Yeah, the fibers can be an issue with some Q tips. Use foam tip swabs. Do a Internet search for foam tip swabs.
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.
There's q-tips, and then there's q-tips - the cheapy store brand ones are most likely to leave fibers. True, a better option are the foam-tipped swabs that they used to sell to clean tape heads - remember when we recorded all music on tape? Those I think would work better than a brush, more friction to wipe off the dirt loosened by the alcohol, and also no fibers to get stuck.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
The capcitators are the yellow m&m looking "things". They should be removed as other posters have said, just cut em right off there, they do cause nasty loco operation. I stopped using Qtips for cleaning the wheel wipers cause it only takes a cotton fiber or 2 to mess ya up all over again as the fibers attrack dirt. A cheap artist brush dipped in alcohol I find is better. Jim
I would recommend posting to the Bachmann Board. Far more users there.
http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php
As you indicated it was a Spectrum 4-4-0 then it has the DCC decoder installed, is it the sound version, that means a different decoder and not the plain no frill special that Bachmann install in their DCC on board locomotives.
If you have replaced the decoder it is usually necessary to cut the capacitors, typically if you do not you get erratic performance, not always but usually.
More info needed. Is this a DCC on board factory loco?
A decoder added to a DCC ready?
Capacitors cut out from the PC board? These caps cause speed issue when a quality decoder is used to replace the on board low end Lenz decoder.
Also, clean the axles on the tender trucks where the pickups press against.
How about the actual pickup wipers? Even if the wheels and track are perfectly slean, if the pickup wipers that rub on the wheels or axle are ditry, you'll have problems. The ones ont he tender wheels, if it has them, are the easiest to clean, a q-tip with alcohol and turn the sheels by hand. The ones on powered axles are a little less convenient, easiest way is to use a cradle to hold the loco upside down and apply powerand use the q-tip. If this is one built without tender pickups, adding additional power pickups to the tender wheels will greatly enhance operation.
The above loc has been giving me some trouble with operation at low speeds and accelaration from a stop. Its acting as if the track is dirty but it and the wheelsets have been cleaned several times. I also hard wired the electrical pick ups from the decoder to the trucks to ensure the connection is proper at all times, and it still has problems. Wondering if there are any other things I could to to prevent this from continuing??