I was running my new LL SW 8 last night when the front truck locked up and derailed it....I pulled the front truck and wheels wouldn't turn I knocked out the pin and pulled the first gear out..Since everything is black and my old eyes are not that good anymore I can't see anything wrong..Anybody have any trouble like this or have any ideas how to fix?...Jerry
If it was running well beforehand, I'd wonder if you picked up a bit of grit. Such as ballast. Which jammed it. Boxcab E50
Cox 1947, Have experienced the same problem. The gears can pick up a stray piece of ballast or some other debris and just lock up. Remove the truck and try slowly turning the the input worm gear and looking at the gear teeth. You will possibly find the bit of junk caught in the gear teeth. Just remove it with some tweezers, refit the truck and all should be OK. Gary
Stray pieces of ballast have given me fits also, but only with diesels, not steam. After disassembly to allow the gears to spin, I use the small end of a toothpick slightly moistened with oil to slide the ballast out to the side of the gear teeth where it can be lifted out. BTW, the magnifying lens in a bench lamp helps tremendously. Lessons learned...ensure that the ballast has been glued to the roadbed securely, then run a low volume vacuum nozzle around to pick up what ballast pieces didn't get glued securely.
