Bill,
Perhaps you and Timmy can work out a spread sheet on the LGB Mogul that takes more track power to run cause …ahhh never mind.
Poser?
bus bar?
skate?
No idea what those terms mean…
Whoops…
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“Poser” was a typing error. Should have been “power.” I corrected this.
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“bus bar.” This is a large piece of metal used to bring power from one area to another and from which other things, like motors, lights, smoke units, etc. draw power. I am not sure if this is what the correct term here, but it is what we called things like this on 1:1 scale ships. As I am using the term here, these are the brass strips and, on models like Olomana, metal poles that bring power from pickup points, through the chassis, to the various loads.
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“skate.” Another term I picked up along the way on this forum. This is a synonym for pick-up shoes, those metal plates that drop down from the chassis and “skate” along the rails to help draw power from tracks to the train.
Eric
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Ah… that makes sense. Got it!
I have another LGB Mogul on the bench at the moment converting to Blunami and battery power. I should be finished when the final part arrives on Tuesday. Once completed I will tear into LGB 23191 Mogul again and check the pickups and wiring to the pickups and possibly solder/wire the pickups directly if I can see and figure what wire goes to what.
I did check the 4 position switch in different positions with no difference.
When I did have it apart I did notice that the plug that plugs into the 4 poles above the motor was loose and not a tight fit. Perhaps that might be the issue. I will check that again once I drop the motorblock again.
Timmy,
Your mogul is way different than my older model! That four pin connector, however, was what failed on my mogul. I had to cut it off at the circuit board and solder in a new one.
Once you crack it open, do you think you could take a picture of the “guts?”
Eric
For troubleshooting, your Mogul should be able to operate by its self without being connected to the tender.
But Moguls should be connected to their tenders that provide two additional track pickup points that provide supplemental track power to your Mogul’s main circuit board. Turn your Mogul upside down onto some type of craddle to hold it steady…I use a foam craddle. Then with your DC Power Supply turned on to 5 - 10 volts, touch the two wires from it to the front wheels set and the motor and lights should activate; then do it with the slider shoe set; and finally the rear wheels set. If your Mogul’s motor doesn’t start moving when you do this test, then you know there’s some problem on one or more of the internals in the motor block. Sometimes the metal strips that contact the carbon brushes inside the motor block are not seating properly.
Note that your LGB 23191 Mogul was produced in two different configurations: One has a 6-Pin DCC Interface Connector for connecting a DCC Locomotive/Function Decoder or DCC Sound Decoder; the other version has a factory-installed MTS/DCC Decoder, non-sound. Note that the LGB locomotives produced by the original LGB Company with their MTS/DCC Onboard Decoders Installed do operate a little differently in DC analog power than just the DC analog operating locomotives. On many DCC/DCC decoders for large scale, there’s a 1 - 2 volts reduction at the output terminals on the decoder from the voltage at the track. The decoder also applies momentum control to the motor’s operation which isn’t present in the basic DC analog boards installed.
For your Mogul which weighs about 7 pounds, you should use a DC power supply of at least 2 amps for optimum performance.
What’s the latest status on your efforts to fix your Mogul’s operation?
Fixed!
This mogul which I purchased brand new from the local train shop a number of years ago is the newest of the 6 moguls I own. It has never, ever run very well which I’ve always found odd as the other 5 moguls which are much older run perfectly! Don’t know why I never checked it prior but I discovered a few weeks ago that the loco does not run unless it was connected to the tender. My guess is that is why it never has run well. I’ve dropped the bottom multiple times to check the pickup shoes and the metal strips the shoes sit on but have never been able to get the loco to run by itself not connected to the tender. However… that is all fixed now as I’ve converted the loco to battery power, remote control with the Blunami decoder. It now runs great!
Yeah, track power kinda sux. 
Dead rail is the only way to fly!
Well… actually… track power has worked just fine for ALL of my 51 locomotives for the past 23 years. This one mogul is the only one I’ve had problems with. With that said, I’ve converted now 3 of my locos to Battery/Blunami. I don’t plan to convert the remainder.
Is your RR indoors or outdoors?
Indoors. I will start building my outdoor layout this Spring. Which is why I’ve converted a few of my locos to battery power.
