DeWitt Clinton

[Warflight]

Okay, so... I got a DeWitt Clinton engine from eBay a few days ago (single boxed engine and tender) and it ran when I got it... but due to it's age, was a bit loud. So I bought some oil for it... "Liberty Oil" that, according to the sales page, was specially formulated for "Bachmann engines", plastic safe... all of that. I put a drop on each axle gear (on the tender, that's where the motor is) and then attempted to run it. Now, all it does is short out the track.

Any ideas here? This is my second DeWitt Clinton with issues now (the first one, one of the drive wheels likes to fly off on the track, and if you put it back on too tight, it shorts everything out) so if it's something I can fix at home, I'd prefer it.

[ebtnut]

Did you perchance happen to turn one of the tender trucks around?  That would do it.

[Piyer]

Did you perchance happen to turn one of the tender trucks around?  That would do it.

Seeing as it is a 4-wheel tender (with a motor), it's impossible for him to have done that.

1) check the tracks for the short, rule that out first

2) disconnect the locomotive from the tender, and test each of them separately to rule out a short between them or on the unpowered engine.

3) carefully remove the superstructure and inspect the mechanism of the tender for any obvious causes of a short - track nail, staple, etc.

4) very carefully disassemble the mechanism and clean up the oil

5) reassemble model, stuff and mount, and keep it for display only.


I'm hoping that by #4 it will be fixed. These engines tend to die of mechanical failure, not electrical shorts.