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Changing Gear


gwmac

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If the Hornby 14XX is the same as the Airfix one, try calling Ultrascale and talking to them.

 

They may have a product that isn't on their website.

 

Phil

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The Airfix 14XX has a really nice 5 pole motor and when fitted with Romford driving wheels and a Romfiord worm wheel 40 to 1 I tink which meshes with the standard worm and with the front axle shimmed against the worm wheek to stop it crabbing it makes an admirable shunter, though keep it away from live frog points or you will fry the plunger pick ups.  However the haulage power is pretty minimal.  Be careful reassembling the chassis as many crack through the  front axle slot, this causes the plastic worm wheel to strip   

The Dapol Hornby version is a much cheaper and nastier piece of junk with a tiny joke of a 3 pole motor.  A mashima and ultra scale wheels may well improve it but it won't pull a realistic load.

In preservation 14XX handle 5 if not 6 coach train on the Gloucester Warwickshire railway, and in BR days they were timed at 80 mph on Gloucester - Chalford Auto trains, while the worked the Hemyock branch with a 25 mph speed limit.

The similar 58XX were used around Swindon on station pilot and shunting work with occasional forays on he Highworth Branch so they are not too out of place shunting, but realistic shunting does not involve much moving at walking speed

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...The Dapol Hornby version is a much cheaper and nastier piece of junk with a tiny joke of a 3 pole motor...

Is this the 'type 7' motor by Hornby's description, aka Mabuchi type?

 

I have only experienced this in the J94, where I found it was seriously handicapped by the plastic parts that constitute the motor mount, gearbox and chassis. Once it was sorted so that both the worm was properly meshed, and the whole driveline turned freely, it ran decently enough. With competent feedback control (from a Lenz decoder, but any good feedback by DC or DCC system should do the job) it's smooth and quiet, and more than competent to replicate steam shunting technique as I saw it performed.

 

Now, I have never had any tinker time with a 14xx; but given that it will need some dismantling to fit a new gear set or motor, if any of the above sounds applicable it might be worth seeing what a little fettling can deliver in the way of better performance from the original equipment.

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Kevinlms,  if you run a loco towards the heel end of a live frog point which is set against it, perhaps ona run round loop where you have not changed all the points at some stage it will cross over an isolator and stop with the wheels at one end on tracks of the same polarity and wheels at the other on tracks of different polarity, this causes a same side short from positive to negative from one wheel through the plunger pickup along the contact strip through another plunger pickup on the same side to the another wheel on the same side but at the opposite polarity, A copper strip will not be particularly bothered but the Aifix Plunger pickup wont take many watts before the temper goes out of the coil spring and the plunger fails.

 

34 "C"   I have never found a  Dapol /Hornby Mk 7 motor that was anything but harsh, similar motors can be bough for 50p from electronic suppliers.  I have tried to make 3 of these 14XX run smoothly with no success, I can make the Airfix run very nicely but can't make it haul anything worthwhile,  The 14XX cries out for a decent chassis and i am stll struggling to make one

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What's particularly good is that you can see it is going to work. Space enough for a hefty chunk of ballast forward that will keep the centre of balance between the coupled wheels with the body fitted, and off it goes. Almost makes me wish I had an 0-4-2 type to make a reliable running job of...

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