Clean it

Now you know why you got it.  It was dead.  Clean the wiper faces and the backs of the wheels.  Make sure the wipers actually touch the backs of the wheels.  Test again.

Scott Chatfield

Check for a short, also check

Check for a short, also check to see that the motor actually works, feed dc to the motor with test leads and bypass everything else. Cleaning and wipers will not power a dead motor. Also I did not mean to imply that cleaning it was not a good idea, I do that to all of mine even if they are new before putting them in service.

Scott and Rob

You were both spot on.  The wheels were copper and when I cleaned them up with a steel wire brush on my Dremel they looked like a shiny new penny.  I adjusted the wipers.  It will most likely sit for 6 months or so before it gets run so I rubbed Wahl’s Clipper Oil onto the wheels to slow down the oxidation also.  I did check the motor and it was strong.  (The only shorts were mine.  It was 95 degrees outside today!  A good day to be inside in the AC.)  I changed the bulbs for some LEDs I had and put a 750 ohm resistor in line to cover the 12 - 14 volts dc it would likely see.  Put it on the dc test track and liked the performance.  

I’m glad for the experience.  Now I can only hope it will light up a young person’s eyes soon!

Nick

Final thought and update.

I pulled the Decoder Buddy and reinstalled the factory dc motherboard.  As far as I could tell the LokSound version 4 didn’t have enough current to drive the electric motor in the locomotive.  The motor seemed well isolated but would not move on either the decoder or a 9 volt test battery.  I did test the motor on a dc power supply with a 5 amp current range and the motor worked just fine.  

Enough time on this one.

Nick

Nick, a can motor will pull

Nick, a can motor will pull lots less amps than that unit you have. George W from my club is ordering a replacement motor for an Old Athearn sw unit. His ran for a short time but then tripped the thermal limit on his decoder. His locomotive was only good for a couple of trips around the layout before it overheats. George found one at micro mart.

This was his first engine. It has sentimental value. George joking states he might have been able to buy 2 better engines for less than he has in this one so far. A good bit of that money was due to him hiring someone else to do a lot of work on his locomotive. He and I have been diagnosing this issue and finding replacements for the last two Saturdays at the club. I used a micrometer to match the motor size to the old motor. It is also important to check the diameter of the motor shafts if you wish to use the old drive-line.

Hi Rob

You confirmed my suspicion.  When the battery blew up I had an idea it might be current....

????

See you soon!

Nick

Nick that battery looks

Nick that battery looks familiar. Marcie and I are looking forward to the next visit by you and your wife, Sue is it not.

Had to get some more mileage out of it somehow....

It is Sue.  (But not the battery company.....) ????