C-WW I am about to begin a search into why my IHC locomotives run poorly. I have two consolidations that run with stalls and hesitations. One runs well on Bachman snap track but poorly on a well laid Atlas layout. Track is clean, wheels are clean. I will tear down one engine and contact leads to motor working outward until I reach the wheel contacts. I may rework the wiring to make the tender a pickup for the locomotive instead of the tender light. Does anyone have any suggestions before I re-invent the wheel? Both locomotives and a Pacific ran well out of the box, developing problems later on. Oh yes, the backside of the main drivers have been well cleaned for the contacts. [ March 29, 2006, 04:24 PM: Message edited by: watash ]
<font color="336633">Is it the normal "american way" of picking up power for a steam loco? with one side of the loco picking up power and the oposite side of the tender? if so its proberbly just poor design. what sort of pickups has it got? how many pickups has it got?</font>
I've got one of the 2-6-0's that ran great at first,well not great!, but it also runs in its only way, it picks up power from one side of the engine and from the tender, it also looks very "stiff" when going over tiny bumps in the track. I took the motor out of one and used it to repower an old MDC switcher, it runs better than the 2-6-0. So your probably right in the fact that its the design more than anything else. Dieselbldr
I opened the box on a brand new IHC 4-8-2 and just tried it, it runs, but there are 4 holes in the smokebox front that I will guess may have been provided to mount twin air pumps, but no airpumps!!! I noticed it through the cellophane and wrote to IHC to buy two airpumps from them. They never answered. The engine looks alright, and it 'will' run, and it is brand new. That's all. I think IHC is a piss poor manufacturer! [ 21 July 2001: Message edited by: watash ]</p>
Yes I agree that IHC is clearly near the bottom. However I am collecting as many wheel arangements as possible and IHC is good value for those getting started. I ordered the IHC parts catalog and have it here in my workshop. All I do is lookup the part, get the number and price from an attached list and call the part dept. I rebuilt one of my fathers Pemco engines that way. The consolidation has pickup shoes that contact the backside of the drivers. In a pan above the frame is the most tempermental and fragile set of brass pickups I've seen yet. There are quite a few pieces of strip brass, all bent to hold tension to one another and provide a continuous path. The problem at first was one of these brushes not keeping in touch with the wheel. I decided on my next upgrade to scrap the current pickup leads. I am looking for simplicity and reliability. With brass drivers and detail parts, these engines can be made to look rather decent.
A company called Tomar, they own Utah Pacific among other small mfgs, make copper wipes that are quite small and unobtrusive. They are meant to mount on a loco frame and contact the track. At one time I thought I needed them for one of my locos that wasn't running well. They put a lot more metal on the track than loco or tender wheels do. One trick to make them disappear is to paint the tops black.
Let me address your original question. Try these suggestions in the order they are written: 1. Chemically clean both the track and the pick-up wheels. A product called RailZip works very well. Leave it on over night. 2. Chemically clean the points at which your wipers contact the wheels, using the same method as above. 3. Remove the wires to your motor and connect them directly to a power source. 4. Make sure wiring to your wipers have good continuity, use a volt meter, you should have zero resistance. That should get you pointed in the right direction, it sounds as if you've done it before or at least know how to do it. If you have any further questions, e-mail me and I'll be happy to help.
Regarding the design issue: IHC's website says that all of their steam locos have "Electrical pick-up from each rail in both engine and tender". I recently received an IHC 4-6-0 that jerks and hesitates, right out of the box. It has no electrical connection between the tender and the loco; the tender pickups are used only to run the light on the tender (which sounds like Steve's description in the original post). I wonder if IHC is having QC problems with assembly, or if they're shipping old merchandise that doesn't meet the advertised spec?
My 2 cents worth, Guys I have to agree on the IHC QC.. Very poor!!!! They not have any QC period.. Watash your right.. VERY PISS POOR MANUFACTURERS! I bought a IHC 4-8-2 Mountain and its the new upgraded model supposedly better motor flywheels. the whole 9 yards.... and I have an older version without the flywheels and the old motor and it runs better then the newest one! HA! Some work they did on the new stuff..... I hate to say it but i'll stick with the older generation of stuff even though its harder to get parts for and all, its way easier to put your own motor in it and continue detail hights and you've got a cheap nice looking and a great running loco.. But you as the modeler has to do it or, it right out of the box is going to be next to worthless.....But then this is the opinion of a scale modeler and professtionalist of quallity control where I have to make up my own standards!!!!! Now for a beginer... They would be ok for that... Nothing for us guys who wants quallity and dependability... Specially when we have to count on it.... Being I got the new 4-8-2 IHC from a going out of buessiness hobby shop.. I have to keep it and at a latter date rebuild it to run with the rest of my stuff......
I am an IHC fan and have 10 great running, dual motored GG-1s and tons of their freight cars. Their latest stuff is called the "PREMIER Series"-if that series of locomotives is giving everyone trouble, go to their web site [ihc-hobby.com], click on "from the boss" and you can e-mail your concerns-they ask for it! The old stuff is the old stuff-lots of junk was sold in the past from them and others, but i think they're really trying now. Checkem out and tell us what "the boss" says. Curt
Tnanks for the help. I am using IHC to rebuild two of my old Tyco Chattanooga locomotives. Basically all I ended up using was the Tyco tender shell. Anyhow, tapped the tender wipers and rewired the motor pickup wires. Now just contemplating wiring the tender and locomotive together or using a micro pin connector. Bench runs are very good, much better than before. The RIP track runneth over-Mainly with older AHM engines my father has.
Chris, Does Tomar have a web site for their brushes? I still haven't received an answer from IHC, Boss or not! The two air pumps were missing off my new 4-8-2! Can't find any, in stock.
Hi Wayne, You know I don't think they have a site. I do all my purchaseing out of my local hobby shop, which has a catalog. Wait a while, I'm at the office and don't have their address. Tonight or tomorrow I'll get their address for you. If you're on the board today put in another post here and list what you want, I'll get you part numbers and $$ so you can order direct. They charge $5.00 for their catalog, but maybe if you buy something from them they'll send it to you gratis???
