Athearn blue box

[rrinker]

Something else that can cause erratic operation - the AT harness uses the base of the headlight bracket as the connection to the chassis side of the electrical pickup. On many Blue Box locos, those are riveted rather loosely to the frame and do not make the best electrical pickup points. Fine wire sodlered to the metal plate on the truck (the rivet, actually is easier to solder) is the best option for most reliable pickup - that way both sides of the track power are connected to the decoder with wires. A second alternative would be to drill a hole in the frame and tap it, and install a brass screw. The wire that used to go to the headlight post, with the connector on it, remove the connector and solder the wire to the head of the brass screw.

--Randy