Atlas O 30134026 Rio Grande F7B #5583 runs slowly in reverse and short the consist with 3 other powered units

I just received an Atlas O 0134040 Amtrak F7B #153 unpowered that shorts out my ZW-L transformer immediately.

There are no switches on the bottom of the engine, no smoke unit, no sound, and no lights, yet the F7B unpowered engine has four pick-up rollers on the bottom of the non-powered Atlas O F7B unit. I did the repair Bill S. at Atlas suggested, and the engine still shorts the layout. He also suggested I gut the engine and take all of the pick-up rollers off the non-powered engine. 

Shouldn't the Atlas O F7B unpowered engine work as manufactured?

Its an unpowered B unit with no lights or smoke? What exactly do you want it to do?

Most likely the wires inside the shell are causing the short since they are not connected to anything. I also remove all the rollers on my Atlas dummies just reduce the drag. The rollers serve absolutely no purpose so just remove them.

Otherwise send it back and get ANOTHER refund. It seems you spend more time sending stuff back and worth than enjoying the hobby. Part of this hobby requires doing a little repair and maintenance every now and then...... yes even new items 

I found that Atlas O did not power check the 3014040 Amtrak F7B non-powered unit. They probably inspected the body only. If power had been applied, it would have shorted out.

The unit had no insulation between the roller plate base and the black front truck frame for the second roller. It made a direct short that blackened the base of the pick-up roller base.  (See photos.)

I do repair engines when I can. I have re-glued the Antenna brass plate into the roof of three of my ten Atlas O F7 engines. The plate is hot glued with no overwrap or screw to secure the antenna plate. In the cold weather the metal plate pops right off the roof and down onto the computer boards below. This caused the red marker lights , number boards, and headlight to flicker.  Atlas's China factory also ran a blue switch wire through the 18-pin comb for the upper Computer board, rather than around it as the wire now goes and should have been routed according to Atlas O service.

When I pay for expensive engines I expect them to work. But with purchases in the last year over six figures, I bought all the headaches Lionel and Atlas had to offer. Fortunately my six Vision Line Big Boys worked perfectly.

I miss the simple days when a soldering iron fixed everything. I soldered several pick-up wires on my Atlas California Zephyr cars. Most of my Lionel Service repairs have been for pinched wires inside my new Allegheny, SP Lines GS4, UP FEF3, NYC ESE, or AC12 SP Cab Forward.  With pinched wires, there is often a second service call for when the sparked board fails. Many of my engines required two trips. One sound box car went back three times. There is a realistic limit to what we can do on these engines, especially when we still have a factory warranty.  I would never open a factory warranted steam engine.  Diesels are different and much easier. Pinched wires are usually not an issue due to the vast open space inside the engine. 

Many of my Lionel Wabash, NYC Empire State and C&O 21" passenger cars had sparking trucks, especially on the sound station diners. I am glad Lionel is reworking them.

I repair when I can, but I use my factory warranty.  In a year, I will be all on my own and willing to dig into the guts of the engines that fail.

John Rowlen posted:

Many of my Lionel Wabash, NYC Empire State and C&O 21" passenger cars had sparking trucks, especially on the sound station diners. I am glad Lionel is reworking them.

LED lighting upgrades, solves the sparking trucks by dropping the current 90-95%.