Edit post

Edit your reply below.

Post Body
Enter your post below.
[quote user="bogp40"] I would just check the gauge w/o removing them. Months ago my club had a major clean all the wheels on every thing before going back on the layout project. Some members had damaged the PUs on their Proto tenders and they are a bear to bend back and have work properly.[/quote]Just checking gauge may not catch the problem.  The wheel may be off center, or skewed on the axle.  Flangeand/or wheel tread may not be concentric.  What's probably going on here is the condition know as "tolerance stack".  This describes what happens when a number of tolerances are at or near the limit.  Any one by itself won't cause problems, but combined they cause a malfunction.  This kind of defect can be particularly frustrating to track down because most pieces check out ok by themselves, but combined they throw things off enough to cause trouble.  The fix is to eliminate enough of the problem to get things to work reliably.  In the case at hand we have a known offender, the Atlas switch, which however usually works ok with other combinations, a couple of probables: wheel set, tender to engine wire, tender under reccomended NMRA weight, and a couple of possibles;  tender trucks too tight etc.  If adding weight brings things back in a combination that allows reliable operation, congragulations, you have successfully solved the problems.  If you don't feel comfortable changing the wheel sets and everything works ok, let it go at that. Alternatively, write the manufacturer/importer and ask them to replace the defective part.If problems persist you can consider what other remedies you want to take, but I would expect that anything that is off is not off by much.  It's simply the combination of flaws that are causing the problems.JBB
Tags (Optional)
Tags are keywords that get attached to your post. They are used to categorize your submission and make it easier to search for. To add tags to your post type a tag into the box below and click the "Add Tag" button.
Add Tag

Update Reply

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

Model Railroader Newsletter See all

Sign up for our FREE e-newsletter and get model railroad news in your inbox!

Subscriber & Member Login

Edit post

Post Body

Tags (Optional)

Subscriber & Member Login

Users Online

Search the Community