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.
Ever had a loco that ran beautifully one day… and barely crawls the next? Or maybe it stalls on curves, runs hot, or refuses to respond to DCC commands?
This is the thread to ask, share, and solve the head-scratchers.
💬 What issue are you facing right now?
🧰 What have you already tried?
🔧 Have you found a surprising fix others should know?
Let’s talk gearboxes, wiring gremlins, cracked gears, dirty pickups, and all the sneaky stuff that can throw a locomotive off its rails.
Newbies and seasoned troubleshooters welcome—every tip or tale helps someone!
