That's Better

Ever since I did the truck modification on my SD7/9 (whatever it really is see picture below) and attempted the first DCC decoder installation I have been disappointed with the pulling power of the locomotive. Before I started messing with it the darn thing would pull like a plow team, but since then it has been slipping and losing traction all over the place.

I thought maybe the wheels were dirty, so I picked it up, flipped it over and started checking the wheels...only to find out all three sets of wheels on the rear truck were freewheeling. D'oh! It seems that during the reassembly I let the idler gear that transmits the power from the worm gear (the worm is the one on the motor, the worm gear is the one that the worm engages) to the wheel gears slip to the wrong side, so it not only was not engaging the worm gear, but it also was not engaging the wheel gears.

Since the truck modification more or less permanently installs the trucks to the frame I had to remove the worm from the tower and fish the worm gear out through the top. I was then able to slide the idler over into the right place, reinstall the worm gear and the worm, and voila! the damn thing pulls like a plow team again.

This is a good thing since I decided that I didn't have a team track at my freight station and really needed one. This of course means I have to have a flatcar or two and maybe a few more boxcars and such so that various deliveries can be made to the team track. More cars means the engine has to be able to handle more load, which it certainly couldn't do as a Front Truck Drive only locomotive.

After initially working well, however, the turnout I put on the team track has decided it really doesn't want to conduct power to the diverging route any more. I should have put a feeder on the team track anyway, so it looks like the easiest corrective action will be to do just that. I also have a rail joiner or two that isn't conducting, so either I need to put in more feeders or I need to solder some joiners.

Either way, it looks like I have a future engagement with my soldering iron.

UPDATE: Well, it looks like that question is solved at least. And, since there is an F on the short hood side it looks like the Burlington ran their locos short hood forward, which means I have it wired backwards. Of course.