New ho Chattanooga won't run

[Emily925]

Hi there- brand new to model train ownership and we set up our Chattanooga HO gauge train tonight and the darn thing won't go. The track is totally smooth, we followed all the troubleshooting steps in the manual. The power source seems to work, the speed controller makes a quiet buzz when turned on, but absolutely no sound/movement from the engine.its securely in the track, and the red cable is in securely. Any advice??

[Emily925]

Update: we had an older HO engine and we just tried that and it worked (not well but still it worked.) tried the new engine again and nada.

[James in FL]

Hi Emily925,

For some troubleshooting tips look here at my reply to that posters question.
let us know what you find.

http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php/topic,22187.0.html

Good luck

[jbrock27]

Is this "New" as in recently made or "New" as in new in a box, but may be old?  Do you have the ability to take the shell off?  Can you describe the wheel arrangement?  Are the wheels dirty?
If the wheels are clean, I have 2 guess, but they're just guesses:  a loose wire somewhere to the motor or old grease/lube has bound things up enough by solidifying that the loco won't move (that is if the loco is "New in the box" but an older loco).

To James' point about using a meter to check the wheels, here is what I feel is a good video illustrating how to check the continuity of the wheels:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7uV239HwXQ

[Emily925]

Hi there thank you for he help! I don't have a meter to check the engine but I did watch the video and open up the engine to see if anything looked obviously wrong. Should the wheels move freely when you spin them by hand? Mine do not budge with the cover on but with the cover off they moved jerkily. When k reassembled and put it on the track smoke started coming out of the smoke stack but still no movement...

[Emily925]

There is a fair amount of pink gunk, grease I guess? Between the white gears inside which also do not move manually. I tried to take some of it off but again I'm. It are what is supposed to move and what isn't.
Hmmm.

[Flare]

The pink gunk is most likely gear grease.  You can order more in Bachmann's store along with other lubricants for the bearings, electrical contacts, and side rods.

As for why it's not moving, perhaps something came loose or jammed in the gear teeth?  If you or someone you know has the skill, perhaps you can it can be taken apart to see if just the motor turns when power is applied?  If not a new motor is $19 from the parts department:  http://estore.bachmanntrains.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=66_68_155&products_id=860

I believe this is the parts diagram for that locomotive if it helps:  http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/dwg/dwgs/50440_HO_USRA_0-6-0_w_Short_Tender.pdf

[Emily925]

Hooray thanks everyone! I got it going!! A little bit of trial and error but all good now! Thank you!!

[jbrock27]

Glad to hear it and you are welcome.

Do you know what was wrong initially and what you did to get it work?  I had some other earlier questions that you had bypassed, don't know if you realize it or not.

What part of what is going on is the "trial and error"?

The pink lube is fairly new and I see no reason for it to be suggested you order more.  Also, know for the future, you can shop around and not feel you have to order lube through here; there are lots of good greases out there for gears-it just has to have Teflon in it (PTFE).  I buy it myself from Walmart or Kmart.  It is marketed as fishing reel grease in those places, but works great on gears both plastic and metal.  Harbor Freight, Home Depot also sells similar stuff in a bigger 3 oz tube.  The same goes for oil, lots of places with good prices to find that and not necessary to be restricted from where you buy it.  Oil is good for moving metal parts.

As far as having to order a new motor; that would the last thing to do, after first thoroughly checking whether the old one is dead or not.  Many steps not outlined here to take before getting to that point.  I would suggest too, that if you did not know the steps to take toward doing that first, you not likely would have the skill set to replace the motor either and to order a new motor may make no sense.