Are Any Brushes(within reason) Okay to Use?

[Sir TophamHatt]

I've a couple of trains that are really old.

 

I suppose I could replace the motor all together (although not sure what will fit or what would be better).

So I was looking at replacing the brushes as they seem to be worse than anything else on all three of the trains, despite some cleaning with iso-pro.

 

So long as they fit, can I just buy any?

[steviesparx]

I've a couple of trains that are really old....

 

Manufacturer ? Model number ?....additional information might help....

[DCB]

I chuck any old thing in if it fits but some Ringfield brushes are stepped with a large diameter against the commutator and a smaller diameter to form a spring seat.  These really need to be replaced one for one as otherwise the springs don't fit correctly. 

You really do need the correct brush springs though, brush spring tension makes a big difference to the speed these motors run at.

 The X04 type need to be bent to suit so the brushes are absolutely on the centre line of the commutator though Wrenn, Hornby, Triang all fit the X04 (and the Airfix MW if ou shorten them) the Airfix won't fit the others (Too short)  and the others wont fit the Wrenn without filing down the tops.  Even the new X04 brushes seem to need bending to suit these days as if misaligned the motor may not start too well or run faster one way than the other.

Edited February 9, 2018 by DavidCBroad

[ISW]

I've a couple of trains that are really old.

 

I suppose I could replace the motor all together (although not sure what will fit or what would be better).

 

I chose to replace the motors in a number of my old (~1980s) Lima and Hornby locomotives. The new motors certainly provide a smoother operation, especially at low speed. If you want details, let me know although all my information came off a couple of YouTube videos.

 

Ian

[Sir TophamHatt]

Hi, sorry - there's three trains so far:

 

One of the trains is an old German BR 80 tank, probably from the 50s or 60s. I bought a newer one made by ROCO, although I think my original was a Peco version.

 

Another is a Lima L208144-LN Type BB Bm4/4 Diesel.

 

The last one is a Fleischmann railbus 4401 - here: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/119512-cleaning-up-the-train/

 

Thanks

[DCB]

The Railbus   Fleischmann railbus 4401 - here: http://www.rmweb.co....g-up-the-train/  looks like the brushes are ok, they do look thicker than most which will will cause a few issues if originals can't be sourced.   I would look at the magnets on the railbus first, always supposing you havelt burnt out the insulation on the armature.  As for the others I don't have a clue as to what sort of motor of brushes they use.

[The Johnster]

Actually, and not wishing to naysay ISW's post, I find that old motors such as XO4 run very freely if the commutators are clean and brush pressure is correct; they were very well made originally, but might require very occasional lubrication at the bearing bushes.  My childhood Triang Jinty, 1961 vintage, could cog reliably around the layout in about 35 minutes and was completely controllable from that crawl up to it's scale mach 3 or whatever.

 

What is at least as critical to performance with such locos is the meshing of the worm and cog gears; too loose will lead to slipping and excessive cog wear (look for a dip in the middle of the teeth) and too tight will bind (look for wear on the worm), leading to poor low speed performance and overheated motors.  The motor fits by a lug at the front into a rebate in the chassis block, but is screwed at the back, and some adjustment is available.  If the mesh is too loose, a spacer washer between the motor housing and the chassis at the rear of will tip it forward, lowering the worm on to the screw, and a packing piece at the front will raise it slightly if the opposite effect is desired.

[ISW]

Actually, and not wishing to naysay ISW's post, I find that old motors such as XO4 run very freely if the commutators are clean and brush pressure is correct; they were very well made originally, but might require very occasional lubrication at the bearing bushes.  My childhood Triang Jinty, 1961 vintage, could cog reliably around the layout in about 35 minutes and was completely controllable from that crawl up to it's scale mach 3 or whatever.

 

What is at least as critical to performance with such locos is the meshing of the worm and cog gears; too loose will lead to slipping and excessive cog wear (look for a dip in the middle of the teeth) and too tight will bind (look for wear on the worm), leading to poor low speed performance and overheated motors.  The motor fits by a lug at the front into a rebate in the chassis block, but is screwed at the back, and some adjustment is available.  If the mesh is too loose, a spacer washer between the motor housing and the chassis at the rear of will tip it forward, lowering the worm on to the screw, and a packing piece at the front will raise it slightly if the opposite effect is desired.

Naysay away, I've no problem with that. There's always an element of truth in both sides of a discussion.

 

I'm sure I could get my ageing Lima and Hornby motors to run 'smoothly', but I didn't think I would be able to get the slow running abilities of more current models. With the CD motors (10-pole?) installed, I can get a model moving on Step-1 with a DCC controller (28-steps). 

 

Ian