I have a Western Maryland Russian decapod from MTH, and over the past few years, it’s been sitting in a box because the nut that secures the eccentric assembly has kept coming loose when the engine runs. The engine broke its first eccentric assembly when the nut came loose and the lower elbow hit the the road part of a fastrack grade crossing causing the head to break, and I barely even had the engine for a full year at the time. I never got around to replacing it until 2 years later. Then somehow the part that secures the rod to the elbow broke off on its own. Now here I am. I ordered new sleeves (they’re for a decapod, not a Russian, but midge said they should work), an eccentric assembly, and the nut from MTH. I’ve run the loco without the eccentric assembly, and the nut doesn’t come off or come loose. I’ve tried to secure the nut a few times, but it’s either too tight causing the engine to not move or the number 4 and 5 axles to jam up. Is there something that I’m doing wrong? Maybe the gap between the eccentric elbow and the main rod is too big? Is it possible that a small piece of hardware is either broken or missing? What can I or should I do to fix this?
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