Hornby R1066 "LMS 8F" - new purchase - won't run

[norseman]

I kind of lured the son of a friend into the hobby as they visited one evening and he got hooked by playing with my layout. Today his first purchase arrived from Hattons, a Hornby R1066 "LMS 8F". However, the train only ran a few feet, and then stopped. I tried many times to bring it back to life, but the best I could manage was a few millimeters before it stopped again. There was no smell of burn and no noise from it, and I tested his track by running another train which performed perfectly.

 

I am quite a novice myself when it comes to train electrics and don't have a clue about what can be wrong. Has anyone in here experienced a similar problem?

[96701]

What do Hatton's have to say?

[JZ]

I would get in touch with Hatton's. They are usually very good about problems.

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

Pound to a penny, that is simply a poorly made electrical connection somewhere on the loco. But if we want the manufacturer to improve build quality, back it should go to the retailer for replacement as a non-runner.

[norseman]

Thanks for replies. I took it home and tried it on a test track I've got, and there I found that one of the side rods was a bit bent, probably from the owner handling it over the wheels. This prevented movement. As soon as I got it straightened the loco ran fine.

 

The frightening aspect is that now my friend's son will look upon me as a real "guru" when it comes to repairing rolling stock, while in truth I know hardly anything about it!