Help with lionel C&O hudson

please see video 

Jeremy,

Could the handrails be shorting on the frame...are all the stantions/ insulators in place?

Your hand rails are touching something somewhere....as mentioned above....as long as the boiler shell remains isolated from the chassis, it’s working correct? .....disconnect the shell from the locomotive and test continuity between the hand rails and boiler shell. If your tester rings with a probe on the shell, ( somewhere where there’s no paint) and the handrails, the handrails are no longer isolated from the boiler shell. Check everywhere the handrails can touch the shell, even inside where the wires are connected....sometimes these can become mashed to the ceiling from folks trying to get things apart and back together.....hope that helps!..........Pat

About a 100% chance the handrails are no longer isolated from the shell/chassis. Check them throughly to see where they are touching. 

harmonyards posted:

Your hand rails are touching something somewhere....as mentioned above....as long as the boiler shell remains isolated from the chassis, it’s working correct? .....disconnect the shell from the locomotive and test continuity between the hand rails and boiler shell. If your tester rings with a probe on the shell, ( somewhere where there’s no paint) and the handrails, the handrails are no longer isolated from the boiler shell. Check everywhere the handrails can touch the shell, even inside where the wires are connected....sometimes these can become mashed to the ceiling from folks trying to get things apart and back together.....hope that helps!..........Pat

ok so the shell checks out.    i got nothing when testing the hand rails to the boiler shell.   As soon as the shell makes soild contact with chassis i loose signal.   i’ve tried it with the antenna disconnected and connected from the board.   no change 

some photos

https://www.lionelsupport.com/...f9-943e-3ac3b7d6cad4.

I assume you lost a insulator. You could untwist the 2 wires from each handrail. Then ohm out each hand rai to the chassis. This will let you determine if it is one side or the other ...

Are you sure something isn’t touching the two exposed antenna ends in the shell? Where the wires meet the handrails? Looks like a prime place for a short.....Pat

I tend to agree with Pat.  If you didn't have continuity between the handrails and the shell, then I'd bet those exposed connectors inside the shell are touching a component (Motor, E unit, etc.) on the frame when you set the shell down.

I agree with the others , get heat shrink rap around these hand rail connections. Most likely touching something 

Alex 

harmonyards posted:

Are you sure something isn’t touching the two exposed antenna ends in the shell? Where the wires meet the handrails? Looks like a prime place for a short.....Pat

i went ahead and heat shrunken these.   Good to go now thanks for all the help.   one of the connectors was barley making contact with a metal bracket on the chassis.  I was able to manipulate the connector a bit and heat shrink to be safe.   All is well.   Thank you all. 

Am amazing amount of knowledge here that help us. Glad to hear it is fixed and working.