Here's a tale with a happy ending, of sorts.

I've only ever owned a few Lima models, most of which were bought during my early teens. At the time they were a welcome addition to the variety of RTR prototypes available, and the painted finish was a step up from the raw plastic on Hornby items of the day. The mechanisms weren't regarded as being particularly awful, either - certainly my first Lima model, a Western, was a marvel compared to my grindy, sparky Tri-ang Co-co, which was the only other diesel I owned. But times change, and Lima's reputation has taken a bit of a denting in recent years.

I only bought one Lima model when I returned to the hobby, principally because I liked the experimental livery on the Class 31. I think I bought it from Antics in Cardiff. I can't remember if Bachmann's centre-motored Peak was available by then, but I certainly didn't own one until later. Since the only other game in town for diesels was Hornby, who also used pancake motors, the Lima option didn't seem too bad.

I was fond of my Class 31 but the running gradually deteriorated due to the poor pickup qualities of the wheels, and eventually it went into storage. After a few years I ordered and fitted some Ultrascale wheels, together with new pickups, and found that the running was transformed. Still a bit noisy, and with cogging at low speeds, but capable of smooth-ish starts and certainly up to a slow plod around the layout. Finally, I got around to putting in a decoder, and that's where things took a dark twist as during test running, the loco seemed to short itself out on points and expired rather suddenly. The decoder wouldn't function, and it looked as if some part of the wheel insulation had melted. Rather sadly, I put it away in a drawer, convinced it was dead as a dodo.

Yesterday I was looking for some spare bits for another project and pulled the 31 out of storage. I examined it carefully and was surprised to see that the damage I'd imagined was there was nowhere near as obvious, and the motor/gear train still seemed to turn as intended. I placed it on the track, tried dialling up its address. Nothing. Tried again, and there was a twitch of life. A few more prods, and it grunted its way down the track for a few feet before coughing to a halt. The next time, it got a bit further...

Hmm - not dead after all! I applied some lubrication and gave it a few thorough laps of the layout. After a minute or two it settled down and was running really well, and surprisingly controllable. Perhaps that initial short had forced the decoder to shut down, or something? In any case, I seemed to have a runner again.

Back on the workbench, I added some extra pickups above those I'd already installed, and also a bit more weathering, using Lifecolour acrylics applied sparingly by brush and then immediately swabbed off with a cotton wool bud. The aim was to define the detail, but allow the base colour to show through in largely clean areas, with grime confined to corners and panels and so on. And there we have it - a Class 31 back from the dead. With a Lima motor at its heart it'll never be as smooth or quiet as a modern model, but first and foremost, it's reliable and a steady runner, and it's got more than enough traction for the kinds of train I run. Being Lima, it's also a doddle to disassemble and service.

Personally I get a great kick from keeping old models in operation, far more so than just buying some new item, however nice it might be. The Lima 31 still looks good, despite being very much a no-frills product, and that's all the more reason to keep it running.