Hey guys - I just purchased a "new" Lionel 6-11103 SOUTHERN PS-4 SCALE 4-6-2 PACIFIC #1403. It had never been out of the box - truly brand new. It was made in 2005-2006 however, and so it's been sitting unused quite a while. When I opened her up, one side of her rear tender truck had snapped off (clean break) and I had to repair it. Must've been dropped in shipment.
The first time I started her up, she moved about halfway round the track then started sputtering out and then stopped. If I turn the speed dial up or down, she'll move again, but only for a few moments before sputtering out.
I noticed that the headlight would start flickering right before this happened, and I also noticed that when I grab hold of the antennas on either side of the loco, the light stops flickering and the loco moves without a problem.
However, I don't want to hold the loco all the way round the track to get her to move! Also, she runs just fine in conventional mode. All of my other Legacy and TMCC engines are doing just fine.
So, is this an issue with the antenna's on the loco? Is this something you would send back to the seller for a full refund, or can it be easily repaired? I love the engine, and would prefer to keep her if I could.
Thanks for any and all input!