rivarossi steam engine question

[Anonymous]

i just purchased a new rivarossi 4-6-2 pacific milwaukee road steamer...very sharp...new out of the box it seems to stutter and surge...even at full throttle....i let it run for about ten laps around the layout thinking it may smooth out...but it did not...i performed the usual oil and grease to see if it would help...but it did not....and the wheels are not dirty....my question is since this is my first rivarossi product....is this normal??...is it something that will eventually go away???...or should i take it back??....any help????

[dave9999]

Sounds like a pickup problem. Does it have pickups in the tender? If not check
the locos pickups and make sure they are making contact with the wheels. My
Allegheny has loco and tender pickups, however, if I disconnect the tender, it spits
and sputters around the layout much like what you are experiencing. Good luck, Dave

[Anonymous]

It's not normal on the newer Allegheny or the new FEF-3s.(Both have tender pick-ups) It may be new out of the box but still an older version.

It's nice that you have a return option but let's see what the other experience says.

[Virginian]

That isn't normal. Rivs are pretty good runners unless something is wrong.
Okay, on my Riv 4-6-2, the engine picks up from the right hand rail and the tender picks up from the left (pretty typical of Rivs in general). Look underneath the loco, and you will see little shiney silver spring loaded plungers that are the electrical pickups and they ride on the back of the loco drivers. Make sure they are free and making good contact. On the tender, poli***he axles where the little leaf contactors ride, and the corresponding spots on the leaves. Usually if it's the plungers they get stuck and stay stuck, but the tender connections have given me more problems thru the years. Might even want to bend the leaves slightly for better contact. That's the two most like places for problems in my opinion. After that it could be anything in the circuit.

[Anonymous]

thanks for the replies fellas....i actually tinkered with it last night and actually found some contacts at the tender that just was not making the greatest contact....a few adjustment and WOW what a difference!!...very sharp loco and runs great...glad i made the purchase....thanks for the help!!....tim

[Anonymous]

I would question how long of a run-in is 10 laps around the layout? I figure my locos need from 4-6 hours of running for break-in. I discount minor problems until I have at least this amount of run-in time. However, jerky or irratic motion is a good indication of poor electrical contact, which you determined to be your problem. Glad you could figure this out, as I think Rivarossi makes (made) good products!

[RRRerun]

I have 2 of the RR Milw Rd 4-6-2 Chippewa's that double head 12 passenger cars. I think it looks impressive. Anyway, I have found that on the draw bar between the engine & tender, the spring must be clean and making good contact. I have also found that I can not use the closest hole to the engine on the draw bar. It occassionally causes a short through smaller radiuses in the yards & sidings. These two engines are 3 and 5 years old & have run perfectly since the day they went into service.