MTH 2-8-8-2 Mallet 7032

Wheel slip is evidence of an adhesion (traction) issue, not a power issue. It slips because there is more power available, but it can't "get to the rails". 

Is this a RK 2-8-8-2? I am familiar with them from bashing projects, and they are great - but they do have a very stiff "backbone". I have no grades, but your steep ones could be actually lifting your "center tire" drivers (axles 4 and 5) off the rails (or at least reducing the axle loads) when entering the grade. A grade easement - like the real ones - will reduce or remove the issue.

Your PW engines are not long articulateds.

Agree with D, ….we need to know what you got before making suggestions…..post the item number, or pictures of your engine before guessing at the problem…….

Pat

Here is what I purchased.

This is a Premier, so you should be able to pull a house down with it. So here’s things to look at:

traction tires, see if they’re petrified, & hard as a rock, if they’re hard, sometimes it’s hard for them to spit them off, as you’d normally think a bad tire would do. If you suspect they’re hard as a rock, replace all 4 ( 2 per truck )

Nose heavy, be sure the engine sits well on your track, you can check this on a good level section of straight track. The tell tale of a nose heavy articulated engine would be the rear most driver set trying to easily lift off the rails. If suspect this, look at front engine pivot & suspension system.

your track, if you have lots of dips and valleys in your track work, irregardless of grades, drivers can leave the rails and lose traction. Not so much an issue for older, smaller traditional sized Postwar/Prewar stuff, so toss that notion out the window IMO,

Pat

I'd probably bet on the traction tires or perhaps the front engine is not getting drive.  Are all the wheels spinning?

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

I'd probably bet on the traction tires or perhaps the front engine is not getting drive.  Are all the wheels spinning?

Me too, …..I’ve seen tires so tired they allowed the driver to slip inside the tire. 😉

Pat

I followed the engine around very closely and I think some of the issues are track related, as Pat suspected, and I can correct those.  I also think that along a curve some of the drivers may loose a little traction and when the curve is on a grade it makes it worse. I will replace the tires so I am starting out clean. I don't think the engine has been run much, but sitting in storage many years I suppose can cause issues for the rubber tires. I am also planning to change part of the layout and "soften" the steepest grades I have as well as clean up some of the areas with imperfections that are more obvious than when running one of my older locomotives over the same area. I am glad I bought this engine, it's a beautiful locomotive and watching it very closely running over the track, I think using it as a "test" while completing the layout will provide much better track in the future.

I know I have one slight dip in one of my short loops, and the Sunset 3rd Rail 4-12-2 found it.  Depending on the exact locomotive, it doesn't take much to expose track issues.

@Andy S posted:

I followed the engine around very closely and I think some of the issues are track related, as Pat suspected, and I can correct those.  I also think that along a curve some of the drivers may loose a little traction and when the curve is on a grade it makes it worse. I will replace the tires so I am starting out clean. I don't think the engine has been run much, but sitting in storage many years I suppose can cause issues for the rubber tires. I am also planning to change part of the layout and "soften" the steepest grades I have as well as clean up some of the areas with imperfections that are more obvious than when running one of my older locomotives over the same area. I am glad I bought this engine, it's a beautiful locomotive and watching it very closely running over the track, I think using it as a "test" while completing the layout will provide much better track in the future.

If it’s been in storage for many years as you say, a complete servicing would be step 1 ….to do a thorough service, I’d remove the shell, grease & lube everything in sight. Including a full service of the Pittman, and a full set of tires. A little TLC will go along way…..

Pat