short in my u23b trucks

[Guilford Guy9887]

i just got a u23b athearn .it is in rough shape and im trying to repair it. i pulled the gears from the trucks to make it a dummy but when i put it on the rails all my other locomotives stop ?any ideas why?

 

[wheeler1963]

Make sure the trucks are not opposite each other. In other words, both towers should be the same direction.

 

[Guilford Guy9887]

both towers are on the same side. i cant figure it out. also the motor mount is busted so im going to get a new one. what else could it be?

 

[wheeler1963]

Jamie, can you post a pic without the body on the frame?

 

[CBCNSfan]

both towers are on the same side. i cant figure it out. also the motor mount is busted so im going to get a new one. what else could it be?

Check to make sure all the insulated wheels are on the same side, if one axle (set of wheels) is reversed you'll have a short circuit.

Cheers
Willis

 

[Guilford Guy9887]

how can i tell which ones are insulated

 

[wheeler1963]

Jamie, to the best of my knowledge, Athearn never had insulated wheels. They used plastic axles to insulated each side, so I don't think that is the problem. Here's an example of the 2 types of Athearn axles. The one on the left is the older style that had metal sideframes attached to the trucks. The one on the right is the newer style that has plastic sideframes.

Like I said before, a picture of the trucks and the frame would be a big help, otherwise we're all just guessing here.

 

[CBCNSfan]

Sorry, Jerome is correct the stub axle on each wheel inserts into the plastic gear
Cheers
Willis

 

[kenw]

I keep seeing the title of this thread and wondering if there is a truck in the shorts.....which would be more worrisome...

 

[flyboy2610]

Not near as bad as a short circuit in your shorts.

 

[UP2CSX]

Take out one set of truck and set them on the tracks. If they don't cause a short, do the same with the other set. If both truck don't cause a short, you have the trucks reversed when they are installed in the engine. Just reverse one pair of trucks and see if that solves the problems.

 

[Guilford Guy9887]

ill have to try that. here a pics of the wheels

 

[MGWSY]

Check each axle for a short as somtimes they can be pressed into the plastic gear so far as to cause both stub axles to touch causing a short. If that is the case then just pull out one of the wheels a tad still trying to keep it in gauge.

 

[UP2CSX]

As long as you have the wheels out, place each one on the track and see if you get a short. Like Mark said, you can sometimes get metal to metal contact if the stub axle gets pressed throught the plastic bushing.

 

[Guilford Guy9887]

THanks for the help all. did what you guy suggested and now its running. im going to relube it and break it in.......

 

[UP2CSX]

Jamie, for the information of others that may experience your problem, exactly what was wrong and how did you fix it?

 

[Guilford Guy9887]

well, i took each set of wheels out and place them on the track. after i figured out which set it was i took the wheels out of the casing and used my dremal to grind off some of the metal. after that i reassembled and everything was fine.


also i would again like to thank everyone that helped. i would have spent almost $20 on new trucks if i didnt get the help and ideas i did