Intermittent stopping

[Nick73]

Hi having received my R3898TTS BR class 08 0-6-0 back from hornby for repair coz wouldn't work at all first time it now works but very intermittently just comes to a stop and sound stops if i apply light pressure down on the loco it goes again and will stop anywhere on the track won't even go along the full length of my programming track which is about 3ft long all my other trains work fine on the same tracks does this sound like the loco is still faulty

Nick

[Fishmanoz]

I’d be straight back to Hornby Nick.

[Brew Man]

First of all make sure your track is spotlessly clean throughout. DCC running is particularly susceptible to even small amounts of dirt.

[Going Spare]

Although this is one of the many locos for which there is not a Service Sheet to refer to, and not having one of them to examine, I am wondering whether this is another example of the decoder plug working loose in transit. The S/S for the standard DCC-ready version shows the blanking plate mounted very high on the chassis: could it be that downward pressure on the body brings the plug pins briefly back in to contact but running loosens them again to lose contact? If you feel confident doing so, removing the body (4 screws as per the Operating and Maintenance leaflet that came with the loco) will enable you to confirm that hypothesis and check for any other possible internal faults.

Alternatively, check that the pick-ups are making firm and consistent contact with the backs of the wheel rims even when the wheels move sideways.

Otherwise, I would call Hornby Customer Services for advice.