Giggle pin Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 I can see that this hobby/interest is MASSIVE. The more i watch this web site the more i am impressed with the skills that members have. The skills shown and shared are very diverse and interesting. The whole railway scene from full size 4'8-1/2" to z guage ( which i think is the smalles guage) is so widely covered that anyone who looks in can not fail to be impressed and i am sure that there is something for everyone to have an interest in here . I recently attended a railway show in Birchencliffe in Huddersfield and the layouts were great, the people running them were all helpfull and interesting and very encouraging. So i have been looking around at models and the brand Lima seems to be reasonable priced, my question is are they still manufactured or not and if not when were they last made? Cheers Bri Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
darren01 Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 Hi Lima have not made any new models for years, Hornby brought some of there loco's and still make them now days. The old Lima models had very poor motors in them and would not run very well at slow speed, personally I would not buy any old Lima loco's as they are no way up to anything of modern standard. Darren Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandwich station Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 Hornby brought some of there loco's and still make them now days. Actually, I think you will find that Hornby bought all of Lima's assets, not just some of the loco's. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sub39h Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 The old Lima models had very poor motors in them and would not run very well at slow speed, personally I would not buy any old Lima loco's as they are no way up to anything of modern standard. Darren Whilst this is generally true, there are some notable exceptions - the HST and Class 101 being two of their better models. Motors are a lucky dip - some are good and some aren't, but you can get remotoring kits which don't cost the Earth and you end up with a passable model for not very much money. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cobach47 Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 i have about thirty lima locos i have very little trouble with them spares are still fairly easy to find on e-bay or on facebook model railway sites. they are easy to service and in most cases fairly cheap. if you look at diesel-trains.co.uk you will find replacement motors for around £12 and traction tyres, magnets and armatures in fact everything you need to keep them running. another advantage of lima is the vast choice of liveries. have a look around toy fairs, i have bought lots of non-runners cheap and brought them back to life! remember the whole model railway hobby doesn't have to revolve around Hornby and Bachmann. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigherb Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 Lima went bust in 2004 and the company assets where bought by Hornby, who have reintroduced most of the Lima's UK models with new superior drive motors mainly as Railroad models. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokebox Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 Hornby Lima service sheets here Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
nzgresleyfan Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 Nothing wrong with Lima. Sure, they've been totally outclassed by the current offerings from other manufacturers but as a good starting point for upgrades, they're excellent. I have acquired nearly 30 over the years, they all still go very well. If one stops it's usually down to dirty wheels or a loose wire from the trailing to the motor bogie. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
great central Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 Hi Lima have not made any new models for years, Hornby brought some of there loco's and still make them now days. The old Lima models had very poor motors in them and would not run very well at slow speed, personally I would not buy any old Lima loco's as they are no way up to anything of modern standard. Darren If you want locos to run slowly with light loads or on something like a depot layout I agree. If however, you have a large layout where you can run long heavy trains Lima locos will crawl along quite happily. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Radford Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 There must be something wrong with my Lima locos. I have 2 x Class 50, 1 Class 37, 1 Class 47 and the DMU (117) and ALL will crawl along at slow speed without load. They were all purchased pre1992 and have since 2010 added a Class 31 for £30 which is also a great slow runner. (Because I sure ain't paying 150 notes for a Hornby one!) As long as the wheels are kept clean they are great. Oh, I forgot about the Class 20 - another great runner which shed it's traction tyres - Hornby ones fit a treat! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
crompton 33 Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 I have a few Lima models. There where some made with HO Bogies fitted class 50 & class 55 . The first Class 33's they made where in HO scale. In my view there best loco's for detail where there class 31/37/47/59/60/. And the best of all there class 73's . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
