So I'm having issues all over the place. I got some new Atlas 53' stack cars and figured that my layout keeps shorting out because of them. That would be easy enough to fix, so I yank them off the rails. Still shorting out. So it appears to be just one engine on the outside main and some newly converted pass cars on the inside main. The cars seem to be shorting on their brass brake shoes. I'll have to check further.
The engine, a MTH NP Challenger, ran good for about a week so I did not expect it to be the problem. I flipped her over to find some serious rub marks on the front of the engine from the pilot set of wheels. OK, I'll remove them and see if they're the cause of the shorting. As I go to lift the engine I notice several arc spots or divits on the front driver's middle wheel's tire. It should be isolated so it must be touching something for split seconds when running? I may have 2 shorts but this can't be good. I also notice a bright shiny spot on the metal steam pipe that is right above that tire. I'll have to grind that down and insulate the area?
I have another Challenger that's shorting so I'll be at this for awhile. Finding out the culprit(s!), has been tons of fun.
Yeap, that was it! I grinded an area out of the inside of that steam pipe and applied a piece of black tape to see if it wears there. I think I may need to add a spring to keep the boiler from touching that wheel on bumps. I didn't know my track work was so bad until I started running big steamers.
