S-4 problems!!

[kamerad47]

I had this S-4 since xmas this is about the 10th time I've used it in a operating session on my small switching layout,  It was running great till today! It's stopping & starting all over the layout ( Not dirty track) my 45 & 44 ton run fine!! The wipers look fine ! if you move the trucks sometimes  it seems to stop & not all the time!  You could run over the same track 10 times & it will stop twice?? Very frustrating!!! Any help?

[railtwister]

From the information given, it  sounds more like dirty wheels than track, especially if other locos run fine on the same track. I have found that blackened wheels tend to get dirty easily, especially when new, but they seem to "settle down" after a few cleaning cycles, and then don't get dirty as often after that. It may also be lubrication creep, so use a bit of solvent like alcohol on a Q-tip, Micro-brush, or paper towel when you clean the wheels.

You didn't mention whether your loco is a Silent DC or DCC w/sound version, and also what control system you are using. I had a case once where an N scale loco with DCC and sound started acting up and ran erratically, with symptoms similar to your description, while all my other locos (even those with DCC) ran fine on the same track. It turns out the problem was caused by the DC power pack I was using to test operation on the modules. Even though all the locos were supposed to be DC compatible, it seems that the one with sound was particularly sensitive to the pulse generated by my MRC 2800 DC power Pack, Once I performed a hard reset, and ran with a DCC system the troublesome loco returned to normal.

Good luck,
Bill in FL

[kamerad47]

It's DCC sound   I've clean the wheels a bunch of times With a micro brush !!!! I'm using MRC prodigy . Sometimes you can lift one on the trucks off the track & it will stop other times it wont  almost seems like a bad solder job somewhere???

[kamerad47]

I found a bad wire conection from the rear truck to the board  fix it good to go!!