Guest oldlugger Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 Does anyone know how to get the wheels out of a Hornby class 31 (the latest version, not the old Triang/Hornby model)? There is a keeper plate on the bogies but no obvious way of removing it. I want to convert the loco to P4 with a set of Ultrascale wheels. Also do the pick ups have to be modified for the wider gauge? Cheers Simon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timara Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 Hi Simon, There are six clips (three per side) on the underside of each bogie. Use a small (2mm) flat-blade screwdriver and carefully lever the clips along one side from one end to the other and it should come away once the first two are free. Have a swear-box handy though...... Hope that helps! Tim Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest oldlugger Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 Cheers Tim! My swear box is so full I could buy a house in Kensington Square, W8 (wishful thinking sadly). I'll give it a go... Cheers Simon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest oldlugger Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 Tim er... can you explain a bit more? I can see three sets of protruding lugs but no obvious way of getting a screwdriver in. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timara Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 Tim er... can you explain a bit more? I can see three sets of protruding lugs but no obvious way of getting a screwdriver in. Sure! How recent is the model first? The version I have is from the first batch. You need to attack the things from the side and twist them off ever so slightly, for want of a better phrase. One the keeper plates are off, the sideframes and pickup plates should fall out nicely, allowing the wheels to pop out. Hornby changed things after both the 50 and 31 to be slightly easier to attack, for those of us who go wider that is. T Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest oldlugger Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 Tim, Here's a photo of the bogie. My model is pretty recent I'd say... two to three years old? Are the clips behind the the three protruding lugs you can see in the photo? I've managed to get my screwdriver in behind one of these at the fuel tank end. Cheers Simon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timara Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 Yep, that's exactly like my one. The instructions above should pretty much do the trick, though do both sides as you go along each bogie. Just tried it on mine and they eventually come off....... T Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
34theletterbetweenB&D Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 If you want to get at them more easily by working from above, unclip the cover over the worm on top of the bogie gear tower. That releases the bogie, and then you can approach from above down the gear tower sides to pry the flat clips loose. The clips are well visible on the picture to the left of the outside and centre axles, and to the right of the inside axle. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest oldlugger Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 Cheers both of you for the help. So do I push my screwdriver down between the double protrusions/clips X 3 mentioned above, twist and lift the plate upwards? That is what I was doing earlier and only managed to lift one corner - slightly. I'm afraid I will damage the nylon gears inside. In the old days there would have been instructions and simple screws! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
34theletterbetweenB&D Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 The gears are safely protected behind the gear tower side, don't worry, and the plastic is flexible enough to unclip without damage. I am as hamfisted as any 4mm modeller I know and have had all my Hornby 31 bogies apart for necessary adjustment and haven't busted anything. Yet... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest oldlugger Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 Cheers 34theletterbetweenB&D! I'll have another go today... Simon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest oldlugger Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 I finally got the keeper plates off after breaking one of the lift up clips! For those attempting the same, there are three thin plastic clips on the outside of the keeper plate that locate onto plastic lugs also on the outside of the inner bogie - the latter below the keeper plate. It is not obvious how you release them (at first) but with a thin screwdriver or other similar thin edged tool get the blade under the clips and pull them outwards along one side first and then the other side. The keeper plate will then have partially lifted off the main inner bogie and you should be able to flip the remainder off. Caution! Once the keeper plate is off, the bogie side frames will be loose and will probably drop off their inner lugs with ease; watch this as the frames have thin wires connected which lead to the motor and could easily become unsoldered. My model was swimming in oil which has got over most bits of the model. I've cleaned this up as best I can now. What do the manufacturers do to these locos? Drop the whole loco into a vat of 3 in 1? Also, why do they have to make getting at the wheels and gears so ridiculously complicated, enhancing the chances of damage? Why not use screws like the good old user friendly Lima locos? Cheers Simon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
34theletterbetweenB&D Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 The varying quantity of lubricant in China assembled chassis from both Bach and Hornby is quite striking. I have seen everything from packed solid with grease to bone dry over the last decade: although to be fair the last three to four years purchases have all had a sensible quantity, ranging from generous but not outrageous; to a neatly applied minimal quantity, the way I would choose to do the job myself. Clip together versus screws: fewer parts, no assembly tools required, quicker assembly operation ; clip together is here to stay... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest oldlugger Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 Anyone want two cheap P4 converted class 31 models with work to the bodies needed? Cheers Simon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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