HERE’S HOW TO REMEDY THE PROBLEM

1 Take the shell off of the car. There are two screws at each end of the car and two more in the middle of the chassis that secure a decorative plastic piece. Remove the piece, and there are two small screws that hold the coach to the chassis. After these are taken out, the coach shell comes off.

2 The wires are breaking connection because they are too short. The tight fit causes stress as the trucks turn and pulls them loose from the contact strips on the trucks. I unhooked the wires from the two white plastic clasps on the chassis to give them more length and play.

3 If your wires have broken loose from the contact strips, pull them back through the grommets. Remove 1/8"-1/4" of the insulation to expose the bare wire. Use a dedicated wire stripper or a hobby knife, as they are small wires.

4 Once you have stripped the wires, tin the bare ends. Then run the wires back through the holes in the frame.

Resolder the ends to the contacts. Place the car on a powered track and make sure the wires are connected properly and the bulb lights. I used lots of solder and did not bother to stick the wires through the small holes in the pickups. Each truck’s wheels pick up power from both rails. The wires must be paired properly; otherwise, the car will cause a short.

5 If the bulb won’t light, make sure it’s seated correctly. For some reason, the manufacturer put glue on the socket and bulb; this can cause a break in the circuit. If you’ve rewired it correctly and the light won’t shine, clean off the glue with a solvent like lacquer thinner or mineral spirits (in a well ventilated area or outside). Make sure the solvent has evaporated and test it again.

6 When you’ve determined the lamp lights properly and there’s enough play in the wires, go ahead and put the car back together in the reverse of how it came apart.