# Loco running terribly



## paulrail (May 22, 2016)

Hi, guys. 

I haven't had any questions for a while because I've been working on bench work mostly (carpentry I can handle 😃). 

I now want to start laying permanent track. My loco is still running terribly, stalling and sputtering. I reduced the track to 3 pieces of 9" straight sections. It still ran badly so I cleaned the track with ACT-6006 thoroughly but it didn't help. My NCE system is putting 13.7-13.8 volts to the track. I soldered the track sections and removed the wires from the terminal joiners and soldered them to the rails...nothing. 

I figure it's got to be the loco's wheels are dirty. I tried to clean them with the track cleaner as well but I'm sure I don't know the best way to clean the wheels. I didn't see any black come off from the wheels onto the cloth like when I cleaned the rails but I'm wondering what you guys think and what is s the best way to clean a loco's wheels. 

Thanks. Looking forward to any suggestions


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## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

Try and see how power is picked up from the wheels. Such as wipers rubbing back
of wheels. You have cleaned the tread of the wheels. You might have to clean the back
of the wheels and the wipers. What make is the engine?


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## paulrail (May 22, 2016)

Oh, interesting point. The loco is a
Broadway Limited


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## MtRR75 (Nov 27, 2013)

Assuming DC here. If you are using DCC, ask for help on the DCC forum.

Also assuming that you have other locos that run fine on this track. If not, you probably have a transformer or track problem.

If you can get the shell off, hook a pair of wires to your transformer. Suspend the loco so that it's wheels can spin in the air. Find the two wire connections to the motor. Turn transformer up to about half power. Touch the other ends of the 2 wires to the motor-wire connections. If the wheels do not spin nicely, you have motor problem.

If the wheels do spin nicely, repeat this test, but take your wires directly from the track (alligator clips) to the motor-wire connections. If the wheels do not spin nicely now, but did spin nicely in the first test, you have either a track problem or a problem in the wiring from the transformer to the track.

If the wheels spin nicely in both tests, you most likely have either: (a) a problem picking up power from the tracks -- wheels not making continuous contact with track, or (b) a problem transferring power from the pick-ups to the motor -- poor contact between the wheels and the pick-ups, or (c) a wire that is either loose or cracked inside its insulation.

While you have the shell off, find out which wheels are acting as pick-up wheels -- by touching the wires from the transformer to the wheels themselves. Try all combinations of left and right -- not just wheels that are opposite each other. Pick-up wheels will immediately spin and lose contact with the wires and stop. Good quality locos, like BLI will have multiple pick-up wheels, so that if one wheel loses contact, others will take over.

With this test, you might find that one of your pick-up wheels is not picking up at all. It may have lost contact with a bent pick up, or have a broken wire. That would reduce the redundancy in the pick-up wheels, which could lead to your symptoms.


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## Brakeman Jake (Mar 8, 2009)

I'm actually working on other domestic priorities so my locos spend long periods in their boxes.It's usual to me to have even my best units erratic running at first but do run just fine after a couple of laps on the only completed mainline.Testing a loco on a short piece of straight track is inconclusive...in my mind.


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

A loco running poorly as you describe is having
electrical conductivity issues.

You say you have cleaned and soldered the track
connections so the problem is with the loco's
power pickup. 

Clean diesel loco wheels easily by putting a few drops
of alcohol on a paper tower on the track. Slowly
run the loco front wheels onto the wet paper, hold
the loco by hand and run up the power letting the
front wheels spin on the paper. Do the same with
the rear wheels.

If that doesn't do it, as mentioned, you may have
poor wiper contact with the wheels or axle. Or,
one of the wires from the trucks to the decoder
may have broken, usually where it connects to
the truck wipers.

Don


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## paulrail (May 22, 2016)

Thanks for the great info guys. You gave 
me some advice which will be helpful going 
forward with trouble shooting


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

*Another troubleshooting trick*

Paulrail;

You might want to try this on your balky loco. Remove the body shell. Temporarily disconnect the leads from the decoder to the motor. Attach a nine volt battery clip's leads to the motor, instead of the wires from the decoder. Plug a battery into the clip. Your loco may now run smoothly on battery power. If so, the motor and mechanism are fine. The problem is confirmed to be in the wheels or wipers, as the track and loco's "guts" are working. 

Traction Fan


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## paulrail (May 22, 2016)

Brakeman Jake said:


> I'm actually working on other domestic priorities so my locos spend long periods in their boxes.It's usual to me to have even my best units erratic running at first but do run just fine after a couple of laps on the only completed mainline.Testing a loco on a short piece of straight track is inconclusive...in my mind.


Thanks to everyone for all the advice. While 
It is all great stuff to know I want to let
Brakeman Jake know that I set up a small
loop on which to run the loco at a higher 
speed for a while and its been running great
since last night. 

Well at least I have three sections of track 
that are incredibly clean...lol

Thanks again, guys


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## fredbon (Mar 4, 2016)

I might mention BLI has an excellent tech support section, really helped with my run problems.

Fred


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## tgoulart (Dec 16, 2015)

paulrail said:


> Thanks to everyone for all the advice. While
> It is all great stuff to know I want to let
> Brakeman Jake know that I set up a small
> loop on which to run the loco at a higher
> ...


That's good to know. The importance of clean track and wheels cannot be overstated. I just picked up a brand new loco from my local shop and when I got it home on the layout, it ran poorly. I knew my track was due for a cleaning so I spent the next hour or so going that. When I put the loco back on the layout, the problem persisted. For the heck of it I looked at the wheels, and they were filthy...this was a new out of the box loco! After 10 minutes of thoroughly cleaning them, it runs like a champ.


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## Cycleops (Dec 6, 2014)

Particularly with DCC.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

tgoulart said:


> That's good to know. The importance of clean track and wheels cannot be overstated. I just picked up a brand new loco from my local shop and when I got it home on the layout, it ran poorly. I knew my track was due for a cleaning so I spent the next hour or so going that. When I put the loco back on the layout, the problem persisted. For the heck of it I looked at the wheels, and they were filthy...this was a new out of the box loco! After 10 minutes of thoroughly cleaning them, it runs like a champ.


New in the box should never be confused with clean. Many factories are dirty, and there may be leftover lubricants on the model, which can attract dirt. Moreover, few boxes are dust-tight, and many sit on dusty store shelves or warehouses for months or years before being sold.

Cleaning the wheels on a new acquisition is always a good idea.


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