Atlas RS3 less than satisfying

[OldEastRR]

I bought it last September (new version), never sent in a warranty card and proof of purchase because never needed to w/ Atlas stuff before (40years running). Then a wire broke off a contact plate. Inspection with the truck off showed that wire had been wound around behind the gear tower instead of in front of it, not enough play, after the truck swivelled x times the wire came off. Easy fix, but then it ran erratically. I couldn't figure out why until I looked at the wheel treads and they were filthy. From an engine I had not run very much (I wanted to repaint it first). Once I got the wheels cleaned it more or less ran OK but has a funny drone to it. Then it decided not only to stop but short out the DCC at one point on the tracks. A spot that all the rest of my locos (lifeLike, Kato, PCM, Bachmann steam, Walthers, even old Atlas) had never ever done. And it does it every time. Wheels are gauged right, there's no kink in the track.

So I guess after 40 years of great locos Atlas can make a lemon. All this proves is you better send in those warranty cards and proof of purchase papers on every single model RR purchase you make. Sooner or later, you'll be glad you did.

[MK]

What does an Atlas warranty card look like?   

[bbussey]

I suspect that if you contact Atlas, they will diagnose and repair the unit for you. Perhaps it would have been prudent to attempt that first before ripping them.

[brokemoto]

One of the drawbacks of DCC is that many manufacturers have reverted to pre-1990s construction methods, one of which is flexing wires soldered to pivotting trucks.  While Original Poster described an obvious manufacturing or design error, still, there was a reason the better manufacturers used a different construction method after the 1990s.  Life-Like actually had the idea in its plastic frame power with the contact strips fastened to said plastic frame.  This gives you the opportunity to isolate the motor with non flexing wires and non pivotting contact points.  It escapes me why the manufacturers do not use this.

Never have I seen a warranty card in any Atlas product that I have purchased although it has been a while. 

I did have one problem with an Atlas locomotive that required warranty service.  I sent it back, at my expense, after receiving clearance from Atlas to do so.  It came back but the problem had not been addressed.  I contacted Atlas.  I informed then that the itme had not been repaired and expressed that I should not have to py to send it back to Atlas a second time.  Atlas told me that it was sending a UPS truck to fetch the item, which it dif.  This time, the item was repaired.

I did everything by e-Mail, if that made a difference  The person who handled my request was one of the Atlas guys who posts on the various forums but i forget which one it was.

Overall, I give Atlas a good rating for the way that it handled this.

[Maletrain]

OldEastRR, from whom did you purchase that loco?  Seems like it might actually be a "second hand" or "returned" loco, based on the wheels being so dirty.  It is not unusual for sellers to include the warranty cards that they did not turn in, either.

That said, I have also had a problem with a BLI steamer that I bought directly from BLI as "refurbished".  Unfortunately, I did not run it when I got it, and later, when I ran it for a few laps, it started intermittently shorting and quickly got worse, until it is now a solid short. I could not find the "proof of purchase" showing it to be in the warranty period.  So, it is sitting on the shelf waiting for some other (3D printed) parts for a "project" and I will need to take the shell off for that project, so it is just waiting.  (Unfortunately, much later I did  stumble across the "proof of purchase" papers, but only after a year, so no use, now.)

Lesson to be learned:  RUN THE LOCO WHEN YOU GET IT, enough to be sure you will at least find the types of problems that will not immediately show up for the "it runs" checks that sellers usually perform.

[jdcolombo]

In general, under Federal Trade Commission rules you are NOT required to fill out a product registration form in order to activate a warranty.  These cards DO provide a handy way to establish a purchase date for warranty coverage, but if you have your sales receipt, that should be all that is needed, UNLESS the manufacturer SPECIFICALLY STATES IN THE DOCUMENTATION that the warranty is (1) a limited warranty and (2) returning the product registration card or registering on-line is REQUIRED to activate the warranty.  This is rare, because many states  have their own rules that state that returning a warranty registration card is not required to activate even a limited warranty.  For example, in Washington State, a manufacturer may not disclaim the implied warranty of merchantability, which means that the manufacturer must fix any item that is defective when placed in service.  https://www.upcounsel.com/warranty-laws-by-state

If you have a sales receipt, contacting the manufacturer is the first step. 

John C.

