So, I got the Pennsy M1 reset to factory default, and got the handrails glued back on. It seems to be running just fine. The speed control works as it should, the sounds are excellent and I haven't had a bit of trouble from the drawbar. However, as I was running it last night I heard a very quiet clicking sound coming from the locomotive as it would pass by. I got down close to the track a slowed the locomotive down. The clicking is very rhythmic, and sounds mechanical in nature. The faster the locomotive goes the faster the clicking. It is hardly noticeable with the sounds on, however with the sounds turned off you can definitely hear it. It's not loud by any means, but I'm just not sure what it could be. I have oiled all of the running gear, and it's not the fan for the smoke unit, as that is an entirely different sound. If I had to guess where the sound is coming from, it appears to be toward the middle or back half of the locomotive. Any ideas? Perhaps it's perfectly normal and I should just run it until something stops working
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Check your rollers. Lately, for some reason, MTH contact rollers have a tendency to make a clicking noise when they a running down the track.
Does the sound increase and decrease in frequency with the speed of the loco?
If so, the rollers might be the culprit. A puff of graphite powder should help. If you use oil, it will work as well, but then you always run the risk of the oil picking up other junk.
Is the "clickity-clack" feature enabled? Dave G.
Sound mechanical in nature. I would look for maybe the eccentric rod rubbing the side rod or a loose side rod screw that has backed out slightly and a rod is striking it.
Ditto Chuck Sator's opinion. I had this problem and it was the valve gear. It turns out that I picked up the engine by manhandling the valve gear and it bent.
I'm with Chuck and Bobby on this one. Check all the drive rod screws.
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Dennis
I have a K-Line Big Boy that clicks as it goes. I found that oiling the drive rods fixed it. When it click I know it needs more oil.
Well guys, it was the pick-up rollers. I took it off the tracks and put a drop of oil on each roller. Put it back on and turned the sounds off, no more clicking. I also oiled the axles for the drive wheels while I had it off the track. Thanks for the advice! As usual, I got top notch advice from the great folks on this forum!