Video shows my loco struggling to stay moving smoothly. It starts and whines, chokes, sputtering. Ive properly oiled the gears. Not too much oil. Loco is practically new. Everything is clean on track and in loco. No grime, no rust. Electric current seems good. Other loco's run fine. Thoughts on what could cause the squeaking and poor running performance? IMG_1452 (1).mov (10,600kb) downloaded 35 time(s).

Hi
The loco makes clearly a sound of non-lubricated mechanism.
The rough operation may also be caused by problematic current pick-up

Here is a video on how to service the SchienenZeppelin

Clean the mechanism using NOCH SR24 or equivalent
Then lubricate using Märklin oil using a serynge sparingly but on all bearings (Motor, awles) and a bit of Trix/Märklin grease on gears VERY LITTLE.
Brushes and brush holder must be clean
UNLIKE shown on the video the inter-collector gaps must be cleaned using a toothpick NOT a knife
Cheers
Jean

Can't tell if you have the same problem I had with a different model but you might try running the model with the cover off and watch the gear train. On mine the clip holding the gear train down was broken and when the engine moved a bit the gear train would lift off but then fall back down when the engine stopped moving. That may not be your issue but watching what happens to the motor might give you an answer.

Thanks for this video, Jean! While 50 years old it's still a great primer on service for us analog die-hards. It also reminds me of why I convince my wife we need to buy cotton swabs/Q-Tips in bulk.

And the best part (new for me anyway) is the quick view of the Trix 66626 grease which is still available on the M site. It's "Shell Gadus S2 V220 2" per the safety sheet, but I don't need a 14oz cartridge, so for the same price I can get it from lots of retailers.

Brian