I was writing to see if anyone has had problems with the Rivarossi 4-8-4 Northen in UP 844 markings. Mine will run for a few minutes then stall and make the overload light on the transformer come on. I ran it on another layout and it ran fine. I have tries other Riv. locos on the layout and they run fine. Sometimes I can put it on the tracks and I get nothing--except a bright red overload light on the transformer. Has anyone else had this problem? Thank you for your help & time, they are appreciated. Sincerely Jai
First of all did you make sure your connections don't have the wires sticking out the plastic covering and rubbing against one another? Second, make sure your connections are soldered to the tracks every few feet as feeder (power) to the track. If all else fails rewire the whole bloody thing and make sure the connections are good every where on the layout. I hope this helps a little, good luck!
I was opening the box of engines I have from the 1970's and it has a 4-8-4, so went and checked it in regard to your question. This was the first time this engine has been run, it is still brand new. It started foreward at about 3 volts, went half a revolution of the drivers....and locked up. The fireman's side piston rod came back, fell down off the crosshead guide, then wedged tight against the cylinder chest when it tried to go foreward. This seems to be the average for Rivarrossi's quality. You were lucky, at least your engine moved more than half a revolution before it stopped. Check to see if your engine is like mine. They mounted the cylinders too far foreward, which allows the piston rods to fall out when the driver comes to the full back stroke. I opened the 844 (Black one), and tried it. It started also and made it to the first switch then stopped. As I started to pick it up, there was a "Ping" !! I could see nothing that fell off, or that looked missing a part. Then I looked at the track. There was a bright scratch right across the curved rail on the switch! It turns out that (the steel spring anchor that controls the pilot truck) is made so low it hits any cross rail. It hangs down below the rail surface, and will stall or derail the engine in reverse. With the rubber band tires on its drivers, this engine is also a joke. It does have a loose wire at the motor, you can slip the wire in and out of the crimp, so that is where the intermittent run-stop-run comes from. Yours may be doing the same thing. If this wire came out, it could short, or fall over against the motor and run again. I don't think it was ever crimped at their factory, since this is the first time this box has been opened. Well that's two more Rivarossi engines that have to be re-worked. I just wish Rivarrossi would have simply sold these engines in kits and let us put them together correctly so at least they would run when they are new. Don't expect any help from Rivarossi, I have tried that and you get nowhere. They ripped us off and we just have to fix it ourselves.
thanks for the replies. the track works fine--bachmann EZ track NS. The terminal works fine too. ran other locos on the same tracks & they work fine. switched terminal to another independent loop and the loco (844) runs fine. Only the 844 does not run w/ terminal on the 1st Loop. Other locos work w/terminal on the 1st Loop. It does run (844) but not on that particular track w/that terminal. Wierd & confusing. Probably just going to settle on running 844 on second loop until next layout in the near future. jai Thanks for the replies everyone
