Reply to "Who can explain Magnetraction as it applies to this problem?"

Oh man!  This whole time I thought you were working on one of the early postwar 622s.  The later 600s are lightweights; the power truck suffers from cost-cutting and several well-known issues.  Glad you solved it, but remember, Magne-Traction works best on track with a high ferrous content like vintage Lionel O gauge tubular.  On some modern track systems, it doesn't work at all!  If it's already there I leave it alone, but it's a gimmick and not worth the hassle IMO.  Locos without Magne-Traction are generally made of better materials (steel vs. aluminum, etc.)  My $.02.