I recently had a loco that would crawl and stall in the exact same spot every time. At first, I thought it was track-related, but turns out one of the pickup wipers had bent slightly out of position and wasn’t making good contact with the wheel. A gentle tweak with tweezers and a quick clean with isopropyl alcohol got it rolling smooth again.
Another time, I chased a “dead decoder” issue for way too long—only to realize one motor lead had broken loose inside the heat shrink. 🤦♂️ Re-soldered it, and everything came back to life.
One tip I always pass on: if something runs fine in one direction but not the other, check your power leads or wheel gauge—sometimes the simplest things cause the weirdest symptoms.
0
credits