Troubleshooting
Everything on model trains, model railroads, model railways, locomotives, model train layouts, scenery, wiring, DCC and more. Enjoy the world's best hobby... model railroading!
Diesel Heritage 0-6-6-0 Locomotive Won’t Work
Miles asks readers:
“I have problem with a diesel Heritage 0-6-6-0 locomotive. It has all-wheel drive and is HO scale, and is driven at the center and transmitted to the wheels by 2 plastic shafts. Some friends were over here a few months ago a I think they broke it. It runs slowly, and doesn’t pick up well, even though we (my dad and I) cleaned it and the track. It can’t pull a train. What should I do with it?
Problem with Old Athearn SW7 Loco
Lonny asks readers:
“I have an HO Athearn SW7 loco I was given. It had been in storage a very long time. When I tried to run it first time it just sat there and the light barely came on an wouldn’t move. I found a site that showed me how to disassemble it. I cleaned all the electrical and disassembled the trucks and cleaned out the old hard grease. I put it back together EXCEPT for the worm gear on each truck. I sat it on the track and the motor spun just fine, the light was nice and bright. I put the worn gears back on and tried again but it barely moved. So the problem is in the trucks, but what it is I can’t figure out. There is no grease in the trucks yet because I wanted to ensure it worked before I greased and oiled it. During reassembly I kept checking that everything moved/rotated and it did. Any insight on how to fix this will be greatly appreciated.”
New Loco Can’t Navigate Curves
Miles asks readers:
“I have a question on this new loco I bought. It is a Budd Amtrak powered coach and it cannot navigate the curves I have on my layout on account of two details next to the trucks that limit the amount they can turn. Should I cut those details off or not?”
How to Prevent Loco’s Stalling at Points
Jeremy model in HO and asks readers:
“Both of my engines are prone to stalling on the pointwork, or when they are moving through the loop (especially in one direction). Is there anything I can I do to rectify this problem?”
Problem: Athearn Genesis Loco Won’t Move Forward or Backward
Doug wants advice from readers please:
“I bought an HO Athearn genesis F3 A-B set from a show. I suspect it sat “on the shelf” for a while. The B unit still works fine, but the A unit will no longer move. It has full sound but won’t move forward or backward. I suspect that I might have pressed a function code on my controller that turned off power to the drive wheels. But I cannot figure out what I might have done. Any suggestions?”
How To Power A Layout
William asks readers:
“I used to have three layouts, 2 ‘OO’ gauge and ‘N’ gauge, all analog, that was 5 years ago. I have since moved, and I want to start up again. This time in DCC. I have laid every thing out, connected the track, laid on Scenic Railway foam track. I have the Hornby Elite system, but I can not make the track live. Every time I connect the power, an error comes up. Has anybody got an idea of the reason why?”
Live Steam AML 060 Timing
Al asks readers:
“I have a live steam aml 060 and the timing is out does anyone know how to set the timing eccentrics. It has been driving me crazy.”
Converting Old Locomotive Trucks
Willie asks readers:
“How do I convert older locomotives trucks from the 90’s? I looked all over can’t find the right ones. These are from an old set. Or should I just update to DCC from now?”
DCC and EZ Track for Christmas Layout
Jim asks readers:
“I have a Christmas HO layout using EzTrack around the tree and parts of living room.How many feet of track if any, will a simple 1 watt Dcc transformer support without jumper contacts. I will be running a single Broadway Limited Paragon 2 loco. Thanks, and Happy Thanksgiving to all.”
How to Fix Problem with Loco Running Over Points
Stuart
“I have a problem with several older 00 (4mm) locos running on DCC over points where they sometimes stall. I understand that there are ‘stay alive capacitors’ available to overcome this problem. My question is:- do these work and if so how are they connected in relationship with the decoder? Look forward to any members ideas/experience. Many thanks.”
Using Cork Under The Rails?
Douglas asks readers for advice:
“I have an old ping pong table that I used for the base of my HO layout. I have placed a 1″ form board over all of it. Do I need to use cork for under the rails?”
Loco Stops and Starts
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?”
Confused With Couplers?
Gavin asks readers:
“I bought a mix of rolling stock on eBay including some Tyco, Athearn, Proto 2000, Bachmann, and Mantua . I would have preferred to stick with just one brand but I couldn’t resist the low price. Is there any problem with mixing brands? I am thinking of replacing the old horn-hook couplers with some knuckle couplers but I am confused with all the different types, lengths and offsets. What type should I use?”
Short Circuit Switches
Jim asks readers:
“How do I stop my older HO scale track switches from shorting with DCC engines?”
Locomotive Control
Michael asks readers:
“Hi, I am new to this hobby and I have built a base in my garage and plan to lay one single HO continuous track (something like a folded over dog bone with sidings coming off from it. I would like to ask if anyone could advise me if there is a way to run two or three locos on this single track and have individual control of each loco at the same time. For example, speed one up whilst slowing the other down or running one off onto a siding? All at the same time. Is this possible?”
Model Control Master 20
Bruno asks readers:
“I have Model Control Master 20, made by Model Rectifier Company. The unit was struck by lighting and blew capacitor C8 top off. I could not locate the any information off the capacitor. I’m wondering if anyone help identify the capacitor”
How to fix Coupler Problems
Paddy asks readers for advice:
“I have 2 sets of HO Bachmann trains. The couplers do not match. Is there a way to change them all to the same? If so, what should I buy? Can I change over to metal? I am a newbie to this great hobby but I have always loved trains. Thank you.”
Loco Stalling on a Helix
James asks readers:
“I have an HO BLI cab forward 4882 and am having problems with it running forward down the helix I just finished. It will stall 6 – 8 times going down the helix, but backing up the helix runs all 94 ft with no stalling. Track and wheels are clean. Any ideas please?”
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