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Lima class 31 detailing project...


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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 4 weeks later...

Here is the basic DCC hard wiring setup,on Lima class 31 using Bachmann standard 8 pin three function decoder...

 

On the 8 pin chip i only use four wires,

red and black,

grey and orange.

 

(1)Grey and orange wires go from chip to either side of the motor.

 

(2)Red and black wires go from chip to rear trailer bogie,to the wheel set pick up strips.

 

(3)Ive also got two extra "red and black" wires,from the motor to front head lights....

 

Now your ready to run.... :no:

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  • 2 months later...
  • 1 month later...

A message of clarification to address the 'Indecipherable/ unsure of meaning' comments:

 

The stray headcode disc on a headcode-box equipped loco, as the OP has pointed out in post 17, is to be removed, it was inherited on a model he received from a third party.

 

My comment regarding the round OLEO buffers was made because no Class 31 to my knowledge was ever fitted with these, but I'm excited about being proved wrong!

Can we keep to the tread topic please :offtopic:

Cheers neil...

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Some very nice work here Neil,like how you do the extra detail.

May have some Lima locos for you to chip :senile:

Ok wil take look for you when we have catch up Kenny :superman:

Only things i didnt fit to these class 31s were these dics things :scratchhead: which ive now removed... :locomotive:

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  • 4 months later...

Hi there,

 

Please can anyone on here tell me if the Hornby Railroad Class 31 wheels from the trailing bogie will fit a Lima powered chassis?

 

My model runs well for around 10 minutes but it starts to stutter slightly on live frog points. I then have to clean the wheels with a cotton bud and IPA (Isopropol Alcohol - not the Greene King stuff LOL)and remove the dirt build up.

 

Any advice?

 

Thanks,

 

Paul

aka Intercity125

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Hi there,

 

Please can anyone on here tell me if the Hornby Railroad Class 31 wheels from the trailing bogie will fit a Lima powered chassis?

 

My model runs well for around 10 minutes but it starts to stutter slightly on live frog points. I then have to clean the wheels with a cotton bud and IPA (Isopropol Alcohol - not the Greene King stuff LOL)and remove the dirt build up.

 

Any advice?

 

Thanks,

 

Paul

aka Intercity125

Hello Paul,

 

You could upgrade the whole chassis with the newer Railroad version as it's available as spares. Just a mater of swapping the body over - no noise, no poor running, no more Lima pancake. The wheels are much better on the newer unit than the older Lima version as I think you are aware. The newer version also has pick ups on all wheels rather than the Lima version which has pick ups on one side of each bogie.

 

I was just expressing my thought because it might be easier and viable just to swap the entire chassis unit.

 

To answer the question Hornby wheels will not fit directly into the older Lima bogies (and work) without modification.

 

Cheers, Reece

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Hello Paul,

 

You could upgrade the whole chassis with the newer Railroad version as it's available as spares. Just a mater of swapping the body over - no noise, no poor running, no more Lima pancake. The wheels are much better on the newer unit than the older Lima version as I think you are aware. The newer version also has pick ups on all wheels rather than the Lima version which has pick ups on one side of each bogie.

 

I was just expressing my thought because it might be easier and viable just to swap the entire chassis unit.

 

To answer the question Hornby wheels will not fit directly into the older Lima bogies (and work) without modification.

 

Cheers, Reece

Hi Reece,

 

Thanks for your reply and clarification re: Hornby wheels not being suitable for the Lima trailing bogie. It's a shame as I was hoping to replace them.

 

To purchase a Hornby Railroad Class 31 costs around £50 to £55 from discount retailers and it makes it an expensive way to cure the problem with the wheels. I've priced up the spares from East Kent Models and they come to over £40 and then I'm not sure I've captured all the spares I need from the listing.

 

Regards,

 

Paul

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Hi Reece,

 

Thanks for your reply and clarification re: Hornby wheels not being suitable for the Lima trailing bogie. It's a shame as I was hoping to replace them.

 

To purchase a Hornby Railroad Class 31 costs around £50 to £55 from discount retailers and it makes it an expensive way to cure the problem with the wheels. I've priced up the spares from East Kent Models and they come to over £40 and then I'm not sure I've captured all the spares I need from the listing.

 

Regards,

 

Paul

Nope but you can buy the entire rear trailing bogie and swap it over with the Lima one, it also has the advantage of an all wheel pick up.

 

Unfortunately the price of things is the only downside but it does save some time and effort (and it is a hobby after all - they're expensive!), it involves the least amount of modification/work.

 

However if you have time and patents it is possible to fit the Hornby motor bogie to the Lima chassis frame, but you'll need to cut out the material where the Lima pancake was and build a motor mount from plastic. The Hornby motor bogie then 'plugs' in the hole drilled in the top of the new motor mount. Wiring would also need taking care of but this is straight forward.

