[cju1979]

Was father in laws...

F9 Sante Fe "diesel" car and 2 passenger cars. Connected track and original power thingy and the light lit up on the engine :^) But the engine does not make any sound and will not go. Wheels on axles seem non-moving or stuck. Will a local hobby shop fix or am I better off trying to get another engine to pull the cars? Stuff on Ebay looks cheap enough...

Any other way to test the engine car to see if the motor is ok?

 

[alcoman]

The light works because lights don't require much current. It's probably dimmer than it should be.

The track and the electrical pick-up points on the diesel are probably in need of serious cleaning. The diesel may work again after a clean and a lube, or it could need some serious effort to make it work. Tyco is not known for high quality.

 

[tkruger]

What is the track made of? Brass corrodes and will need to be cleaned. This could cause what you see. I had a set of Tyco track that was steel, that was worse than the brass as it rusted. Try cleaning the track and give it a try. Better yet touch one wire from the terminals on the power pack to each side of the truck that picks up the power. If that causes the thing to start to move then it is definitely the track. If you have a multi meter test the leads on the power pack to make sure the voltage is correct. Also verify that the track is connected to the DC and not the AC terminals on the power pack.

 

[shaygetz]

Welcome...sounds like a good clean and lube is in order. How handy are you?

 

[alcoman]

Someone else had this problem. Check this thread:

http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?t=1882