Good Morning, Jim...
Makes you wonder, doesn't it? I was in a brass dealer's showroom once talking to one of the staff. He was testing a new On3 D&RGW C-16 that someone paid $1,500.00 for. It was a replacement because the first one ordered wouldn't track right! If you get them from an on-line supplier, they need to be tested immediately. I'm at a loss because I'm a year away from building my layout. When I picked up my Broadway Limited Imports Erie 2-8-2, it was through a trusted on-line supplier that I've done a lot of business with, but they don't test run their locos when they get them in. I took it to a friend who tested it for me and it was okay. It would make life easier if the dealers would test them first, weed out the bad ones, and sell only the locos that have tested to be okay. My LHS has a test track and always tests the loco before you buy it. I also think they test them upon arrival, too.
Russ
Are your former P&Js picking up juice from the rail? What seems to be the problem? 
We use that term a lot at the club. 
, it sure looks pretty on the shelf for the time being.
Hi guys and thanks for the encouragement. I calmed down a little and things are better. I raised hell with Bachmann and I was told to (by Bach-mann) send them in and they would fix them. I said I wouldn't pay the postage of their junk. Well, thanks to Tyson, the first thing I did was to make me a test track, and then the fun began! The better running of the worst was the Prairie 2-6-2, so I started on it, totally took it apart and started from scratch. The motor seemed to run fine, next I cleaned the gears and lubed everthing with WD-40 ran the chassie and cleaned again and relubed with a lite oil and dabe of greese on the gears. Put on the track and ran wide open for an hour. Slowed it down then to a craw and let it run while I started on the 0-6-0. Well it need more as it would jump like a frog on the track. I messed with quartering the drives (geee) and got them working properly. Put it back on the track and it was so light when it hit a it would hop of the track. Tore it down again and studied the thing for a while. Went to the garage and started making weights out of lead wheel weights. A little machineing with drill and file, glued them in place, reassembled ,put on the track and ran that sucker as hard as it would go for about an hour, then slowed it down to a crawl. Hey, bingo, it worked fine. Then get this, I double headed the two and they worked together like a charm and at a snells pace. I am so proud of myself. Took me all day and it is 1:10 am here now but it was worth it, and as I type this they are still crawling around with eight weighted box cars and a caboose and doing great if I don't wear the out! 