AT&SF Norhtern Pilot Shorting Problem

It sounds really lame...but I cut a piece of electrical tape (black) and smooth it underneath. Cut to fit the v shape. I have a few locomotives that suffer this issue and this simple fix is very effective.

John

@VegasTrains posted:

See the photos, this is the front of the Lionel 2031160 Santa Fe Northern. The tolerance between the cow catcher and the middle rail is less than the thickness of an index card. Frequent shorts are the result. Has anyone else had this issue, and is there a way to re-position the cow catcher?

Pilot probably go knocked askew in shipping. I have one of the locomotives from that run (2031170, road number 3759) and the screws holding the pilot are barely long enough to secure it. Flip the locomotive over, loosen the screws holding the pilot to the chassis, bend the pilot up so it clears the track, tighten the screws. Problem solved.

I can tell the pilot on your locomotive is loose as the handrail on the engineers side is out of the stanchion on the pilot.

@Lou1985 posted:

Pilot probably go knocked askew in shipping. I have one of the locomotives from that run (2031170, road number 3759) and the screws holding the pilot are barely long enough to secure it. Flip the locomotive over, loosen the screws holding the pilot to the chassis, bend the pilot up so it clears the track, tighten the screws. Problem solved.

I can tell the pilot on your locomotive is loose as the handrail on the engineers side is out of the stanchion on the pilot.

Lou, is the hand rail the antenna too??….boy if it is, the OP will be in trouble with a shorted out antenna soon?…..no??.

Pat

@harmonyards posted:

Lou, is the hand rail the antenna too??….boy if it is, the OP will be in trouble with a shorted out antenna soon?…..no??.

Pat

Yes the handrail is the antenna. The end fits into a plastic stanchion on the air compressor shield. The handrail on the OP's locomotive is hitting the diecast air compressor shield, probably shorting out the antenna as well.

Almost surely something is bent, either the pilot or the mounting.  It's usually the pilot in my experience.  I have the same model, the  2031170, and my pilot doesn't drag like that.

I have seen a different locomotive from the same run with this issue. Check screws for the pilot.

if that’s good simply slowly pull up on the pilot to bend it up, just bend it slightly you don’t need much

It should look like this. Plenty of gap between the pilot and rails.

Also make sure the handrails are in the stanchions like this.

Screws holding the pilot are here. You'll have to remove the boiler to access them.

@Lou1985 posted:

It should look like this. Plenty of gap between the pilot and rails.

Also make sure the handrails are in the stanchions like this.

Screws holding the pilot are here. You'll have to remove the boiler to access them.

From the Photo's, it looks like you have plenty pr normal clearance,  use a piece of clear tape under the pilot, then  go over you track , with a plastic level to male sore its not your tube track!   A hump on the middle rail. You are running a precise model, over a  track product that never was!

@Dave Koehler posted:

From the Photo's, it looks like you have plenty pr normal clearance,  use a piece of clear tape under the pilot, then  go over you track , with a plastic level to male sore its not your tube track!   A hump on the middle rail. You are running a precise model, over a  track product that never was!

Yeah my model is fine. I posted the pictures so the original poster could see how his is supposed to look. The original poster's model has the pilot too low, not mine.