Trackmaster 2014 redesign bad running on older track (The cure)

[Ucwepn]

OK So here I will tell you how to make these new engines run on the blue track, although not an ideal solution it does work, hopefully mattel will address the problem themselves in future releases but it does seem for now at least that they have done this on purpose.



Firstly lets have a look at the new layout of the drive unit and it is simplicity at its finest. The slipper gear is on the axle which is driven straight from a worm gear on the motor shaft, no soldering is necessary for a motor swap.





Ok so the main problem with this train not being able to run on the blue track lies on the bottom of the loco, there is an activation or locking tab that is just below the rear axle and on this new model it hangs down far too low! This causes the loco to become stuck on track joins, points/switches, and stop n go track pieces. So how do we fix this problem?

1) remove the body shell and batteries.
2) flip the loco over and remove the 3x triangle screws while holding the top of the loco in place with your hand.
3) lift off the top section of the loco the whole switch assemble will come with it (Try not to let the switch assembly fall apart), lay the removed section on its side.
4) lift out the motor, then remove the traction rods from the drive wheels (they pop out)
5) flip the loco over again as we want to file some of the plastic off the activation tab, 3-4mm will need to be removed, don't remove too much as it will weaken the chassis and cause problems later, try to file it as smooth as is possible. Once you have removed enough of the activation tab re-assemble the loco, be careful putting the top section back on as the switch assembly can fall out of the top section. There are also axle holding tabs on the top section that need to go over the axle.