Thomas Gordon engine has a limp

[Frankv]

I took our new Thomas Gordon engine out of the package and started to break him in. My partner in railroading, my 6 yr old grandson said, "Look, Gordon is limping". Sure enough, he has a little hitch in his stride, more evident at low speeds, but present at all speeds. It's evident when running in a cradle also. So, I lubed the external linkages lightly with Labelle, but the very regular hesitation is still there. I can't observe any binding in the drive linkages, so it might be internal. We have other Thomas 3 axle engines; namely, Spencer and Henry, and they run smoothly. Gordon is still under warranty, but I would rather not send him back if it can be fixed. My questions: 1) might it smooth out if I run it some more?, 2) is this a design quirk of Gordon's? If there are other Gordon owners out there, I'd like to hear if they have experienced this.

[ABC]

Try posting under the Thomas section for better results as not all of us in HO have experience with Thomas engines.

[Frankv]

Thank you, ABC. Will do.