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Need Help! New Athearn Blue Box Loco!
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[quote user="SqueakyWheels"][quote user="Bill54"] <p>What is the possibility that the metal conductor that goes from the motor to each truck is not making contact with either truck when the loco is resting flat? But when picked up from one end or the other the contact strip makes contact with the truck contact and you get power to the loco?</p><p>The contact strip on the top of the motor is the (+) positive conductor.</p><p>You can take a continuity testor to check if you have a short. With the loco off the track touch the contacts to both sides of the front and rear trucks. If you get a reading you have a short. <font color="#ff0000">Since Ataearn has plastic gears between the wheels on the trucks I don't know how you</font> <font color="#ff0000">can get a short at that point.</font> I'd be looking for something around the lights to be shorting.</p><p>Bill</p><p>[/quote]</p><p>Because the hole goes all the way through the gear's shaft. If the wheel stubs are pressed in too far (they are metal) they will touch each other, and cause a short.</p><p>The loco could have been knocked around in shipment, been assembled by an upset worker, or any other number of things that could have caused this.</p><p>And, holding the loco up at an angle, the trucks are probably not making full contact on the rail, so the short becomes "hidden." So, it would be more likely that an inboard wheel assembly is causing the problem.</p><p><font color="#ff0000">But, </font><font color="#000000">after going back and re-reading the original post, it would seem that the contact strip going across the top of the motor is not properly installed, or is not seating properly. He didn't specify a short- my screw-up; he merely stated that he had no power. </font></p><p>Sorry.</p><p>[/quote]</p><p> </p><p>Thanks for the help guys! But I do have a short-circuit occuring. At least, without a voltage meter, that seems to be whats happening.</p><p>The metal strip at the top of the loco is seated normally like my other Athearn engines. Both trucks can get power--the motor works if you "remove" one truck from the track.</p><p> Both trucks together on the track at the same time--nothing. And I checked this out with another loco (that works) . I put the second loco on the track, and it stopped dead until I took off the shorting loco (FP45) then it ran on its way just fine.</p><p>Apparently one of the trucks is 1) Either wired backwards or 2) installed backwards.</p><p> In theory, all I have to do is flip one of the trucks 180 degrees and re-install.</p><p>Hopefully tonight, I will find out if that theory proves worthy.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
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