Hi I was wondering if any of you out there knew any solutions to this problem; my locomotive won't move when I have the power on. I did find out that if you put one truck on the rails and then put another truck off the rails that the locomotive will power forward. Without doing the trick I just told you, you can just hear the locomotive motor work but some how that power doesn't flow all the way through or something because the end result is a still locomotive. If one of you have any ideas on how to fix this your help is greatly appreciated.
Thankyou
Rookie Railroader
Probably not electrical. Sounds like the drive to the the truck that doesn't turn is out. There's is usually a short driveshaft from each end of the motor to drive the trcuk at that end of it. Sometimes, it's mislocated or broken. Usually, each end of the drive shaft has a ball that has two prongs/ears on it that engages the motor and top of the truck's gear drive down to the axles by fitting into a matching socket. Pull the shell careffully and visually check to see what's up.
BTW, what brand/model loco is it?
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
Post a photo will help a lot.
Pull the shell and do a visual. You are going to have to pull the shell anyway when someone gives you a suggestion.
Does sound like a drive shaft dropped out.
Rich
If you ever fall over in public, pick yourself up and say “sorry it’s been a while since I inhabited a body.” And just walk away.
Also check that all the wheels are square to the axle. I had a similar problem with an old Atlas switcher. One wheel was not fully on the axle and was canted a little bit so that it was binding on the track. It must have gotten dropped somewhere along the way.
If you haven't got one yet, buy an NMRA gauge and check all your wheelsets.
Good luck
Paul
Here is a picture of the locomotive. It is an Athearn GP-9. It looks like it was manufactured quite a while ago.
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/296533956695147171/
It sounds like something stuck in the gears of the truck which won't move. You can pop off the bottom of the truck very gently with a small screwdriver to check for debris in the gears. While you have it opened up. Add a tiny bit of plastic compatible grease.
I hope this helps.