So how do you make an MTH Aerotrain run better?

This dose not sound right to me. Of course I seen worst problems out of the box but MTH product line is usually pretty dependable, as is Lionel and all the rest.

Go on line to the MTH web site and in the talk to us pull down you will be able to send them an e-mail. It might take a few days for a reply but they should be able to help you. 

It sounds like a drive train binding issue to me.

Good luck

Plus, specified capabilities notwithstanding, tighter curves mean more stress, strain and tolerances-pushing. There may be a wiring harness issue inside the body - a friend had such a problem in one of his diesels a few years ago; as I recall, one of the wires was just too short and impeded the truck swing.

Yes I agree with GG1 Man.  What you describe does not sound right to me.  I have a MTH Aerotrain from back in 2008 and it ran great out of the box and still runs great!  I do run it on 042 curves, however, I've also run it on a friends layout with 036 with no problems at all.   Definitely contact MTH for help.

I ran mine on O-31 MTH track one Christmas season, set with one added car, no truck skirts, well oiled without any issues. Contact MTH....

Have a friend with one that pulls eight cars. If nothing visible is hindering the truck rotation maybe internally the motor or pick-up wires are hung on something? Hope it is an easy fix. Makes up a very nice train and more successful than the real one!

I have the PS/3 version of this item, I pull ten cars, including a 2% grade.

I had to work on the rear truck of mine to get it working properly.  Specifically, the small pilot wheels were binding, and they didn't turn smoothly.  I finally ended up with some very small shims under the axle screws to allow the wheels to turn freely.  I then did a little bending on the spring extension to get the proper tension on the truck.  After that, it runs pretty well.

You can't use the larger diaphragms on O36, they will bind.

Bradfish,  I just unboxed my new Aerotrain and have the same problems.  Very jerky operation, no power and no hope at all on 31 radius.  I oiled all the cars as well as the engine.  It totally stalls out on a curve with more than one car in tow.  It works some better on 42 radius but still jerky and no power.  Very disappointing.

Was this new from a dealer or from fleabay?   These are very smooth runners.

Brand new set from dealer, received from MTH and shipped Sat, I received today

Sounds like the tooling is wearing out and manufacturing tolerances are off.

I have an older Locosound version and it runs very smooth and pulls six cars just fine on 031 track.

Mine ran jerky at first but after I ran it on the layout at 55 mph for a few minutes, it runs perfect now pulling 9 cars. Minnimum curve is 042.

I contacted my dealer and he is swapping my engine for a new one. I will report back when it arrives. MTH specs says it runs on 031 curves.

It's a very short locomotive as are the cars, so O31 shouldn't be an issue.  Mine runs fine on O36, but it's usually running on O72.  I will say that the rear truck is a very hoaky design.  I have wondered several times if just securing the two wheels solidly in the frame and losing those little pilot wheels would be a better option.  Since the prototype only had two wheels in the rear, it should be a reasonable design.

Sorry I meant my minnimum curve is 042

BradFish1 posted:

So I bought a new MTH Aerotrain and it doesn't run smoothly at all. The rear power truck seems to bind on 036 Fastrack curves.  Does anybody have any other tricks other than break-in?   I didn't put them on but will the wheel skirts and larger diaphragms work on 036 or make it bind worse.

I have one of the original issue Aerotrains from at least 10 years ago.   The cars are 4-wheel, are heavy & don't roll well to begin with, even with the wheels oiled.   It is pretty much of a "lead sled!"

Plus, my loco gets warm to the touch on top after 10-15 minutes of running.   I think they were under-powered then.   I don't know if MTH has improved the newer editions.

Not sure about O-36, but I have O-31 & would say definitely don't put the wheel skirts on... they are pretty much for display only, in my opinion.  

It's pretty mandatory to properly lube the cars for proper running, they don't roll as freely as most passenger cars.  More than one person I know has taken the pickups off most of the cars and used tethers to power the lights for easier rolling, it makes a significant difference.

I used Labelle 102 gear oil to lube the wheels and they run fine. I did notice mine does run a little jerky when you start to reverse it. I think the ears wheels start to move before the front. It does run perfect on 054 but the small rear wheels did slip off on a S on 042. Maybe it's because I use the large diaphrams. I have a old Loco Sound version from the firsr run and it actully runs and pulls better than the new Proto 3 version.

I'm looking for one of the Loco Sound versions, I'd like to build myself a TMCC locomotive so I have one for each control system.

Well my dealer, forum sponsor Mario's Trains, sent me a new power unit and this one is a lot smoother no binding or wheel spinning. I guess I got a dud with the first one. This is why I buy from  Mario;  great price, great packing and most importantly great customer service.