Problem with Atlas Mogul

I have one of the new tiny Atlas Mogul’s and frankly it doesn’t run very well. It’s jerky as all get out. I suspect it is a pickup problem. I’m trying to decide whether to send it off somewhere to have a decoder put in it but with the way it’s running on DC, I’d be stupid to spend the money on a decoder install especially when you consider that the decoder will have to go in the tender which will probably mean removing some of the weight.

Has anyone had a similar experience with bad pickup and is there any solution? …Tom

 

Tom:

Try adding some weight to the tender of the Atlas 2-6-0. That should help with tender contacts on the rails.

BTW here is a site for the decoder installation of a MDC 2-6-0 Mogul.UP Phill did the installation using a TCS decoder.

Decoder installation for 2-6-0 Mogul

 

I've got a Micro-Ace.... and discovered the same thing.

Remember only the REAR tender truck has pickup. I managed to get a little wire wiper on the front tender truck axles wedged in so that it got one side of the track, but what really made the difference was putting in a big ol' hunka lead on the tail of the tender.

Now.... How the De-Rayle do you hide THAT???

Luckily I model a logging railroad - and they don't score points for appearance. And, remember that the water hatches on that tender were at the FRONT sides, not necessaily the usual center back, so you could techically 'get away' with piling coal on the tender deck and still get water in. My 2-6-0 now has a big pile of coal over a lumpa lead, and runs quite well.

 

Is it just the picture, or does that tender actually sag in the rear?

 

Thanks, guys. Exactly what I was looking for. ...Tom

 

It's not on rails, and shot with a wide-angle on macro, so I'm pretty sure that's distortion. Anyway, when I look at it it is still square.

Oh, one CRITICAL misjudgement I made was to white-glue the load down with the tender assembled. Glue leaked through into the pickups and she completely shut down. I got everything apart to clean it, but that wasn't my finest hour.

 

Mine runs fine. Nice engine!

 

Wipers-

I have two very old steamers with lousy pickup in the tenders- I know how to weight it, but where can I get the wipers ?

 

Tender pickups are pure trouble - they corrode, drag, gunk wheels, etc., etc. I tried soldering in wipers, they eventually fracture the wire. Get them tight enough to work, they drag. Too loose, they spark. When I could, I moved pickups up to the drivers and got rid of traction tires and pickup wipers. Did that on an Atlas 2-8-2 and an old Bachmann4-8-4.

Kato trucks that run 'frictionless' using dual insulated wheels and end-axle brass pickups (like the other Kato passenger trucks and tenders) are available on the little 8-wheel caboose. They sell the caboose frame separately on Katousa.com. That's a cool part.

I'm taking one of those caboose frames and redoing my Atlas 4-6-2 tender deck. If I'm going to work hard to have to replace those stupid pickup wheels, wipers, and all, I may as well do it right.

I'll keep y'all in the loop here. Those caboose trucks are still WAY too big for the 2-6-0, but they used the same philosophy with frictionless, end-axle, dual pickups in the Kato style. They just didn't do it to both trucks...