Hi
I suspect that your engine needs cleaning. Start with the wheels & check the bronze wiper pickups as well (maybe wire pickups if its really old). Check that the carbon brushes of the motor are in good condition & that the brush spring & isolation sleeve are positioned correctly. Lubricate the axles & gears, careful with the axles because they are part of the electrical circuit & over lubricating can insulate them from the chassis (loco will stop & start & generally fart around). If the loco is REALLY old the flanges maybe a liitle too deep for the track & the loco will bump along on the sleepers (not so easy to fix).
I've got a number of X04 powred loco's & looked after & cleaned they are very reliable & run quite well, although they do get along at a fair clip, precise control is not a strong point of the old models, but they do run reasonably smoothly.
Worst case is that the motor has a shorted or open circuit winding & that will require replacement of the motor or a rewind of the armature, a couple of guy's advertise in the mags for motor repair like rewinds & remagnetising but try all the other stuff first...good luck.
Cheers
Paul M
I suspect that your engine needs cleaning. Start with the wheels & check the bronze wiper pickups as well (maybe wire pickups if its really old). Check that the carbon brushes of the motor are in good condition & that the brush spring & isolation sleeve are positioned correctly. Lubricate the axles & gears, careful with the axles because they are part of the electrical circuit & over lubricating can insulate them from the chassis (loco will stop & start & generally fart around). If the loco is REALLY old the flanges maybe a liitle too deep for the track & the loco will bump along on the sleepers (not so easy to fix).
I've got a number of X04 powred loco's & looked after & cleaned they are very reliable & run quite well, although they do get along at a fair clip, precise control is not a strong point of the old models, but they do run reasonably smoothly.
Worst case is that the motor has a shorted or open circuit winding & that will require replacement of the motor or a rewind of the armature, a couple of guy's advertise in the mags for motor repair like rewinds & remagnetising but try all the other stuff first...good luck.
Cheers
Paul M