Lionel Diesel question

[johnandjulie13]

Hello All:

I purchased the Santa Fe standard O freight set today.  The set includes the U28CG diesel locomotive.  This is my first Lionel diesel engine.  As I am in the middle of building my layout, I do not have a loop of track on which to run the train.  However, since I was anxious to see how the engine worked, I set up a length of Atlas O straight tracks.  When I tested the engine, it appeared to work okay, but some sparks were coming from the wheels.  Is this normal?  I also tried the engine on a length of MTH realtrax and the engine still "sparked."

Is the engine functioning okay?  Is there a "typical" problem associated with these types of engines?  Any feedback would be appreciated.

Regards,

John O

[jefelectric]

I guess the first thing to ask is, did you clean the track?  Being new it usually will have some oily residue on it which should be cleaned off before using.  Just wipe with a cloth dampened with denatured alcohol and then a dry cloth and your good to go.

[chuck]

Check the wheels for dirt/crud and inspect the center pick up roller closely for wear or excessive dirt.  Toy trains will spark occasionally but continuous sparking is usually an indication of some kind of electrical problem, e.g. excessive dirt, worn rollers, frayed/broken wires, dirty track, insuffecient power/return feeds to the track  .....

[Kooljock1]

This is a brand-spanking new set from the current catalog, so I don't expect that dirt, roller wear, etc to be an issue.

The track may be. What transformer are you using? Are you running TMCC or conventional?

In my experience the new Lionel diesels do not throw off sparks, and that includes both my CAN and PullMor powered units.

Jon

[johnandjulie13]

Thanks for the feedback! 

I cleaned the tracks and the sparking reduced considerably.  I then cleaned the non-drive wheels (they were the ones that were sparking) and the problem entirely went away.  It is interesting that this would happen as it never occurred with my MTH steam engines on the same track.

Regards,

John O

[palallin]

I use some Atlas O track on my layout.  when I first laid it, the trains would hardly run.  I cleaned it with an abrasive pad and some track cleaning liquid, and now the trains love it.  For one thing, the top of the center rail has to have the blackening removed.