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Dirty tender wheels and contact surfaces between the trucks and the tender body is where the electrical path is the weakest. Cleaning these areas will usually clear up the erratic running problem but only temporarily. Over time the poor running will return. For much improved reliable running, especially of you wish to convert to DCC you will need to make some improvements to the electrical pick-up system.

Starting with the tender, remove both trucks and drill out the rivet on only one side so that the wheels can be replaced with better metal wheels that are insulated on one side. I have used Bachmann wheels for this purpose that work very well. Then replace the rivet with a screw or nut and bolt. The hole can also be threaded so that a nut is not needed.

Next, solder a flexible wire to the rivet on the other side of the truck and connect it to the tender chassis with a screw after drilling and taping a hole for it. These steps will insure good electrical pick-up. Since the tender is only providing power from the left hand rail, it may be necessary to add wipers to the right hand wheels for all wheels pick-up which is what DCC usually requires. It will then be necessary to run a separate wire to the engine that carries the power from the right rail.

That brings up the engine which again is only picking up power from the right hand side. By adding wipers to the left hand driving wheels you will have power pick-up coming from
almost all wheels, thereby insuring the best possible power delivery to the motor for DC operation or to the decoder for DCC operation.
Richard in Vermont