 

After that you've saved around £15 or so (not to sure what the price is on the chassis frame and unnecessary boards are now)

 

I've inserted one of my sketches to explain:10390162_681447981904074_586692345908562

 

Cheers, Reece

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Looking at the Petersspares web-site, it would appear that these Railroad 31 bogies have a worm drive bogie with two axles driven, rather than the original Lima-style bogie. Can anyone confirm this? How powerful are these? I was wondering about putting 2 into an ex-Airfix body (and possibly into another one or two). Do these pick-up on the power bogie?

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Looking at the Petersspares web-site, it would appear that these Railroad 31 bogies have a worm drive bogie with two axles driven, rather than the original Lima-style bogie. Can anyone confirm this? How powerful are these? I was wondering about putting 2 into an ex-Airfix body (and possibly into another one or two). Do these pick-up on the power bogie?

Yes tis a motor with a worm gear on each end which is transferred via a cog to the axels. Two powered axels. on the Hornby Railroad 31 all wheels have pickups on both sides unlike the older Lima.

 

They're reasonably powerful as the loco has a hunk of weight in the centre. On a modification note it is possible to get two chassis and cut them both in half and have two powered bogies if more traction is required, in turn both motors are then wired opposite so they both go the same way.

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Yes tis a motor with a worm gear on each end which is transferred via a cog to the axels. Two powered axels. on the Hornby Railroad 31 all wheels have pickups on both sides unlike the older Lima.

 

They're reasonably powerful as the loco has a hunk of weight in the centre. On a modification note it is possible to get two chassis and cut them both in half and have two powered bogies if more traction is required, in turn both motors are then wired opposite so they both go the same way.

Thanks for that; I might give it a crack; the Reverend did something similar with a Triang Hymek about forty years back. Always a good idea to make sure both bogies are wired to go in the same direction...

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Thanks for that; I might give it a crack; the Reverend did something similar with a Triang Hymek about forty years back. Always a good idea to make sure both bogies are wired to go in the same direction...

Indeed always advisable... That's when you get traction motor faults.

 

I also did a Tri-mek a while ago, I remember I filled up the inside of the body with chunks of lead around the motor. Until the loco was eventually replaced with a Helmek which runs and looks much better.

 

I think the Lima and Airfix Class 31 still hold up to standards visually.

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Nope but you can buy the entire rear trailing bogie and swap it over with the Lima one, it also has the advantage of an all wheel pick up.

 

Unfortunately the price of things is the only downside but it does save some time and effort (and it is a hobby after all - they're expensive!), it involves the least amount of modification/work.

 

However if you have time and patents it is possible to fit the Hornby motor bogie to the Lima chassis frame, but you'll need to cut out the material where the Lima pancake was and build a motor mount from plastic. The Hornby motor bogie then 'plugs' in the hole drilled in the top of the new motor mount. Wiring would also need taking care of but this is straight forward.

 

After that you've saved around £15 or so (not to sure what the price is on the chassis frame and unnecessary boards are now)

 

I've inserted one of my sketches to explain:10390162_681447981904074_586692345908562

 

Cheers, Reece

Thanks Reece for taking the time and trouble to upload a sketch. I'm quite happy with the Lima motor because it runs smoothly and slowly as long as the trailing bogie wheels are clean. Unfortunately the dirt build up happens within 15 minutes of running. I'm intending to retain the Lima chassis, but wanted to replace either the wheels or the complete bogie. Will the Hornby trailing bogie fit the hole that exists on the Lima chassis?

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Indeed always advisable... That's when you get traction motor faults.

 

I also did a Tri-mek a while ago, I remember I filled up the inside of the body with chunks of lead around the motor. Until the loco was eventually replaced with a Helmek which runs and looks much better.

 

I think the Lima and Airfix Class 31 still hold up to standards visually.

I agree. I think the Lima Class 31 body moulding stands up to today's models.

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Thanks Reece for taking the time and trouble to upload a sketch. I'm quite happy with the Lima motor because it runs smoothly and slowly as long as the trailing bogie wheels are clean. Unfortunately the dirt build up happens within 15 minutes of running. I'm intending to retain the Lima chassis, but wanted to replace either the wheels or the complete bogie. Will the Hornby trailing bogie fit the hole that exists on the Lima chassis?

No tribble at all... The Lima trailing bogie is held in by the primitive clip so all you need to do is pull it out and the bogie drops out (before or after you take the wires off), the newer Hornby version can simply clip in using the same hole.

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I agree. I think the Lima Class 31 body moulding stands up to today's models.

My first engine was a Lima Class 31. I can't find fault with the body moulding - could just do with the normal amount of detailing, most of which are optional extras depending on how far you want to take it. Pipes, Couplings, handrails, windows, wipers, roof fan & grill, odd cab end parts with of course the Driver and Secondman.

 

Just really the mechanism which benefits from an upgrade in my view.

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My first engine was a Lima Class 31. I can't find fault with the body moulding - could just do with the normal amount of detailing, most of which are optional extras depending on how far you want to take it. Pipes, Couplings, handrails, windows, wipers, roof fan & grill, odd cab end parts with of course the Driver and Secondman.

 

Just really the mechanism which benefits from an upgrade in my view.

Totaly agree,lima class 31s are good base model for adding extra detail too...

 

cheers neil..

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