I noticed a capacitor that looks leaky on top. I see a what looks like a substance on top of this capacitor. And poor connection would do this too get a schematic and fix it.
I dont think it the engine but a power issue ,it slows down at the same spot its electrical on your track . you can try adding feeder wires to the area , and tightening up the connections around the track pins
I see you really enjoy trains, this is the second time you have had issues with a Menards loco. Your money is good. And you are not satisfied with the merchandise your purchasing. 1st call corporate and speak to a manager about your issues, 2nd don’t accept a in store credit and make them understand that. 2 times they lost the their ace in the hole , be insistent and make them know how you want this resolved. If they can’t resolve the problem with their locos go somewhere else. Also you are paying for a device that is supposed to operate a certain way for a certain amount of time In my opinion you shouldn’t be repairing or asking if someone can help repair a new item. That the manufacturer should be tending to, Also you run the risk of voiding any warranty by trying to repair it your self. I put together a large Xmas display and by second hand items that need repair and enjoy making those repairs but when I purchase new and there is a issue it goes right back to the seller. Menards can afford to replace or refund money for defective sold items. Good luck!
Jeremy of to many hobbys had simalar problem but sounds like u found his video u can use couple jumper wires to power it and see if both trucks are turning also look at lubrication and if trucks have any binding
No problem wish u best I haven't had problems with mine that aren't screw that holds motor to trucks can work loose but usaly here it scweeking would take zip strap off the back motor wires to give it slack sure acts like one motor not running would remove shrink rap on all motor leads the shrink rap may make it fill tight but actually be broak loose underneath
That could be a mechanical problem. I would try it with some transformer test leads with alligator clamps, directly connected to a transformer, and see if it runs the same. I have bought conventional can motored engines that surge with restricted speeds like that. I have found them with missing or dried grease and misaligned worm and helix gears. The gears and motor mounting parts are milled to very accurate tolerances, and the slightest misalignment can cause erratic running. They need periodic maintenance based on run time. I have found that even new engines are not adequately greased. Try spinning the flywheels on top of the motors by hand. They should spin uniformly super easy without restrictions or sporadically. Some are even sent purposely without gear grease and / or oil intentionally so as not to leak on everything inside the box and require servicing before running for the first time. I have also had engines with slightly loose motor mounts. The black metal ring attached to the bottom of the can motor. Wiggle the motor with it mounted to the truck sitting on the track and see if you can detect any play. Most can motors are attached to the trucks by a single screw and can easily be removed for servicing. I reattach them by spinning the flywheels to draw the worm shaft down into mesh with the helical gear on the axel. Once installed, the flywheels will spin super easy without binding while turning the wheels in the trucks.
I’d say it’s likely a combination of dirty track and the need for additional feeder wires which is causing your loss of power on certain sections of track.
I started my trains with Menards products. My recommendation to you is buy from Lionel and Mth. Menards products are lower quality and eventually problems arise with them.
I would run a pair of feeder wires where your bridges are. It looked to me like there is a voltage drop at that area. Try that and see if it makes a difference……
What power pack are you using?? The Menard's loco needs a little more power than the traditional locosa. Also your power pack needs to be on full power if you want the Menard's loco to run faster. Good luck
@@davevan8864 Thank you for the information I am using a Lionel it’s 90 watts I tested the track it’s getting right at 18v I have it cranked all the way up 🚂🚂🚂
I had an axle seize up on my Beta 4.5 powered model. I had to take the bogie/truck off, used a lot of lubricant until I was able to spin the axle freely by hand, added some lubricant to the other axle just to be safe, and put it back together. So far I haven’t had any problems, but I still keep listening for a squeaking noise the model made before the seizure. As well as oiling the gears and axles as best I can before each use when it hasn’t been ran in a while.
Nice! Menard’s hit a home run with this one. Their O gauge line-up is pretty good. I use a lot of their track, especially O96 and O72. I have a few of their freight cars, as well. It’s good that they went with simpler trucks, with the rotating bearing caps, but no springs. Good stuff, all the way around. An excellent video, as always.
@@johnandrus3901 Thank you I appreciate that 🚂 yes I really like this cattle car I think I am getting the four pack Thank again for you kind words 🚂🎃🚂🎃
Not sure if it's still early but our manards not as stocked as mutch as usaly with train stuff think they had one of those cars though ur right think it would look good with steam engine lional dose have some nice cheaper lyon chief engines but still looking at 400 dollars
They probably will stock more once Christmas gets closer u can always shop the used market for a engine maybe u can get lucky at a auction or yardsale 😊
That white thing is your dynamic brake blister. It does go on top of the engine like you had it. Some railroads ordered dynamic brakes on their diesels, some did not, it usually depended on how hilly the track profile was.
Nothing wrong with your track. I’m not a fan of the O track but Mainly because of the looks. I prefer the smaller O27 rails. Some people just are not a fan of tube track but I think it has it’s advantages.my question is why is that tender in front of the caboose? 😁
Nice haul! I like the ‘cabeese’, they are in nice shape. The higher-end ones were lit and most had the coupler on one end. The smoking one is real cool. The log dump cars are decent, for sure. As another commenter mentioned, that 3830 flat had the submarine load. The sub had a V-shaped slot on the bottom, where you slid the sub into those retainer clips. You can get all of the missing pieces from dealers and collectors at shows and on the internet. You can make the logs out of dowels, they work just fine. Either way, nice stuff, for sure. An excellent video, as always.
I would take it back and get a new one. They usually have a return policy. Menards owner takes the trains seriously so if you take it back and tell them it was like this when you bought it and want to exchange it for the same then they should do it.
I've bought hundreds of engines. All of them used. I don't have any of the new Menards train engines, so I can't speak for any of them. I do have the Menards Tubular track. It's extremely unlikely that the track would cause that kind of damage. I've only bought one very old steam engine that had lived a very rough life that had bent axles and wheels. I'm guessing something heavy was placed on top of it or dropped or both. It wouldn't be likely to receive that kind of damage just by dropping it without damaging something else other than the wheels unless it perfectly landed on just the wheels. It's possible that a defective wheel was pressed on, but the other wheels are out of alignment also and seem to suggest that the whole truck assembly received some kind of damage, possibly before assembly and was assembled with a complete defective truck assembly. This also could be a factory reject that slipped pass inspection. It's a bad idea to run it with the wheels like that as it will cause excessive wear on the bearings, axles, wheels, gears, and undesirable track wear. I would return it for a replacement if that's the way you got it. I checked my local Menards Saturday, and they put out the train items. They had several Milwaukee Road and CN&W sets on the shelf. If it's past their 90-day limit, they should still issue you store credit. Since it's an operable engine, they might not take it back since you waited so long. They have always accepted anything I've returned, but I've always returned malfunctioning electrical and operating items the next day. It's no secret that Menards train items tend to have their issues from time to time. It's like their customers are performing their quality control issues. At least their trying to bring some decent affordable train items to their customers.
Well some people can only criticize….. doesn’t encourage people to do better just tears down….. anyway, if it were my loco I would prob attempt to bend that wheel back straight by inserting a small screw driver behind it and pry it out from the frame, check it , do it again , etc but do it slowly and not to hard and I bet you could get that wobble reduced to where it’s not so noticeable…. Just my thoughts , but I think you are doing a great job! Ignore the haters…..
I guess you got what you paid for and didn’t get. China typical JUNK. I would return it and get my money back. And chalk it up to lessons learned for the next time.
