8 year old future trainman needs assistance

The year and/or model number of the particular scout engine would probably help.

I've seen some small engines delivered with only one tire. It leaves you with three metal wheels for common rail connectivity.

Guessing they can't pull enough weight to need more than one tire anyway.

working on that - thanks Richie C.

Which transformer is he using?  

Intermittent power...It's possible that there is an undetected short in the track, wiring, engine, etc, causing the transformer's circuit breaker to break on/off.  My son has one of the 1990s NYC Flyer sets with a small transformer.  Occasionally, there will be an undetected axel dragging that will cause the breaker to cycle. 

If they continue to have trouble and can not find the issue themselves, I would suggest going to Train Town, a great shop in St. Louis.  I live in St. Louis and have had wonderful experiences with them in both repairs and purchases.  I'm sure they would be willing to do some testing for them of the train and the transfomer to see if there is an issue to be fixed.  

Thanks for all suggestions - he is using a Lionel 1033 - have been to Train Town when visiting St. Louis - will go that route if not solved by late April when I visit.

I know your limited in trying to help from 1000 miles away.  It would be nice to be able to troubleshoot to try to isolate whether the issue is the transformer, the train, or the track/wiring.  For what it is worth, I've had a bad piece of track where the insulation on the center rail wore through and was causing a short.  I've also had a wire wear through in the tender causing a short.  If they are able to eliminate some of these possibilities, you will be getting closer to the root cause. 

If no obvious wiring or other shorts in the train/tender itself, they could look more at the transformer.

I'm not saying this is definitely the issue, but in line with the symptoms you described, those 1033s have been known to have their circuit breaker go bad - or at least fall out of proper adjustment.  The original circuit breaker has an adjustment screw that they can attempt to adjust to see if that fixes the issue.  If that fails, replacing the circuit breaker is a simple job, although it would require soldering skills.

Here is a link to the the service documents generously hosed by Olsen's Toy Trains: http://pictures.olsenstoy.com/searchcd31.htm?itm=640

Is the issue only with the Scout or does it happen with other engines as well ?

Unless he reports that the drive wheels are slipping while the train is running, I doubt it has anything to do with the traction tire or lack thereof.

He only has one engine - he has requested a diesel so I will see what I can find at shows - Thanks!

What track does he have? How is it setup? Is it screwed to a board? When I have intermittent power problems, it is sometimes the track has worked loose. Fastrack is very susceptible to the slightest unevenness of a base, like a warped board. I also had a problem once where one wheel on one car was off the track. The train ran fine except on a certain curve.

George