Norton,
With respect -
Your missing the point here, Jon G mentioned the ware and tear from connection/disconnection overtime caused issues. My response was to specifically establish that the Loco was new from the store in a box and that the probability of user error in attaching the drawbar had caused the condition was small.
Now too the comments made by you and a couple others, I am comfortable and competent to do a lot on a locomotive and have stripped many a use locomotive down to the frame (sometimes with good outcomes and sometime not good outcomes), but I stress this is a brand new never run loco. It went from MTH to the LHS to may layout w/o running anywhere after it left whatever QC was done by MTH or its manufacturing agents. It comes with a 30 day return policy from the LHS and a 1 year warranty from MTH. I do not want to do anything to void either.
And while 5 bills isn't much to some of us in this community, its the sum total of my hobby budget for the month of November and I would like to get maximum value and enjoyment out of that money. I thought I was buying a 0 problem ready to run toy - not a project. While I have many projects in my past that were more than $495, I purchased those with the expectation that I would have problems (toy train stuff, motorcycles, cars, guns - all lost in a boating accident, boats - that enabled the "accidents" and even houses).
This engine has failed to meet my expectations. I want either the LHS or MTH to make it right. Point in looking for advice among this community was to make sure I wasn't doing something simple stupid. From the much appreciated advice given so far - it's not something simple stupid that I was doing in the setup or operations of the locomotive.