A BIG THANK YOU to Espeelark (Paul Mac)

[Josephbw]

I have a new Athearn F45 that started exhibiting the same symptoms that your engine did, with all the starting and stopping. So tonight I took the trucks out and found a real mess inside.

I bought this engine with the understanding that it was a brand new in-the-box engine, wrong. The trucks looked like someone had dumped half a bottle of Labelles oil in it and followed up with half a tube of their grease.

Then I think they set up an oval of track under the Christmas tree right on the carpet and ran every day non-stop all December. It was full of all kinds of hair and mostly carpet fuzz.

So I pulled the trucks out and disassembled them and cleaned everything up. Then I used a riffler file to remove the black coating in the bearing pockets, put it back together, and now it runs like it should.

So thanks again Paul for describing the issue and the repair.

Joe

[Espeelark]

Only too glad to hear that Joe!
I've started to make an effort to "pay it forward". This was one example. Yes it takes time to take photos, write a meaningful description, upload it, etc., but, if I can save someone from the hair-pulling I went through that's reward enough.
I used to be of the mind-set of "who cares about this or that little thing I'm doing or discovered"? I've decided B.S. to that. If I've had an issue, or think it's something of value (real value mind you, not just self-aggrandizing drivvle), then I'm going to make an effort to post it.