Durango and Silverton starter set electrical problem

[Fred G.]

Hi all,
  I'm asking this question for my grandson who just got his first train set.  The problem we are having is the electrical pickup that is on the front pilot.  Going around a curve, the headlight stays pretty constant and the locomotive has no real issues.  But as soon as it gets to a straight section of track the headlight flickers a lot, and the engine even stops at times.
  I see that a copper strip that is used to retain the wheel axle on the pilot for each side is the pickup.  I believe that the axle has too much movement on a straight away and therefore causes breaks in the circuit.  Does anyone out there have any suggestions on how to cure this?  Thanks in advance for your help.

[Joe Satnik]

Greetings, Fred.

Sounds to me like your electrical pick-ups aren't working. 

First, find someone that has an Ohm-meter and knows how to use it. 

There should be at least 4 wheel electrical pickup on each side (left and right) of the engine. 

With the engine off the track, check for continuity with an Ohm-meter.   The two small pilot wheels (right side) and the front and rear large driver wheels (right side) should all be electrically connected.  Same for the left side.

If you don't have continuity (< 1 ohm?) between all 4 wheels, you will have to turn the engine over, take the bottom cover off and repair it.  Make a nice padded repair-lube cradle that won't bust the small details off the top of your engine. 

You might want to check your track to track connectors, too.  It is easy to miss getting both sides of the rail into the connector from the next track section.  You can feel a "bump" or "snag" in the top of the rail over a missed connection.

A gentle squeeze with a pliers will tighten loose track connectors.  Careful not to smash the connector.   

Hope this helps.

Joe Satnik