Hello all,
I just recently purchased my very first Williams engine set, the Amtrak Phase V Genesis A-A pair. I have heard many great things said about Williams diesels, so I finally took the plunge and decided to see for myself. However, from the moment I placed my powered engine on the rails, it has had some pretty severe issues, and I was hoping someone could help me out with a simple fix so that I don't have to contact service with my very first one.

When the engine runs, it flies, but a fierce amount of sparks fly from both center rail pickups, so much that I can smell the burning and the sparks cover across the entire track. If I reduce power on my transformer to zero and switch into neutral or reverse, all power will cut to the engine, though occasionally I will see the cab light flicker dimly. After this happens, if I bump the engine with my finger it will suddenly catch power and start going again, but with the sparks still flying out from under both of the third rail pickups.

I am running on O48 Lionel FasTrack with an 80-watt transformer. I tried thoroughly cleaning the track (all my other engines work perfectly with no sparks) and the rollers, and I oiled and greased all the recommended points on the engine, but this did not solve the issue. Any help from you fine folks would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance!