Hi all. I picked up a Genesis SD75 (DC) the other day. Looks great and runs smoothly and quietly but it is exhibiting two problems.. First, the front axle pops out for no apparent reason on track that every other loco can handle with ease, and not just on switches. Second, the power pickup seems iffy - it stalls on switches that every other loco also handles with ease.
Note that my curves are not tight - 30inch radius or more. I consider my track pretty robust, and as I say, other locos (Kato, Athearn, Proto, Atlas) handle it well.
I haven't had time to do a proper troubleshooting yet but was hoping I might be able to save some time on the process if somebody out there has seen similar issues. Thanks in advance.
Cheers, and best wishes for the holidays.
Check the gauge of the wheels on that axle; you DO have an NMRA gauge, right? While you're at it, check the rest of your equipment. You'd be surprised how many cars/locos are out of gauge right out of the box.
Do yourself a favor and set up a "New Equipment Process" to inspect all new equipment, consisting of:
Marlon
See pictures of the Clinton-Golden Valley RR
do you have feeder wires at the switches. I had that problem in the begining of my layout but I found a few switches that the weight of the train would cause a couple of the points to lose contact but that can fixed by feeders at both sides of the switch. As for it coming off the rails.. I would follow the train around and see where it is coming off at, if it is at the same spot it might be a bad area of track- joint uneven or check the height of your connectors. I got an Athearn SD 60 for Christmas and I found that one of my connectors was a little distorted and the middle wheel of the first truck would catch it and derail.
This may be a stupid question, but if the trucks/wheels are out of gauge, how would you fix that?
Michael
CEO- Mile-HI-RailroadPrototype: D&RGW Moffat Line 1989
An out of gauge issue with most trucks/wheelsets can be fixed be gently twisting or bending said defect back into place. I had an issue with the trucks on my Bachmann SD40-2 that was caused by an axle that was slightly out, all I had to do was disassemble the truck and twist/push the wheelset into gauge and problem solved.....
RRC, I have two different releases of that very same model. Both suffered from derailments on the leading truck around my rather generous 40+ inch curves. Didn't really matter which direction...it was always the leading truck.
I found no wheels out of gauge, with some minor variance of course.
What I eventually had to do for these two complainers was to soften the ballast and slightly elevate the outer rails. Fortunately, this was only in four short lengths around my layout. Once I jacked up those outer rails along about 8-12" by about 1/32", the diesels were happy.
I am very certain that this is your cure. I can't help much with the intermittent electricals, but is it possibly a dirty wiper or two, or bad pressure contact, maybe a broken wire or solder? Mine run quite well, although my decoder guy opened them and installed a QSI in one and a Tsunami in the other.
Crandell
Thanks to everyone for their suggestions. Of course I do have a gauge so I will use that, and explore some of the other options as well. Looks like there's no easy fix. Crandell, I hope you're mistaken about needing to modify the track - somehow it just seems wrong to need to modify track to accomodate a single engine; I'm of the mind that if one engine out of 100 (actual number, give or take) has a problem, then the defect is with the loco and not the track.
Cheers.
I know how you feel, and would generally agree. HOwever, it seems every new engine, regardless of type or make, that I introduce to my layout requires me to make an adjustment to my rails. Before I got the two SD75M's, I had to rip up a whole 3' of flex on a broad curve for a new BLI Hybrid UP 2-10-2. I tried lifting and shimming, but I kept moving along until I decided the whole section needed to be redone. I had to plane the sub-roadbed under it all. When that problem went away, and the TTT was happy, five months later I was back at it, same spot, for both of the SD-75's. Thankfully, a BLI J and a Pennsy Q2 added since last summer were kind to me and motored along happily.
If it means anything, I did conclude that the mounting of the trucks on the Genesis SD-75's, and it would be the same for their SD70's, was 'tight'. They hardly wobble at all. It suggests to me that if the frame is levered high at one leading corner due to what is happening aft, the front truck will get tilted too much. That is the only explanation I have.
Intresting comment there. If the trucks are mounted "tight", that may explain my power pickup problems with the Genesis SD75 I have. Thanks.
Although it's small comfort, I'm glad that I'm not the only one to have trouble with this particular critter.
Checked the trucks. They are plenty loose and free to move. Loco stumbles and stalls. Wheels are in gauge. Decoder is soldered in correctly. LHS said something about a problem with paint on the truck sideframes. He said it was on the Athearn website, with a fix. I can't find it. I Emailed Athearn, but it's a holiday, and I prolly won't hear back till next week.