Locomotive Help Needed

[ckeefer58]

Well this is my first post on this forum, hopefully of many. I recently purchased an Athearn Genesis FP45, and am very happy with my purchase. However, when I run it, it runs very choppy. I thought maybe it was a problem with breaking it in, but after 3 days of running it, it hasn't gotten any better. Anyone know anything that would help? Or do I just need to break it in more. Thanks for your help.

 

[chestateegol]

Well, the first thing is to check to see if your track and wheels are clean. Sometimes the problem lies simply in that. After that I would take the shell off of your engine to see what it is doing as it rolls along. Sometimes the motor is tied down too loose or too tight and it makes the loco act funny. I doubt it is from needing to break the loco in.

Robert

 

[ckeefer58]

Well, my track was kinda dirty, but there is no headlight flicker indicating that much dirt but i will check. Thanks for your reply.

 

[bobwrgt]

Hold it in one spot on the track and give it some power. Lift the front or rear off the track and see if it strill runs. If it stops you might have pick-up problems in one truck.

Bob

 

[Cjcrescent]

DC or DCC? Plus, with today's built in circuitry, most headlight flicker can be a thing of the past. Clean both the track and the wheels. The engine maybe new, but that doesn't mean it has clean wheels.

Before any loco I get is even placed on a test track, I will partially disassemble it and perform my maintenance routine on it. This includes wheel cleaning and lubrication, as well as a standard decoder brand install, whether or not it comes with a decoder or not.