# Complete Newb!



## PGD (Jan 3, 2015)

I purchased a small set for my wife last Christmas and she got a real kick out of it, however this year for unknown reasons the locomotive (a 20201) has given up the ghost so to speak. It worked earlier this year but suddenly quit. I checked the transformer with a voltmeter and it's putting out 12V on high setting. The track has voltage as well, but if I put the locomotive on the track the voltage drops to 0. I removed the bottom cover of the loco and tried to run continuity checks to figur out what's up but I don't know what resistance I should be getting between what points. I did clean the little shoe things and the wheels but no luck. Also when the loco is on the track there's no power to the lights.

Any ideas on troubleshooting would be most welcome.

Thanks,
Pat

P.s. It's an LGB train


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

LGB motors typically pull between 0.5 and 1 amps. Most large scale power supplies put out 18-22 volts DC.

Can you measure the current draw of the engine?

Chuck


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## PGD (Jan 3, 2015)

I have a 1 amp power supply that came wit the set. How would you recommend I check the motor draw?


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

You have a volt meter, does it have a settings for amps and Ohms?

If it does, connect one probe from your meter to your power supply and the other probe wire between the second post on the meter and the track. A third wire will go directly from the PS to the track, not connected to the meter. Slowly increase the voltage and see what the amps read.

You also might try measuring the resistance of the engine. Connect one probe from the meter to one skate, and the other probe to the second skate.

A low resistance would suggest a short.

Chuck


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## BigRedOne (Dec 13, 2012)

Current is measured by connecting the meter in series with the electrical circuit. If you no longer have the instructions that came with the meter, just do a quick search on Google or YouTube for "measuring current with a multi-meter."

12 volt is too low for an LGB transformer. And it shouldn't drop to zero with a train on the track - that sounds like a short.

Do you have any other means of supplying power? A car battery or battery charger, for example. If the train runs on an alternate power source, that suggests the LGB power supply is at fault.

Also, measure the resistance across both rails of your track with no train on and the power supply disconnected. The only acceptable value is infinite, anything else and you have a problem in your trackwork.


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## PGD (Jan 3, 2015)

Gentlemen,

Thanks for the replies, ran some checks and here's what I found:

Track resistance is infinite
Output voltage is just under 25 volts
Amps at the track 2.5 (voltage is also about 25v)
Resistance across the skates is about 8-9 ohms...

Any thoughts?


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

I just measured the resistance of several single motor engines and got numbers in the hundreds of ohms. I'll let others who know more about electrons chime in, I know next to nothing. My uninformed thought is that your values are low and something is wrong with the engine. Let's see what the experts say.

Chuck


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## PGD (Jan 3, 2015)

Thanks Chuck, appreciate the help. I'm sure there's a DC junkie out there who can enlighten me on what my current problem is (or maybe resistance problem depending on whether there's a pun in there.)


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

Is the 2.5amps at the track with or without the engine? Since you PS is rated for 1 amp, your circuit breaker should pop fairly quickly.

Your engine should draw less than 1 amp.

Chuck


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## PGD (Jan 3, 2015)

I plugged the multimeter into the xfrmr and turned it to 5 and took a reading then connected it to the rails and the reading was the same. Not sure why it read so high?!


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## PGD (Jan 3, 2015)

No engine on the track.


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

> The track has voltage as well, but if I put the locomotive on the track the voltage drops to 0.


If the voltage drops to 0 when you put the loco on the track, then surely there is a short-circuit in the engine.


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

> Resistance across the skates is about 8-9 ohms...


That sounds way too low - probably causing the overload protection to cut the transformer out, hence the 0 volts when you put the engine on the track.

Google for "site:mylargescale.com lgb stainz repair" and you will get a lot of threads that may help you remove the motor block and find the problem.


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

I agree with Pete. There must be a short of some kind in the engine.

Where do you live? We have participants all over. Perhaps someone knowledgable lives nearby and could offer hands on help.

Chuck


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## PGD (Jan 3, 2015)

Thanks I'll go search for those repair links. Believe it or not I'm presently stationed in Abuja, Nigeria!


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## PGD (Jan 3, 2015)

Ok so I got motivated this morning to continue trying to get the loco working. I managed to get the machine disassembled to the point where I could remove the motor. I connected the motor to the power supply and it worked just fine! What should I be looking at next?


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## Dan Pierce (Jan 2, 2008)

The reason for the short can be the smoke unit.
All the 2020 Stainz engines I have seen have a lever at the bottom of the smoke stack. These units are 18 volts and get tied directly to the rails.
The outer metal sleeve of the stack is tied to one side of the track and the lever on the bottom is tied to the other rail.
If the stack is turned/loosened or the lever not seated correctly then the lever can touch the outer metal thus causing a short circuit to the rails.


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## PGD (Jan 3, 2015)

Dan,

Thanks for the advice. I put the loco back together again and it's working... Only problem now is that the forward light goes on when it's moving in reverse and the reverse light comes on when it's moving forward. Looks lik I'll be taking it apart one more time.


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

Congratulations on getting the engine to run. Was it the smoke unit, or something else?

Chuck


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## tmejia (Jan 2, 2008)

PGD
I did that with my Stainz. I had put the motor in 180 degrees off. There should be an alignment pin to help locate the motor in the correct position on the chassis. I took it apart (again) and repositioned the motor.

Tommy
Rio Gracie


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## Dan Pierce (Jan 2, 2008)

Do not run the engine until the motor is properly placed in the cradle.
The alignment pin on the motor keeps the brass gear from completely meshing with the plastic axle gear and can cause it to strip!!!


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## FlagstaffLGB (Jul 15, 2012)

Just a quick thought, you haven't accidently put the track layout into a "reverse" loop and forgotten to isolate the sections have you? Being and LGB engine...those small start set locos should run for just about ever!!! You can try to put the power directly to the locomotive pickup shoes, just to see if the wheels will turn and the lights come on...kitchen table and towel workbench should suffice. Otherwise, I would be trying to figure out whether you have a loose connection (wire came un-soldered).


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