Gordon has a limp

[Frankv]

I took our new Gordon engine out of the package and started to break him in. My partner in railroading, my 6 yr old grandson said "Look, Gordon is limping".  Sure enough, he has a little hitch in his stride, more evident at low speeds, but present at all speeds. It's evident when in a cradle also. So, I lubed the external linkages lightly with Labelle, but the very regular hesitation is still there. I can't see any binding in the drive linkages, so it might be internal. We have other 3 axle engines; namely, Spencer and Henry, and they run smoothly. Gordon is still under warranty, but I would rather not send him back if I can fix this easily. My questions: 1) might it smooth out if I ran him some more?, and 2) is this a design quirk of Gordon's?. Appreciate it if other Gordon owners could tell me if they have experienced this with Gordon.

[the Bach-man]

Dear Frank,
Run him in each direction at moderate speed for an hour or so and see if he smooths out.
Have fun!
the Bach-man

[Robertj668]

Frank

We have Gordon and he runs just fine! Hope Gordon gets better!

Robert

[ThomasFan247]

I had this problem once before. It happened to be that the place where the sliding gear of his cylinders was out of place. That may be your problem 

[James The Red Engine]

Dear Frank,
Run him in each direction at moderate speed for an hour or so and see if he smooths out.
Have fun!
the Bach-man

Mr. the Bach-man,
Had something like this happen with me Hornby Oliver once.  The problem was that the wheels were turned somehow which made the siderods not line up right.  Is this possible with Bachmann loco's too?

[the Bach-man]

Dear James,
Sure, it can happen to any brand of train.
Have fun!
the Bach-man

[SodorAdventures]

Dear Frank,
     My Bachmann Percy had this same issue, my idea is to go to your nearest hobby dealer and purchase train lube to loosen the jolts. Or as the man to take a look at it at the hobby store.
                                                                               -Sodoradventures

[ZeldaTheSwordsman]

It could also be bent valve gear or side-rods. If any of the rods that join the drive wheels to the cylinders are bent, that can cause limping and even a tendency to derail.

[Frankv]

This post is to  close the loop on Gordon's limp.

I followed The Bach Man's advice and ran Gordon for a while. The problem got worse - instead of a limp he began to develop a regular hop, which almost always resulted in a derailment.

I ran Gordon in a cradle with a tuning fork on his chassis. I could feel a regular thump, typical of a wheel with a flat spot, or a gear with a tooth missing.

So, I bit the bullet and sent Gordon back for warranty service. I'm awaiting a return shipment. My thanks to all who replied with suggestions.