Hi all,

My very new 37105 is now having some problems getting started; lights and effects all work and it sounds like it's huffing and chuffing, but not moving until I physically push it a few cm or so down the track. Mysteriously, this happened right after my brother-in-law left after a visit and I know he was playing with the trains, but we'll be nice and just call it a coincidence. Anyway, I've done some research on this site but can't find any advice on what I might look at or do to correct this. The locomotive has probably run about 30-40 hours and I have not done any maintenance since I took it out of the box. Otherwise, it runs very well and is a beautiful locomotive with its running lights lit. Can anyone advise as to what to do?

Thank you, John

You have either a decoder issue or a winding in the armature that has broken or become disconnected. My suggestion is send back to your dealer if that was the method of purchase. Had a Taurus #39838 "Adria Transport" that did exactly as you mentioned. It went back to "M" & was duly replaced with a new one.

Dave...

Hi John

This is usually only a small problem, and a well known one with locos that have been on the shelves for a while! !
This loco still has the (very good!) older type motor with the so called "drum" commutator.
The behavior you observed is caused by one of the brushes not touching the commutator properly.
The little "nudge" gets it back in contact.
The usual cause is some oxidation/ contamination/wear on the brush(es) and/or the commutator.

Take the user manual and it will show you how to access/change the brushes.

Remove the brushes and clean them each with a drop of lighter fluid.
Then reassemble and run the loco for a few minutes.

**However** be aware that at the time this loco came out, there was a number of problems with the brushes themselves : they were too soft and rapidly clogged the commutator.

Simply install a set of fresh (and recent) brushes.
If that doesn't solve it, you'll need to have the commutator cleaned up.

But that is a different level of complex intervention altogether.

Let us know if/when you get to that point!

Hope this helps

Jacques

Dr Eisenbahn
I am going to try doing what you recommend on my Ae 6/6 that has exactly the same issue (my problem was posted a few days ago). The only difference is that when I push my lox it does not work but all the lights, sounds n other functions work
Tom Koh

Hi Jacques, Thank you for the advice - I've changed brushes and so forth on other locomotives, so I'll try the brush cleaning and see if they have deteriorated. I am heading out the door for a business trip, but I'll let you know if it works. AJCKIDS also suggested also that the brushes may not be well seated. A brief plug for AJCKIDS in the US - they have been a pleasure to deal with and gave me no hassle about requesting an exchange. But, I'll try cleaning the brushes first.

Thank you, John

Changing the brushes is covered by the locomotive instructions. It cannot possibly invalidate the warranty.

However I can't imagine that a locomotive that is still within the warranty period should need the brushes changing unless the loco has been left running for hours on end.

I had a similar issue with one of the brush holder springs catching on a blob of solder. In this case it was an "own goal" as I had done the soldering myself for a digital conversion. The point is that the spring was not free to push the brush with an even pressure and I had erratic running. Re-soldering more carefully with a small amount of solder did the trick.

Thanks, John. So glad you asked this question. Cheers, Peter

It is a good idea to contact the dealer before sending a loco directly to Märklin for a warranty repair.

You have to open the loco to lubricate it before use. Why call the dealer before you open the loco?

Touch the springs the push the brushes with a pair of pliers or a small screw driver and check if that improves the situation. No force needed, just touch gently.
Loco can be run without boiler, so there is no need to reassemble it before the test run.

The proposition here is that the dealer will EXCHANGE the loco.

If I were the dealer and intended to resell it or send it to Marklin under warranty, I would like the peace of mind that the customer did nor open the loco and POTENTIALLY break something.

If Marklin sees inside the loco something amiss and knows that the customer opened the loco, Marklin may decline coverage claiming that the customer did the damage, even if it's not true in fact.

NOT telling Marklin that the customer operated on the loco would be unfair.

Therefore, do not open the loco, take it to the store and let them deal with the loco.

My usual 2 cents' worth.

LOL, reminds me....

I fixed one of mine by slightly increasing the pressure onto the brushes by very little bending in of the brush springs. It worked on one of

mine if you know what you're doing well enough. Peter

This question is for the Administrator:

Is there anything wrong about the forum members endorsing certain shops that give outstanding service in each country and/or state/province?

We could come up with a list of best stores for members to go to.

Any thoughts on point?