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       #Post#: 1934--------------------------------------------------
       Slow Diesel Engine (Santa Fe 8263)
       By: gms4b Date: March 25, 2018, 12:00 am
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       Hi,
       I'm pretty new to trains, inherited some O gauge Lionel over
       Christmas, and have been buying a few things from a local train
       shop and eBay. I recently purchased a Santa Fe 8263 Diesel
       engine (GP-7 unit, 8263 ATSF (low cost) - I'm not sure what all
       that means, but that's what I found in the Lionel Product
       Supplement 1-9). Thing is....it's slow. It does alright on its
       own but get a half dozen cars behind it and it slows to a craw
       and usually dies when it tries to cross over a turnout. I also
       have an 8915 western maryland diesel which goes gangbusters...so
       the setup seems OK, even with my crappy 25 watt/13 volt
       transformer.
       So, what might be wrong with the engine? Is this type of engine
       historically underpowered? Seems odd though that Lionel would
       put out an engine that couldn't even pull 6 cars. Maybe the
       motor truck is old/bad and needs replaced (where to buy
       replacement, part number?)? I noticed that there are no pickups
       on the motor truck but there are on the collector truck...this
       seems odd, no? Could I get a second motor truck and replace the
       collector truck and double the power? Or toss is and buy
       something new?
       Any advice would be useful. Thanks!
       Greg
       #Post#: 1935--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Slow Diesel Engine (Santa Fe 8263)
       By: TrainLarry Date: March 25, 2018, 11:54 am
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       Welcome to the forum, Greg!
       First off, your transformer is very anemic. I would suggest
       stepping up to a more powerful transformer, such as a postwar
       1033 rated at 90 watts.
       Next, clean the track, all wheels and the pickup rollers on the
       locomotive with Naphtha to get rid of any dirt.
       No pickup rollers on the motor truck is normal.
       Get everything cleaned up and a bigger transformer and your
       train should operate normally.
       Larry
       #Post#: 1936--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Slow Diesel Engine (Santa Fe 8263)
       By: gms4b Date: March 25, 2018, 12:57 pm
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       Thanks for your reply Larry. Is that really all it could be?
       Part of what I inherited is a 250 wt type Z transformer
       (1950/1960 era) which is currently out for repair (to check and
       replace some old/bad wiring)...so help is on the way! I also
       inherited the aforementioned transformer which is all i have to
       work with right now...i'll probably use it to exclusively run
       the switches and such once I get the 250 wt back.
       Is it odd that the Western Maryland 8915 runs just fine on
       ~12-13 watts whereas the SF 8263 is so weak? Granted the 8915
       has two motors and the 8263 has just one...but if I run the 8915
       all alone it will roll off the track on a turn it goes so fast!
       I have to attach some cars to slow it down ;-)
       Thanks,
       Greg
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