Graham Farish Coronations in N - rocking behaviour

[Danny252]

I've taken on a number of older N Gauge Coronations as a maintenance project, and while I've got all running to some extent, am looking for some advice on making them run smoother.

 

All exhibit some amount of rocking motion while running, with the worst example looking like it's ready to throw itself off the rails when running at speed! At low speed, all locomotives struggle to run smoothly due to the rocking, almost as if something were catching or rubbing.

 

Is this more likely to be the valve gear (e.g. having been bent out of shape), an issue with the internal gearing (if they were diesel models of the same era, I might suspect split gears), or something else? Any tips on remedial action?

Edited February 13, 2022 by Danny252

[RexAshton]

Could be slop in the coupling rods due to wear possibly.

[cypherman]

Hi,

Try to remove the coupling rods and run the engines without them. see if they still wobble. If they do then it is possibly either a wheel or axel problem. IE warped wheels or too much wear in the axel bearings surfaces. If they run fine try putting the valve gear back on one side at a time. to see if it is one side or both sides that are worn.