Re-Motoring Lima HST Power Cars

[Marky B]

Hi All,

 

I've got two Lima HST locos, (both powered), which I'm looking to somehow re-motor. Does anyone have the experience of doing this, either by replacing the pancake motors with another more modern offering of the same type, or perhaps replacing the Lima chassis with a Hornby? I've done a certain amount of searching around online for any articles on this, so far, I've not turned much up. The chassis as they currently are, I've re-wheeled to EM gauge using Ultrascale conversion packs. So if I go the Hornby route, I will need to re-wheel them again, but I'm not particularly worried about this. I will want to DCC them as well and put sound on board, so that's another consideration. Basically, I'm looking at both cost and ease of doing the re-motoring.

 

Regards,

 

Mark

[NS Peak]

If you are not looking to simply swap out the power bogie as you have already converted them to EM how about about the easiest option would be to use a pancake replacement kit such as the following.  (No connection just a satisfied customer)

 

https://www.strathpefferjunction.com/product-category/ringfield-motor-conversion-kits/

the kits are well designed and quite simple even for my very modest modelling talents

They don’t come with a decoder socket but hard wiring them  would be straight forward if you are already getting your soldering iron out to replace the motor, take a look also at the pcb’s also offered as these are really useful if you want to swap out decoders in the future

 

stephen

Edited September 28, 2020 by NS Peak

[Marky B]

Hi Stephen,

 

Thanks for the steer, I've looked at the site and the replacement pancake motors look to be a good idea, so I'll probably go down that route.

 

Regards,

 

Mark

[cypherman]

7 hours ago, NS Peak said:

If you are not looking to simply swap out the power bogie as you have already converted them to EM how about about the easiest option would be to use a pancake replacement kit such as the following.  (No connection just a satisfied customer)

 

https://www.strathpefferjunction.com/product-category/ringfield-motor-conversion-kits/

the kits are well designed and quite simple even for my very modest modelling talents

They don’t come with a decoder socket but hard wiring them  would be straight forward if you are already getting your soldering iron out to replace the motor, take a look also at the pcb’s also offered as these are really useful if you want to swap out decoders in the future

 

stephen

Hi all,

I can fully recommend the replacement motors from Strathpeffer Junction. I bought one for a Lima prairie and messed up the gearing which had to be shortened for this engine. they sent me 4 extra sets of gears with 2 already modified free of charge.

Edited September 29, 2020 by cypherman

[PatB]

An alternative, using a CD drive motor, is Susumotor. I've bought a couple of their motors and found them to be excellent value with great service.

[NFWEM57]

On 28/09/2020 at 18:30, Marky B said:

Hi All,

 

I've got two Lima HST locos, (both powered), which I'm looking to somehow re-motor. Does anyone have the experience of doing this, either by replacing the pancake motors with another more modern offering of the same type, or perhaps replacing the Lima chassis with a Hornby? I've done a certain amount of searching around online for any articles on this, so far, I've not turned much up. The chassis as they currently are, I've re-wheeled to EM gauge using Ultrascale conversion packs. So if I go the Hornby route, I will need to re-wheel them again, but I'm not particularly worried about this. I will want to DCC them as well and put sound on board, so that's another consideration. Basically, I'm looking at both cost and ease of doing the re-motoring.

 

Regards,

 

Mark

Hi Mark,

 

Have recently converted an original Hornby HST and about to do the same for a Lima HST.  I have used the latest HST bogies and centrally mounted motor. You will not need replacement wheel as the power and dummy bogies simply get new axles onto which the wheels and gear are fitted. Check out the two links.  The Lima version is work in progress and is far simpler than the Hornby conversion.  

 

 

 

[vikingsmb]

old thread, but if you can obtain one of the later hst motors which are lower geared that will improve things big time, all my warships and westerns have now been re-motored using the later low ratio motors 

[DCB]

Do the low geared motors still give a scale 125 MPH capability on about 13 volts?  I have early Hornby and early2000s Lima HSTs and  can't really see much wrong with them.   They ran happily out of the box and still do,    Something very few subsequent new loco purchases have managed.   My garden line uses remotored Lima mechs with CD drive motors on battery power,  I had to re wheel a new class 156 last Christmas with new trailing bogie wheels on the drive axles to stop the bogies tipping and derailing under acceleration not a problem I have previously experience.  

[vikingsmb]

On 01/01/2024 at 04:37, DCB said:

Do the low geared motors still give a scale 125 MPH capability on about 13 volts?  I have early Hornby and early2000s Lima HSTs and  can't really see much wrong with them.   They ran happily out of the box and still do,    Something very few subsequent new loco purchases have managed.   My garden line uses remotored Lima mechs with CD drive motors on battery power,  I had to re wheel a new class 156 last Christmas with new trailing bogie wheels on the drive axles to stop the bogies tipping and derailing under acceleration not a problem I have previously experience.  

not sure tbh, but the later lower geared motors are much better runners i've found, i've remotored all my westerns bar western duke which came from new, with the later low ratio motors, and i've re-wired them and they run better, also on my lima 47s i've removed the additional pickup on the non powered bogie as found it was causing more problems with current pickup so removed it.

Edited January 12 by vikingsmb

[NFWEM57]

I recently tried to remotor a Lima HST using the latest Railroad Bogie - but for EM and and metal tyres - it was a failure, could barely pull itself.  The motor in the bogie is small in comparison to those in the Class 37/47 railroad bogies. I did convert a  Class 37 using a full size CD motor (more space with EM wheels so a larger 12V motor can fit)  and 2 Class 47 using modified railroad bogies with Alan Gibson wheels and all 3 worked reasonably well.

 

I converted one of my LIma HSTs using a central drive motor two shaft driven bogies from the full fat Hornby HST - massive drawbar pull as you would expect; seperate thread on this   My 3 remaining HSTs will be getting the same treatment.  When converting to all metal tyres the big issue is weight.  Provided the motor is powerful enough, there is around 70~75% conversion of weight to drawbar pull for wheels with traction tyres falling to 20~30% for all metal wheels.  And it is weight on the driven bogie, not overall loco weight, that is important.  So, the HST has 410g on two driven bogies and I measured a drawbar pull of 120g - around 29% conversion.  For the Class 37, CD motor with Ultrascale wheels, only 40g drawbar pull was achieved whilst for the two Class 47,  Railroad Motor with Alan Gibson wheels, the drawbar pull was 45g.  The key is weight but too much weight overpowers the motor, too little reduces drawbar pull - for a a single driven boge aim for 200~250g over the bogie with an overall loco weight of 400~450g.  It is a compromise.  I might try 2 railroad bogies in my next conversion - requires a bit of engineering work on the railroad chassis where the dummy bogie sits but it will provide double the traction.  For the surplus Lima bogies I will also try the double drive approach on some, again, a bit of engineering work on the original  Lima chassis.  Neither will use the cut and shut approach to chassis modification.  Of course the simple answer might be to just buy the full fact versions of the class 37s and 47s, but I enjoy undertaking the conversions and it gives some reasonable models a new lease of life, indeed Hornby still use the Lima body shells.

 

No issue with pick ups, all bogies have them, as all are DCC (ESU decoders) with bespoke (distributed) stay alives.

 

Hope this helps.  Of course, if you stick to using traction tyres, no problems, other than dirty track..!