westie7 Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 If you are looking for projects to detail/modify then they represent a cheap base starting point. I prefer my Lima MK3 coaches and PCA wagons over Hornby. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cobach47 Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 There must be something wrong with my Lima locos. I have 2 x Class 50, 1 Class 37, 1 Class 47 and the DMU (117) and ALL will crawl along at slow speed without load. They were all purchased pre1992 and have since 2010 added a Class 31 for £30 which is also a great slow runner. (Because I sure ain't paying 150 notes for a Hornby one!) As long as the wheels are kept clean they are great. Oh, I forgot about the Class 20 - another great runner which shed it's traction tyres - Hornby ones fit a treat! you can get lima traction tyres and motor spares from diesel-trains.co.uk they do a mixed pack large and small Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giggle pin Posted February 27, 2015 Author Share Posted February 27, 2015 Thank you for all the replies. I will start to look around for some. I like the class 20 and 25's so thats what i will start with. Brian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve1 Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 Brian, You're fine with Lima Class 20s. Wherever possible though, try for the ones with the 5 pole motors as they run much better. In addition, either type can easily be fitted with a flywheel though and that helps immensely. Also, Lima never made a Class 25. What you have probably seen going cheap are the old Hornby ones. Again, with effort they can be made into good models but unless you're happy doing the work, you are probably better off with a s/hand Bachmann one. steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve1 Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 Also, don't get me started on traction tyres! Horrendous things that make your track dirty and reduce the number of available wheels for pick-up collection. I swapped the wheels out on all my Lima locos when I had them to get rid of the tyres and fitted finer scale wheel sets from Ultrascale. steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevelewis Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 I can see that this hobby/interest is MASSIVE. The more i watch this web site the more i am impressed with the skills that members have. The skills shown and shared are very diverse and interesting. The whole railway scene from full size 4'8-1/2" to z guage ( which i think is the smalles guage) is so widely covered that anyone who looks in can not fail to be impressed and i am sure that there is something for everyone to have an interest in here . I recently attended a railway show in Birchencliffe in Huddersfield and the layouts were great, the people running them were all helpfull and interesting and very encouraging. So i have been looking around at models and the brand Lima seems to be reasonable priced, my question is are they still manufactured or not and if not when were they last made? Cheers Bri Smallest currently avaliable gauge is T gauge 3mm track Gauge ( Z is 6.5mm) I have modelled in Z but dont think I would bother with T !! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
47164 Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 Hi bri, Lima is good as a starting point given the immense variety of loco types and liveries, and compared with current offerings from Bachmann, Hornby etc the mechanisms are simple and easy to maintain, and although the tyres are not to everyone's choice it's not the end of the world. Relatively low prices do offer the opportunity to develop weathering skills etc, and the locos that are now part of the Hornby railroad range have a slightly better mechanism but are let down by a lack of weight in the chassis. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyman7 Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 the locos that are now part of the Hornby railroad range have a slightly better mechanism but are let down by a lack of weight in the chassis. Which of course is relatively easily rectified..... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Il Grifone Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 778 I have heard rumours about poor Lima motors, but all of mine work well, so perhaps I've been lucky. They do need a decent control unit to run really slowly I find (they are not alone is this!) - either a variable transformer or an electronic type. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butler Henderson Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 Think it really comes down to how well the motor and gears fitted together as some were real dogs and others ran perfectly, suspect the tolerances were pretty wide. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluefredie Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 I have over 35 Lima locomotives and most have been converted to DCC and fitted with lights and lightly weathered if you completely strip the motor assembly and using an old toothbrush clean all the gears wheels and lightly oil the moving parts you will find that these locos run ok A replacement motor is available and will give even better running The ones that have been converted to DCC have excellent control over slow running David Wexford Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giggle pin Posted March 6, 2015 Author Share Posted March 6, 2015 Once again thank you for all the replies. I have tried to do my homework and see that the current railroad Hornby offerings are old Lima moulded stuff! I missed out on a class 37 today on Ebay by £1.00. It made £21 --- I was on a telephone when the bidding ended and missed it, what a walley. I have selected the layout I will make and have the timber. Off on holiday tomorrow so it will have to wait a week before I can start. It will be dcc and the layout is called "Ashburton" it's GW area which does not really bother me seeing that I am in West Yorkshire I am in no way a purist, just doing it for pastime. I came across it on here on another thread, it was designed by a Mr CJ Freezer. Brian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baby Deltic Posted March 6, 2015 Share Posted March 6, 2015 I snap up green Lima class 31's (or blue with bufferbeam skirt and unrefurbed body). My Hornby class 31's have been consigned to the scrap bin with broken chassis. I think the Lima class 31 is the best representation and mine all run smoothly even at low speeds. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giggle pin Posted March 6, 2015 Author Share Posted March 6, 2015 Hi baby deltic, I like the class 20's 25's and 33's. I do not know too much about the detail of the locos or history, just the look of them. Cheers. Brain Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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