Lionel 28072 trouble

Could it be the grease has hardened?  White lithium grease will hardened. Or maybe something impeded in the wheels, like the brake pads?  Take a close look at those first… then maybe electronics?

Thanks for the reply.

Difficult for me to believe this is hardened grease if it just ran a couple months ago.  That's normally an issue with stuff a whole lot older than this one.

Since this has Odyssey, I'd suggest turning speed control off and seeing if that helps.  See page 5 of this User's Manual for the instructions on how to turn the Odyssey speed control off.

Look for a traction tire, an ornamental brake shoe, or other debris rubbing on the wheels.  Also, I'm not sure whether some Lionel locos from this era allowed the operator to set a "speed limit" for younger operators, etc.  If someone accidentally set a low speed limit, that could explain the sudden change in performance.  Follow the steps in your instruction manual to perform a "reset" and see if that restores normal operation.

Last suggestion... IF you are lucky enough to be using a Legacy CAB-2, make sure that you didn't accidentally apply the "train brake" slider!  This will definitely limit the top speed and response of the loco!  Good luck, and post back with what you find.

Thanks for the replies. I have been running this engine for over 2 months 4 or 5 times a week in convention mode with no problems. Next time I ran it would just run super slow no matter the voltage. It will run slow all day long with no problems. Nothing binding with the wheels or anything else. So I am thinking speed control in the electronic board somewhere malfunctioned. I run all my trains in conventional mode no Cab remotes as a factor. Same track another train runs fine.

This engine was released in 2001 and was supposed to have been equipped with Lionel’s Odyssey System for Speed Control, so perhaps the problem has something to do with the Odyssey system.

Good luck in resolving the issue!

This engine does have a DCDS motor driver. If the problem is electronic, this is likely the problem. Lionel no longer offers these but an ERR Cruise M will bolt right in and the engine will run even better than before.

I would first try reseating all the boards and connectors and if no joy then try see if you can locate a Cruise M. Unfortunately ERR shows them out of stock too.

Pete

@Ted S posted:

Also, I'm not sure whether some Lionel locos from this era allowed the operator to set a "speed limit" for younger operators, etc.  If someone accidentally set a low speed limit, that could explain the sudden change in performance.  Follow the steps in your instruction manual to perform a "reset" and see if that restores normal operation.

Well, that was right out of the manual for his locomotive...