North Pole Central Lines X-Mas Set Not Working - Help!!!!

If you haven’t already done this...then you might want to replace the batteries in the remote and then give it a try...

Just put in fresh batteries, same thing.

I think I've taken apart 20 different engines before but have now met my match. 

Will it restart on a different section of track. If so check the track section for proper power/dirty track or bad fastrack connection.

oldmike

Negative.  Checked track with another conventional locomotive and it worked fine.  The cab light no longer flashes and stays on steady now.  Music from loco works fine.  So I've deduced that power is not the issue. 

I'm led to believe that it has to be the e-unit getting knocked into neutral. 

Lionchief engines don't really have E-Units.  Normally there'd be a switch under the cab to lock it in one direction if it was a conventional engine, but Lionchief engines don't have that feature since the remote choses what direction you go.

Check for anything that may have gotten wound around an axle.  Hair, carpet fibers, etc. can get wound around the axles and bind the mechanism up, especially if its been running on a floor layout.

Another possibility, a friend of mine has a Lionchief 0-6-0 which I've had to disassemble a few times.  The smoke unit piston is a very tight fit in the cylinder and can bind up and prevent the motor from turning the axles.  My LC 0-6-0 hasn't had this issue yet, but I've fixed it on his several times.

I checked the wheels/axles last night and there was some cottony "snow" wound around the axles etc.. I took the wheel mechanisms/drive rods off and cleaned it all up.  I didn't realize the smoke unit piston could possibly have become tangled up as well.  That may be my culprit. 

If that's the case, how do I take the shell off?  I've taken every screw out of the bottom (and behind on the bumper) and the shell still doesn't come free. Am I missing something here?

Jake, you said "The smoke unit piston is a very tight fit in the cylinder and can bind up and prevent the motor from turning the axles.  My LC 0-6-0 hasn't had this issue yet, but I've fixed it on his several times.", how did you clean the gunk from the smoke unit piston?

To remove the shell, there should be a screw behind each cylinder at the front, and I believe the two screws on the rear of the coal bunker (I'm positive about the front end, not so positive about the rear since it's been about a year since I had one apart).

As far as the piston, you might be able to sand it down slightly with some fine sandpaper.  Neither time I repaired his was in a very good place to do a proper repair, so I just oiled it lightly with some labelle oil and got it running for the rest of the event we were at.  I recall this was a common issue discussed here on the forum, so you may be able to search for old posts about it.  I don't remember what others did to get theirs back up and running again.

So, I got the shell off.  I dissassembled the smoke unit, and checked the plunger.  I lubed up the smoke piston/plunger and tested.  It moves freely.  When I reassembled, placed on my main track, fired it up, same thing; music, lights, work fine.  When I try to move it forward or backwards, the amperage draw spikes up to 5.5 amps!  Why would it do that?  Does that mean the motor is fried or hung up somehow?  I didn't see anything wrong with it. 

At 5.5 amps it’s definitely a mechanical issue. Can you spin the motor by hand?. If not then check for binding. If yes the perhaps the motor is gone.

Motor will spin about half a turn, then seizes up.  That's gotta be the problem.  What would cause a pretty much brand new motor to do that?

Do you have set # 6-82545?

Check the motor gear to the wheel set gear alignment. Loose motor screw(s)? Bad gear on either one? Wheelset/Axle loose

my next thought would be the siderods binding. Picking it up and grabbing the sides can bend things

Check the cam for the smoke unit - Is that binding or anything broken with the push rod?

Find your receipt and call Lionel on Monday if your are within a year of the purchase. get a warranty claim started. No receipt? Ask if they will accept a copy of the card transaction from a statement.

Moonman, yes, it's set 6-82545.  Smoke unit cam is ok and is the pushrod.  The siderods are a little bent, just noticed that. 

So, I just took all the wheels and drive rods off.  Once off, the motor spun freely.  When I put it back togethor, it works!  Sluggish, but at least it's moving.  I believe something has to be bent on one of the drive rods.

Hmmn, have you added any track? 

The wall pack that is included with the set barely has enough juice for the circle. The optional 74 watt wall pack is the solution.

Do you have an AC powered track to test it the engine on?

Did you look at the gear on the drive wheel set axle? Any teeth messed up?

I've been testing it on my main track.  Plenty of power.  It's moving now, just very slowly.  Gear appears to be ok.  I unbent the siderods also. 

Although it moves now, it's still drawing about 3 amps which seems a bit high.  That's still better than last week when it was drawing about 5.

Yeah, that's strange. 

Are you still in the warranty period?  Put the call in and get on record. You can ship it after the holidays.

The LionChief are a pain for repairs. It's only the one main board. Lionel usually replaces the engine.

if it has a smoke off switch, try turning it off. That could possibly eliminate a smoke element that has failed.

Just strange that it gets put away ok and comes out with problem.

Quick question regarding the wall pack.  If you want to have a much bigger track layout for this, do you have to break it up into zones with zone getting its own wall pack?  Or do you just setup "traditonal" wiring and set the voltage to the sweet spot?

This idea that you need a larger transformer when you simply add more track is incorrect.

You need a transformer with a higher amperage rating when you start drawing more power — such as when you add accessories, lighted cars or a more powerful locomotive.

When you add track, you tend to lose voltage, due to resistance at rail joints and from the metal itself. The solution is to add feeder wires to the more distant sections.

Obviously, something else is causing the locomotive to drawing more amperage, in this particular case. 

BwanaBob posted:

Quick question regarding the wall pack.  If you want to have a much bigger track layout for this, do you have to break it up into zones with zone getting its own wall pack?  Or do you just setup "traditonal" wiring and set the voltage to the sweet spot?

I'm going to try out two 72 watt 4 amp DC power packs on my 17x10 around the room layout.   I have ran it with two out of the set power packs, and I have ran it with two CW80s on AC.   Going to use the 72 watt units because the smaller ones got "warm" ..  Zones may be a good option it my layout gets any bigger!

Jim

You can use feeder lines with a wall pack? I did not know that.  I thought it plugged directly to one of the special hookup tracks. 

BwanaBob posted:

You can use feeder lines with a wall pack?

Yes, there is nothing in the FasTrack architecture that prevents this or makes it any different than any other FasTrack layout. Every full-size(and most smaller) piece of FasTrack has connection tabs underneath to accommodate feeders.

Part of the LionChief system that resulted in DC power for the tracks was the expectation that layout expansions would need more power to reach distant trackage beyond several rail joints. Using DC would ensure that additions of more standard or optional power packs would not cause phasing issues, which is very important otherwise with AC powered layouts.

Adding more standard or optional power packs is rather foolproof from the perspective of avoiding shorts or over-voltage, even if connected in parallel, to a point, with average to above-average size layouts.