PF Train Motor Noise

JBricks27

Has anyone else experienced this high pitch noise coming from their PF train motors? I hear the noise when the train is running at a low speed but it gets drowned out when I turn up the speed to the higher settings. Even just running the engine without the passenger cars will produce this noise.

http://youtu.be/o_6GWxl71cQ

CCC

I don't. Do you get the same pitch when running it out of the train?

JBricks27

I don't hear the noise when I hold the motor off the track (suspended in the air). The noise must have something to do with the resistance from the track

tfranklin84

I've heard a high pitch noise from my 7938 passenger train. In fact, I'm pretty sure I always hear it at first when it is starting out slowly. I'll have to check for sure when I get home. This is my first LEGO train, so I assumed it's normal.

I've also noticed my train "stuttering" a little as it starts now, like it's trying to gain traction. But I assume this is just because the tracks have gotten a little dusty now that it's been setting out a while. It runs fine once it gets going. I have discovered that if you leave your train on the floor for long (like under a Christmas tree), you should clean hair (eeww!) out of the wheels. The train wheels are a hair magnet. I've grabbed gobs of hair out of the train wheels/around the axis.

graphite

At slow speeds under load the motor is definitely going to whine. I'm pretty sure that is just typical of an electric motor. When you hold it off the track there is no load so nothing fighting the turning of the motor.

JBricks27

TLG told me the noise is because it is a brushed motor. The representative said using brushless motors would have meant the power functions being more expensive.