[Missaberoad]

Its easy and fun to complain on the internet.

[peteski]

Atlas wheesets were never as good as Kato wheels, and the latest iteration (with lower flanges) is just as bad.  The problem is that the tread's surface is quite rough (from the machining marks), and the wheels seem to be coated with some greasy substance.  Kato wheel tread is much smoother and they don't have that greasy coating.  If you look at Spookshow's reviews, he does mention the greasy wheels in brand new locos and that this creates poor electric conductivity.

I'm also not a fan of the wired trucks, but unfortunately manufacturers like Atlas seem to think that this is an improvement over the typical older wireless design.

[robertjohndavis]

Yes, it is easy to complain on the Internet. It’s also true that Atlas has QC issues. My last eleven purchases included two that didn’t run out of the box, five that ran intermittently. All new Atlas locomotives need a wheel cleaning before putting them on the layout. I have no idea what is done to those wheels at the factory.

Atlas locos generally look great, second only to ScaleTrains. Operationally they are inconsistent at best.

[Southern1970]

I'm also not a fan of the wired trucks, but unfortunately manufacturers like Atlas seem to think that this is an improvement over the typical older wireless design.

One of the reasons I prefer atlas split left/right frame sound ready chassis/frames as opposed to the upper and lower sound ready chassis/frames.  I can still change to the older phosphor bronze pickups if I want to (and remove the wires), besides being easier to work on than the top/bottom split frames.

[OldEastRR]

Complaining or pointing out a fault? Guess it's up to the listener to decide. For the record, I contacted Atlas about the out-of-place wire, and even sent a picture of the problem. They informed me that I shouldn't have taken the loco apart, but they'd still warranty it for me if I sent the warranty form and the receipt of purchase (new, from Lombard Hobbies, ever heard of it?) and paid to ship the loco back. However, since it was a simple re-solder I just fixed it. Still it runs funny, can't put it any other way. No obvious reason why.

Apparently not many of you take out the paper insert of the jewel case when you buy an Atlas loco, because if you did you'd see there's a warranty application neatly folded there. But it's nice to know Atlas locos come with pre-dirtied wheels, because I couldn't figure how 10 minutes of running could gunk up them up.

And yes, it's always easy to complain about somebody else complaining, isn't it?

[robertjohndavis]

Complaining or pointing out a fault? Guess it's up to the listener to decide.

You were obviously pointing out a fault, which is something that is generally well accepted here (thinking about the BLI P5a or the ScaleTrains first run SD40-2 fuel tank screw). Atlas seems to be somewhat of a protected class.

I appreciate knowing about design flaws. I had been hemming and hawing about giving an RS11 or RS3 a chance (weird dirty wheels and all).

Rob

[Dupesy]

All of the newer Atlas engines have that film on the wheels, I'm guessing its to prevent any oxidation but can't say for certain.  It is a simple matter to run them over a piece of paper towel soaked in IPA and clean them up.  Same as general wheel cleaning maintenance.

[Dave V]

Frankly I didn’t understand the three downvotes on the OP’s first post in the thread. I understand his frustration of spending a non-trivial amount of money on a product that then doesn’t perform as expected. I have a tendency to do my own troubleshooting and repair rather than to rely on the manufacturer but that’s just me. Hardly a reason to take OP down just because we may have done it differently. I had an Atlas lemon once… I don’t recall exactly which model it was, but I think it was an SD-35. I never could get it to perform to standard, but as I’d bought it second-hand I didn’t think the warranty would apply. But, like most a$$hats, I found that to be a rare exception to Atlas’ usual high quality.

[R L Smith]

I just upvoted the OP, as I have the same frustration with an expensive loco needing to have the wheels cleaned right out of the box.  Easy enough to do, of course, but shouldn't be necessary and was not necessary with previous Atlas locos. So, something has changed in their manufacturing process and/or supply chain. But this specific issue won't cause me to hesitate one second to buy future locomotives from them. (BLI diesels, on the other hand, well...). I am more concerned that the new sound-equipped engines lost significant puling power compared to previous designs.

Regarding his wiring issue, I do hope that this unit is a one-off "lemon". I can confirm that Atlas has always provided warranty cards, as I still have them in all my jewel cases going back many years. Stating the obvious, I never felt the need to send them in...

Ron