2046W Tender Problem, need help.

[Anonymous]

Hey Ya'll

The 2046W tender that comes with my 2055 has a problem. The Back tender truck shorts out the track.

When trying to pinpoint the problem, checked all the wheels on the train (all on the track), then, I removed the engine. It still shorted out. Took of tender, placed the engine, it ran. So, I lifted the back of the tender to where only the front truck was on the rails. It did not short out. Checked the back one, shorted out.

I found a temp. solution to this problem was the pu***he pickup roller upwards into the truck. This cures it for a while, then it shorts out again.

Also, when I blow the whistle, the train slows down. And it makes a grinding sound before the whistle blows. The whistle will not blow when the train is going at full speed.

How can I fix these 2 problems, and if it is a profesional job, who should I send it to?

steel rails

[dwiemer]

I suspect you have a direct short in the tender and that is causing both problems. Check the easiest things first, the pickup roller, is it insulated? Then, take off the cover of the tender and look for obvious signs of a short. Many times, it is quite evident. If it is not, you may need to take it to someone with an ohm meter. Keep us informed.
Dennis

[phillyreading]

Sounds like the whistle motor may be causing you trouble, needs cleaning and check the condition of your wires to the whistle motor as these may have the insulation missing in one or more places and causing your shorting out. Don't pu***he pickup roller upwards, fix the problem. Also clean the wheels on the tender for better electric pickup. If you can solder wires fix it yourself, I find most postwar very easy to work on.
Sending this to a professional will cost money and no guaranty it will be fixed correctly.
Lee F. in West Palm Beach FL

[Anonymous]

Thanks,

How can I tell if the pickup roller is insulated or not?

And what are ther obvious signs of a short or things like that that I should look for to solve this problem?

steel rails

[wrmcclellan]

steel,

Inspect the wire that goes from the pickup roller and into the tender. See if there is bare wire that is rubbing the tender frame. If so you can try to wrap some electrical tape around it to mend it 9but the tape may not stay on long. A better repair is to unsolder the wire and place some heat shrink tubing (available at radio Shack) on it.

There is not a schematic of the 2046W that I know of, but I have provided a link to the 6026W tender at Olsen's as the drawing is representative of the wiring for whistle tenders. You need to check all the wires to make sure the insulation is intact and not missing/cracked from age. If so, all the wiring will have to be replaced.

http://pictures.olsenstoy.com/cd/locos/len6026a.pdf

I repair my own trains, but others can comment on shops that have performed reliable repairs. If you provide what city you live in or near, it will be helpful if you are looking for a local shop.

Good luck,
Roy

[phillyreading]

steel,
After you repair the tender if it whistles without the button being pushed your track needs cleaning, a soft rag should do with just a squirt of WD-40 on it. This has happened to me twice with older tenders.
Lee.

[Anonymous]

Thanks, Ya'll

I took a close look at it, and it seems that the back pickup roller is noticably farther down and looser than the other roller.

Holding it upright at both ends, I can barley see the front roller unless I tip the tender over just a bit, But, I can see the back roller without having to tip it over. Might this have something to do with it?

steel rails

[wrmcclellan]

steel,

It must be shorting out on something. If it is misaligned or the mounting has come loose, this could be part fo your problem.

Compare its mounting to the other pickup ans see if you can determine if it is hitting something like the truck frame or an axle that could cause the short.

Regards,
Roy