Large Scale Central

LGB engine trouble

Track and Trestles
#1

Now all you non LGB fans spare me the crap.

Ok I have a mogul that will work for about 10 minutes then start to slow down and will in about 20 minutes of running just stop all togather. If I let it sit for a few hours it will go back to working and do it all over again. The engine dosn’t seem to be hot so I do not think it is a over heating problem but could be wrong. any ideal of what I should check on it or someone that might be able to fix it? Any help would be great. I realy like this engine and would hate to junk it.

thanks
Geoff

#2

Geoff,

I purchase a used one about 20 years ago that did the same thing. Had to send it in to be fixed. There was a electrical board out.

#3

Geoff,
No non LGB user will give you any crap. If they do, they’re just jealous. :slight_smile: :slight_smile:

Anyway, I’m assuming you’ve tested the transformer and throttle. In other words, none of your other engines do this.

What kind is it?
Then we’ll go from there.

#4
John Bouck said:
Geoff, No non LGB user will give you any crap. If they do, they're just jealous. :) :)

Anyway, I’m assuming you’ve tested the transformer and throttle. In other words, none of your other engines do this.

What kind is it?
Then we’ll go from there.


All my other engines work fine. I have two Moguls 2119 Lake George and Boulder yellow ones. Its one of the 2119 that is doing this. I have tried cleaning the pick ups and oil the wheels and other parts.

Now the engine in question dosn’t have sound it only has smoke and the lights. when it stops the light will go out as well. the track still has power, tested that as well. If I let it sit for a bit it will work again for about the same amount of time then slow and stop again. I hope this is enought info. If oyu need more please let me know and I will try and answer your questions. I would hate to lose this one. I was hoping it would be as good as the other one.

thanks for the help.

#5

The last yellow LGB mogul I repaired for a friend did the same thing.
I had to pull the guts (AKA main circuit board) and send it in for a new one.
However, we can’t do that as LGB doesn’t exist anymore.
Soooooo, you might have to rebuild this one ground up without the board.
5 volt regulators for the lights and smoke are available after market. But the source skips my mind at the moment. Maybe a fellow LSC’er can chime in here.
Then you can wire the pickup wires right back to the motor, with a fuse in the line somewhere.
If you were converting this unit to Bat/RC, it would be an easy fix, all the guts, sliders, brushes, are discarded during the conversion, but…
It’s a tough choice.
You can look for a cheap one on e-bay, (if there is such a thing) and swap out the guts.
Or put it on the mantle.
Another source might be Massoth, to upgrade it to modern after market LGB technology, but I haven’t checked into that yet.

#6

Geoff, before you do anything irreversible,

  1. disconnect the motor
  2. connect it to a power supply and test it
    If the motor works fine, connect it back to
    the circuit board and test it again (after
    putting it back into the engine) If your problem
    reoccurs, write to LGB/Maerklin asking for a
    replacement circuit board. Good luck! Zubi
#7

Thanks Zubi
I will give that a try and see what happends.

John do you know how to change them over to Bat power? If so what would you charge for that ?

I have been thinking about making a engine or two Bat power so that they will work anywere and I can try a few of these op sessions some time.

#8

Geoff,
I don’t commercially install batt/rc.
I just do my own.
I leave that to folks on this forum that do it for a living such as TOC.

#9

Thanks everyone. Now my Backmann has bit the dust as well. So far this Christmas season I have gone through a LGB, Backmann and a Aristo-craft engine on my outside display. This is going to be a costly season and I’m running out of engines to use.

Santa all I wont for Christmas is three good engines that will last me.

#10

If it weren’t fer Bad luck, I’d have no luck at all, BLue dispair and agony one meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

Sorry, Geoff

#11
Andy Clarke said:
If it weren't fer Bad luck, I'd have no luck at all, BLue dispair and agony one meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

Sorry, Geoff


At least it is not just one make. I can break anything.
I’m heading over to your place to see what I can trash out next. :slight_smile:

#12

Tis ok, come one over, I moved… hehehe
go to OC’s and borrow the “Club” engines…

:slight_smile:

#13
Andy Clarke said:
Tis ok, come one over, I moved......... hehehe go to OC's and borrow the "Club" engines....

:slight_smile:


You moved but the trains did not.

If things keep going this way I might have to nab the “Club” stuff

#14

Hey, I just found this thread.
Never saw it in “Track and Trestles”.

First thought was motor, but the lights go out also.
The board may very well have a problem, and it may be repairable!

#15
Curmudgeon said:
Hey, I just found this thread. Never saw it in "Track and Trestles".

First thought was motor, but the lights go out also.
The board may very well have a problem, and it may be repairable!


Thanks.
maybe there is a Santa after all.

#16

Geoff,
from memory the older moguls had 18 volt lighting, so no voltage regulators. I believe that either a brush is gone on the motor causing an increasing current draw with increased heat, eventually shorting out the motor. The fact that the loco runs after a cooldown period implies that an overtemp is occurring, whether in the motor or on the board. An overtemp is caused by a rogue current draw.

    I suggest that after running the loco for ten minutes, or so,  with no load,  you check the current draw with a multi-meter.  Check at regular intervals until the loco stops working and note if an increase in current draw occurs.  What amperage power pack are you using?  It would seem that as the onboard temp increases,  an electrical short occurs,  shutting down onboard power.  When the motor/board cools down the short disappears.   If the motor has been over lubricated,  then it may be drawing too much current,  causing the circuit board to overheat and short out.
#17

Thanks Tim and everyone for the help.
I think this is a good time for me to try out Batt power and see if I like it or not.
I will be sending the old 2119 out to get a make over after Christmas. In the mean time I have a USA S4 on the way and I will see if I can trash it like I did the others.

Hay maybe the makers should use me as a test bed. If it makes it thought a Christmas season with me then it should last for anyone. Even Andy. :slight_smile:

#18

If the bulbs have a yellow tint and the base is threaded, they are 18 volts.

If the bulbs are the plug in type, flat tops are 5 volt and round tops are 24 volts.

Smoke units are 5 volt if black and white wires, ad 18 volt if yellow and brown wires.

I had a LGB forney last week with the same symptoms and it was the motor. I took the motor apart and cleaned the commutator and all is well now.

#19

What’s up with LGB “quality”? I have the same problem as Geoff George with a 25171 Christmas engine and the matching power sound tender, which have only been used all of 10 hours over the years. The engine started it first, slowing down, then stopping completely. Now the tender is staring to do the same thing. I’ve taken the engine apart and hooked the motor to a power source and it runs fine out of the loco, yet after cleaning all and putting back together, it does the same thing. Geoff said that the engine runs again after sitting for 10 minutes, as does mine, but I also noticed that if I take the engine off the tracks and return it immediately it runs again. Also noticed when the engine stops, there a slight click as if a curcuit breaker tripped. Any ideas and is this an LGB problem?

#20

Carl,
If you are using the starter set transformer, it’s too small.
You basically have 2 locomotives running.
Try a more powerful transformer and see what happens.