I just got my set today and I love it. The cars look excellent and the loco runs great, well mostly. I am having some problems where the loco will stall on right hand curves. I tried it forward and backwards and turned it around. It will stutter or stall, just depends on what it is doing. If I push on the tender or give it a little nudge it will start up agene. I am also having some problems that I think involves the kinematic couplers. When coming out of turns, not while in them but on the way out the first truck on random cars will derail. I checked the track and I do not think it is the problem. To me it almost seems as the couplers are hanging up and want to keep turning and then pull the truck off the track. I was thinking maybe some graphite in the coupler side-to-side slide area might help but wanted everyone’s thoughts first before I do that. Thanks, Kevin
Kevin, I've had mine for a few weeks now and have just started seeing what might be a similar issue with stalling. Mine needs a nudge to get started after it has been sitting overnight. This happens on any siding so track is not the issue.
I turned some of the cars around and the derailing issue has gone away. It is also doing much better on right hand curves now, I guess it just needed more break in time. On other thing I have noticed is it is slow. I have a Kato double track set with two identical MRC controllers and it takes twice the throttle for the Hiawatha to keep up with say a Kato 4-8-4 or 2-8-2. I am very happy with the set though and look forward to running it often. Kevin
One of Kato's claims to fame is gearing everything to have the same top speed as a bullet train so the Hiawatha's speed may be closer to being correct.
From your description, Mine is about the same speed. seems slower geared? or? But at teh same time, does not seem like it creeps as slow as it should considering the slower top end. The top end reminds me of my Bachmann Spectrum 2-8-0's. but I think those have a better slow speed. can't remember. but I think I will pull one out and compare. funny thing is, I believe the 4-4-2 Hiawatha would reach speeds of 100 mph on the route? so in this case, bullet train speed might be more like it. I think at slower speeds there is a slight wobble? well, not wobble, more like the wheel is not constant speed going around. as in the driving wheels slow a bit when the side rods get to a certain rotation. kinda pulsing? or??? looking for a good word to describe it. This is on MRC Dual pack 2800 DC pack. so maybe better on a quality DCC decoder. maybe just needs some break in, I have not run mine much.
I'm still waiting for a decoder and I left the power supply for my DC power pack at the club so I'm just running mine on DCC address 0 to see how it runs, so it might go faster on DCC.
