Weekly Photo Fun 12/11 - 12/17/20

[tompm]

This weekend features a coal drag headed up by my IHC Lehigh & Hudson River 2-8-0 Consolidation. The hoppers are all Atlas Trainman 2-bay Offset Hoppers. The caboose is an Atlas Trainman Cupola Caboose.

I was not too sure the locomotive could handle twelve cars and the caboose. I was pleasantly surprised when it did. Everything was running smooth until some where around the fifteenth lap. Then the loco started having trouble on this one curve that is a slight upgrade. Each lap the trouble got worse to the point the train needed a little push. Finally, it stopped on the curve with drivers spinning. I uncoupled the loco and it ran fine. However, when I used the two-finger crane to pull the consist it resisted strongly. After a bunch of head scratching, I finally began a close inspection of the cars. I discovered one of the axles on the second Erie hopper had popped out of the pin hole on the truck and the axle was jammed against the truck. Basically, the truck was being dragged by the train. Pop the axle back in and everything was running smoothly again.

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