James, it doesn't take too much of a grade to see the lurching.
I took George Schreyer's tip about lubricating, and it has worked. We'll see, in the long term, if it helps.
I am pleased, however, with the overall performance and appearance of this locomotive. I had it running in the garden yesterday and it ran well. That is until one of the side rods fell off. Fortunately the teeny tiny screw that holds the rod to the wheel hub stayed in the counterweight. Oh, did I say I was pleased with this loco 8| Being an LGB man, it's easy to get used to perfection. I've not gone outside of the EPL box in twenty years. But now that I am converting to battery power I feel that pick up issues with other manufacturers is not the sole reason for my predjudice.