I have an American Flyer 303 4-4-2 that wont go fast. the reverse unit makes a loud humming noise and trips the circuit breaker in the transformer. i think its a short but im not 100% sure can anyone help?
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There is no way to know the exact problem without seeing it. Have you opened the tender to see if the E Unit is malfunctioning? That is the logical way to locate the short.
Yes i have and the loud noise is coming from the bottom but its hard to see down there
You have a short. Check the contact fingers. Two on top, two on front and make sure they are not bent and touching the frame. Second, inspect the insulating washer for the rivets holding the trucks on, these often get brittle and crack allowing the rivet or truck to ground. Ensure each truck has the metal wheels on the same side. If this fails, you may have an issue inside the loco as the 303 is hard wired, you'll have to take the shell off which requires some disassembly. Make sure no two wires are shorting. While your in there, clean the armature and brushes and replace if needed.
I had my dad look at it last night. we discovered that the transformer was shorting out, and not the locomotive. 
