Williams horn question

[srguy]

When passing over a Lionel uncouple track, the horn sequence on my Williams FM Trainmaster stops (same issue with the bell). Any thoughts on what might be happening??? Doesn't seem to affect any of the other locos (Williams, Lionel & Lionel PW)

[phillyreading]

This might be your culprit, do you have any plastic wheels on the FM Trainmaster by Williams? I had plastic wheels on an SD-45 and it would come to a sudden stop going over certain Lionel accessory activation lock-ons for the highway crossing signal, the path to the common got cut-off for a second and that is what could be happening to your FM Trainmaster. The cure, replace plastic wheels with metal wheels on the truck assemblies of the FM Trainmaster, you may have to cut down a set of wheels from an unpowered Williams engine to do so.

[srguy]

I'll check but it's a newer Williams ... pretty sure the wheels are metal

[gunrunnerjohn]

I've never seen plastic wheels on any O-scale locomotive, that would be a first!

Top suspect here would be the center roller is losing contact going over the magnet, and the other roller isn't picking up the slack.  Did you check to make sure both rollers are wired and have good continuity between them and to the reversing board?

Some locomotives have issues going over certain switch combinations because both rollers happen to fall on an unpowered spot of the switches.

 

[srguy]

John .... the same topic is on another thread Lionel Uncoupler Track Horn/Bell Problems see my responses.

[phillyreading]

Williams for a few years before being sold out to Bachmann had plastic wheels on their 3 axle diesels, the non-powered wheels, SD-45's and FM Trainmaster's. Also on some of the Williams 3 axle passenger cars there was a center set of plastic wheels. Otherwise Williams has great quality for the price.

[srguy]

The loco in question is a Williams FM Trainmaster w/ Jersey Central livery (green) and was purchased in Feb 2011. All metal wheels ... great quality but apparently an issue maybe the engine, maybe the track. We'll see.