the advice on the immediately previous forum post “How to Clean Rail Heads”.

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