Athearn FP45 N Problem

[nscsxcrrailfan]

I recently purchased an Athearn N Scale FP45 locomotive with the Tsunami sound decoder installed. After I received the locomotive in the mail, I placed it on my track and started it up. I have Atlas Code 55 track, and I have 8 other locomotives that I use. They are Kato and Atlas units. Those locomotives run great, however, this new FP45 has a problem. After placing it on the track and running it around the layout, I noticed it wanted to stall out on my turnouts. At first, I thought this might have to do with a poor electrical connection, so I soldered several feeders in and around the turnouts. Then, I tried the locomotive again. It still wanted to stall out. I tried filing down parts of the turnouts and even removed a guard rail on one that I thought might be causing some problems. Still, the problem persisted. Once the locomotive stalls out, it will do one of two things. It will stall for a split second then continue on or it will just stop completely. If it continues on, the sound produces a high squealing noise like a break squeal. This squeal continues until I bring the locomotive to a complete stop. Sometimes, the locomotive wants to stall out on curves, I have 16.25" R curves, which are plenty big enough. To avoid these stalls, I run the locomotive at a speed of 40 or higher. I can't run it any slower than that without taking the risk of it stalling out. The trucks on this unit seem to be the problem, but I don't know what to do to resolve this issue. I sent Soundtraxx an e-mail and they replied that the trucks might be lubricated too much. They also recommended that I try setting the voltage up from N setting to HO setting. I tried the voltage change, and it did not help any. I have concluded that this is not a problem with my track, especially since all of my other locomotives run great on it. I checked the wheels on the trucks, and they are within the NMRA standards. I also checked the turnouts, and they are within the NMRA standards. I have tried several options, and nothing seems to help. I have not tried opening the locomotive to inspect the trucks, as I am a little nervous about opening up a sound locomotive that is brand new. Should I go ahead and check for too much lubrication or is there another possible solution to this problem?

[retsignalmtr]

Does the headlight stay on or does it go dark when the loco stops? What type and what manufacturer are the switches where the loco stalls? Does the loco stop with the wheels on the frog?

[nscsxcrrailfan]

The headlight goes out. The turnouts are Atlas 55. Sometimes the wheels are on the frog and sometimes they are not. This locomotive has a horrible time going into number 5 turnouts. It's like the trucks are just not made to navigate through turnouts.

[retsignalmtr]

The fact that the headlight goes out when the loco stops means that the loco is not getting power or is making a short. Using a test light ( I use old light boards that I have replaced with decoders ) test the switch with the route that the loco stalls on set up to see if you have power through the entire route over the switch. Also look at the frog where the two rails leave the frog and see how close those rails are. The wheels may be bridging this point causing a short. The faster you go the loco will get past this spot. you may have to use a little paint or nailpolish at this point to extend the insulation. I have to do this with my Peco and Atlas turnouts.