0-6-0 stops on switches

Sounds like you lost contact with either the center rail or the outer rails. When you cleaned the rollers, did you clean the wheels as well? I assume this unit has at least one traction tire, which means that's one less wheel that will make electrical contact.

Does this engine have a tender? (I'm not overly familiar with modern trains) If so, the tender drawdar may act as an additional ground if the frame it is attached to is metal. If that could be the case, make sure that it is clean where the engine attaches to it and where it attaches to the tender's frame.

Is it safe to assume that other engines run fine through these switches, and that this engine did at one time work fine too? When is the last time the track was cleaned? If the engine runs fine on regular track (that may be dirty), it may not on a switch where there might only be a few of the wheels and possibly one one roller touching at a given moment.

Just a few ideas that don't cost much but time to try out. Hopefully it is something simple like dirty track.

Hope this helps,

J White

I think your model has both the pick-ups on the tender and none on the loco. So logic would say look for a broken wire on one of them. Put the engine in neutral and carefully lift the tender up so one truck is not touching the track. when it dies that is the one. If you don't see a broken wire on the one truck that is 'dead' unscrew the pick-up assembly and re-screw it. Sometimes the pick-up screw get oxidation on it and removing it and replacing it helps.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll try them.

Is there black gunk on the rollers from the center rail?  If so, clean the rollers AND SCRAPE IT ALL OFF OF YOUR CENTER RAIL!  Coating the center rail was a bad idea.  MTH admitted as much; IIRC the black coating did not appear on the later production RealTrax.

It's also possible for oxidation to develop on the INSIDE of the roller where it contacts the pin.  You could try spraying some contact cleaner in there, or even polishing compound to remove the oxidation.  Or you could order new rollers (but you might die of old age before receiving the parts, search other recent threads on this forum )

I've hammered MTH on this issue and I will continue to do so:  All locos need more than 2 rollers, no ifs, ands, or buts.  Lionel will be bringing a B-6 out in Legacy.  Even if that loco has only 2 rollers, Lionel generally spends the extra $5 and puts rollers on the tender.  So a single conductor with modular connector would solve this problem permanently.  Think about these design flaws (of which MTH has been advised multiple times) before you make your next purchase.

kstrains, another forumite & I have had similar problems with an Imperial Decapod.  Issue was analyzed and found to be loss of ground.  Look at the tender trucks.  Is there a wiper on one or more axles?  If there is, does a wire go from it/them to the tender frame?  If none, install  such wire(s).

Unless one of the pick-up roller wires has suddenly broken, most likely loss of outer rail common ground, especially if you have non derailing switches. One of the thrills of rubber tire equipped locos!

If there are wipers for wheels or on axles, those get dirty too.

They also have a tendency to grab and hold little "dust wads".