Today, I decided to run some trains. They have been idle since the first of the year. So I fired up one side of the layout a train at a time. Success! Everything ran fine. One MTH Steamer has a noisy smoke unit, but this has been the case, off and on.
Then I moved to the other side of the layout. First train to be fired up was a Williams Santa Fe AA diesel pulling a consist of Menards Warbonnet freight cars. Right out the box, I noticed a bit of hesitation then some jerky running. So I shut it down and picked up the powered A unit. Immediately, the lead truck fell out and hung suspended by the electric al wires.
I turned it over and saw the worm gear laying over on a 45 degree angle. I took the shell off looked at the motor and everything looked fine. I reset the motor into the truck and went on a hunt for the retainer screw. After locating my biggest, strongest flashlight, I searched the track from one end to the other. I found the screw on my second inspection, this time using a large magnet. The screw had fallen out and managed to wedge itself under the center rail on the most inaccessible part of the track. But I found it, replaced it, and everything is back to normal.
Tragedy avoided.
