American Flyer handcar

I have a number of handcars that I rarely run, but when I do they work fine. I have run the 740, the 740A (pulls the 3 tipple cars) and the 742 on Gilbert track and they go around the layout with no wheel spin. I have run the 742 on the layout with MTH track and 2.5% grades with no problem. I have an AF by Lionel Christmas reversing handcar with shed. That handcar ran well on the MTH track. It did take a lot of wheel cleaning when I first unpacked it.

The only thing I can think of is the wheels need cleaned.

What did you use to clean your wheels and track?  

I used a green scotch bright pad then wiped with cloth

That's the correct thing to use on heavy gunk deposits (never steel wool, sandpaper, or an abrasive eraser), but it will not cut oily film on tracks and/or wheels.  For that and general cleaning, I use and recommend 91% isopropyl alcohol (not 70%, too much water).  For the tracks, put 91% on a clean white cotton cloth, rub down your tracks with that keeping the cloth amply damp or moist (not dripping wet) and optionally follow that up with a clean dry cotton cloth.  Do the same on loco and rolling stock wheels, but use Q-tips instead of a cotton cloth.   I owned, operated, and repaired postwar and modern AF/L-AF handcars without the slipping you've described.  I suspect that even though your tracks and wheels might look shiny clean after using the green Scotch pad, one or both still have a thin oily film on them you can't see.  Note on AF/L-AF handcars, especially the postwar type, if you protect your engines with a purpose-built spike protector (not the kind in your power strips) the handcar can cause such a spike protector to throw itself down (cut power off from the tracks) b/c of how much sparking and arching takes place between its wheels and the track.  That's sparking is due to their minimal points of contact, short wheelbase, light weight, and typically high operating speeds.  

Thanks for replies.  I did get the old original 740 to work after I cleaned the track and wheels with alcohol.  But the new handcar by lionel still spins.

I got my Lionel AF handcar out to check it. I cleaned all 4 wheels and lubed it back in December when I had it out for Christmas. The wheels on the right are unpowered and spin freely. I put it on a 2.2% uphill grade and turned on the transformer. It sped right up the hill with no wheel spin.

Below is a picture of the underside. I am not sure what would cause the wheels to slip unless the unpowered wheels are binding, or there is some kind of grease/oil on the wheels and track.

Finally I have both handcars running.  The problem with the old 740 was film on the drive wheels.  The problem with the 741 by Lionel was the front wheels locking up.  I removed small wheel cover and cleaned and lubricated front wheels.  Now it runs fine.

Thanks for all the suggestions,  This forum is great.

Thanks for reporting the solution. That adds to the knowledge base for all of us.

Great, enjoy them.

Hi the other thing you can do to help is lubricate the axle bearings with a drop of turbine oil! Alan