2-6-4 Girls Steam Engine

[bobbie21921]

What would cause the drive system to seem loose and not run well.  Engine Slips on Track and pulls erratically. 
Tried running on regular layout and did same thing.  Tested on k-line Shadow rail/ MTH Real Trax/ Lionel Tube Track
Used K-Line Super Chief 120 Watt Transformer as well as testing it with a 1950's ZW rated at 275 Watts/
Track was cleaned with Rubbing Alcohol and Rag was lightly black kept cleaning till all track was bright and rag came out Clean. 
All Wheels on the Engine were done the same way as well as replacing the Traction tire.  Engine was lubed and ran and cleaned.  Track was checked after run and no residue was found. 

It does not matter which track i run it on it responds the same.  Manually checking the engine the main drive assembly seems loose but all the wheels are intact and tight on the axles.  There is no binding in the side rods and all the gearing lines up well. 

After this i am at a loss.  Not sure why it seems to slip and spin when it is under load

Any help would be appreciated.

[Joe Satnik]

Dear Bobbie,

1.) Uneven weight on drivers.  Loco weight should be balanced on middle drivers. 

2.) Drivers unsprung, not allowing for dips/anomalies  in track.

3.) Drawbar being lifted by tender.

4.) Drawbar higher than driver axle, load rotating loco body back on the rear axle, lifting front drivers off track. 

5.) Front and rear trucks have too much spring tension, lifting (un-weighting) the drivers.   

Try temporarily taping up or removing the front and rear trucks, so only the drivers touch the track.

Hope this helps. 

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik

[MB425]

I found with my MTH Hudson that the 2 axle trailing truck has two different sized wheels - just like the prototype. The axle with the larger wheels forces the main driver axle (the axle with traction tires) up off the rail ever so slightly giving it less than stellar pulling. Not that it can't move itself, but it sometimes struggles depending on the grades and train behind it as the main driving axle doesn't have 100% perfect contact with the rail.

[Joe Satnik]

Another thought,

How free rolling are your tender and freight cars?  Anything dragging?   

Joe Satnik

[bobbie21921]

nope Joe all is free i test free rolling on two 40inch straights propped up by a 1st level riser for an elevated trestle set to go up hill
all the rolling stock and Tender Rolls Free  there is nothing dragging

I have tested the passenger cars which i pull with this engine  and again all roll free Along with the fact that i do regular maintenance oil and lube test light bulbs and all the other stuff when i put it away and when i take it out for the holidays\

Thanks for the Reply Joe.  I hope i can figure this out.  I have tried all the suggestions so far i have found no anomalies  with the Trailing Truck or the Pilot Truck.  although i did find a couple of loose screws on the body. 
and i did also find that one of the side Rod bolts were a little loose on the left side facing from the cab looking towards the headlight.

[bobbie21921]

Also i found that the smoke unit isn't working on this thing so I am going to be in need of a Smoke unit
also wondering the opinion of you guys here on the Forum about a universal Fan Driven Smoke unit as a replacement for the Sueth unit that is in it now

[phillyreading]

When working on the older Lionel 224E's(2-6-2 steam), I usually have the shell off and the front and rear wheels taken off to test it on the track. I want to see if it will reverse properly before putting the shell back on it, so maybe you need to take things apart and see what it does.

Lee F.

[bobbie21921]

Thanks again that is something i never thought of
will try it out

[phillyreading]

The reason that I do that is so that I don't have to take the engine fully apart four or five times to fix something. Also with post war and pre war steam engines; you may not get the brushes seated right the first time, so it is easier to see if things are working with it apart.
American Flyer S gauge engines are bad for not keeping proper brush tension on the armature.

Lee F.