Purchased this new, old stock, Kline 40369-12097 (K3400-98DC) 0-6-0 steam switcher a while back. It has been residing on my layout, but not run, for more than a year. This engine is equipped with Lionel Railsounds and Trainmaster Command. It is programmed and responds to TMCC commands. However, the performance of this engine is disappointing. It requires excess throttle to get moving, and once moving requires reduction of throttle to keep an even speed. It does not like curves. Any curve in the rails causes it to slow down and then requires significant increase in throttle to sustain speed. Minimum curves on my layout are 72 inch. It doesn't like grades and requires significant increase in throttle to maintain speed on any grade. My grades are about max 4 percent. My other command engines will pull long, heavy trains over my grades. Is this performance typical of 0-6-0 steam switchers?
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