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Atlas MP 15 Switcher
Reader Robert asks:
“I have an HO Atlas MP 15 switcher that stops & starts & jerks a lot (sounds like the rest of the family). I have been told it has aluminum pox and is disintegrating. Has anyone found a cure for this or know where I can get a new frame?”
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4 Responses to Atlas MP 15 Switcher
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Remove the motor or suspend the frame on a block of wood. Apply power to the motor directly. If you still get your problem symptoms it’s probably a motor problem. If it runs smoothly then you have a dirt/pickup problem so clean everything you can including your track. I would try cleaning first.
Robert
Had a problem like that also. Engine stopped going into a cross. After investigation, I concluded, that the only answer was the engine was being raised off of the track ( it don’t take much ).
I got a pick out, and started scraping the inside of the crossing around the flange ( the bottom of the rail ). did just enough so now that 4 – 6 – 2 runs through the crossing with no problems.
If your engine is stalling mid-track — dirty track — start cleaning.
Thanks, but my track & wheels are cleaner then my dinner ware.
Atlas admits to a problem but have no replacements, yet.
I hate to buy a new MP15, but love this units sound.
It the chassis or body are disintegrating, possibly “zinc pest” ?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinc_pest
But your described symptoms sound like intermittent contact, possibly by dirt or corrosion between the sections of the current path between the track and the motor. Clean: 1) wheel rims 2) axles/inner wheels (pickup surfaces) 3) if you are clever, clean the motor commutator (may be possible by poking through motor casing openings )
On some locos, I fit additional wires and contacts to bypass poor electrical circuit routes.