jimwal

Clive, your platforms are nearly as good as the padding in new train seats! Keith and I traveled in a refurbished 321 unit on Saturday and the seats felt as resilient as cork underlay. We were on our way to the Bluebell Railway.

Sandpiper, Are your K1s new or unused? If so it may help to give them a period of running-in in each direction at a moderate speed. Hornby don't mention this in their instructions unlike most other manufacturers but I have found it can sometimes help. Also check lubricant has not dried out. As regards model motors the terms 'can' and 'open frame' need a bit more explanation. Open frame types are usually considered as the Triang/Hornby X04 and the similar MW 05 and Romford Phantom among others. These all have a block magnet at one end, a pair of pole pieces and brushgear at the opposite end forming the open frame. The can motors have a pair of small magnets, one above the armature and one below. These, with the bearings are held together in a pressed steel 'can' sealed with a plastic end that holds and insulates the brushgear. Most of the Bachmann steam locomotive motors have a hole each side and indeed are 3 pole but seem to run as smoothly as 5 pole motors. Some small motors have the same layout but only a steel strip around the outside so appear to be 'open frame' but are nothing like the old X04 types. Hope this helps. Jim.

Agree entirely, the ability to adjust settings in DCC decoders gives scope to match virtually any motor type. I don't know if analogue controllers with feedback are able to do this.

Feedback controllers appeared many years ago to give improved slow running control of the fairly basic motors of the time. Coreless motors with a gearbox for model railway locos arrived, for which the feedback controllers were incompatible with. Virtually all recent locos have 'can' motors of various types, these are generally better than the old motors, but cheaper and more durable than coreless types. Can motors are normally better without feedback control, I believe it can shorten brushgear life in some cases. So coreless or can types, no feedback! Jim

This was made some years ago at Mangapps Railway in Essex. http://mangaapps.co.uk

If you have a local model shop, ask if they do repairs. Given the cost of the loco new it should be worth repairing. I do repairs for a shop here in deepest Essex and have indeed fixed a Dapol 9F valve gear. If all else fails you're welcome to PM me. Jim

Just caught up with this. Yes please I will add my interest in buying when available. Have had a dublo crane for years, apart from the match truck and jacks the crane sort of 'looked right'. Checking with the Tatlow book shows the carriage and crab to be pretty accurate. The relieving bogies are the correct wheelbase, but are a bit too long and a bit wide. It may be possible to lengthen the jib by grafting a bit to each end but I've not looked at it in great detail. The jib needs doing in some way to suit a new match truck. But if you cover the 'fiddly bits' with your work Jon, it will be most welcome. Regards, Jim

For the depot layout owners the North British loco sound chips should contain an 'under repair' function given the unreliability of this manufacturer's locos. Clive can just play some suitable punk!

Given the programmes have aimed to a wider audience beyond those of purely railway inerest, I found them most enjoyable. However I missed the first two or three so I'm hoping the series will be repeated. Jim.

Rusty steel wheels and rail on the real railway lead to slipping, on the model rust results in poor electrical pick up and the rust scales are overscale!

Hi Clive, There were two, one had been altered with extended sides and was in a poor state. Parts were recovered and the rest cut up. The second one was in reasonable order but saw little use as it wasn't a typical East Anglian branch line goods wagon so it got moved on. See you at GCR tomorrow. Will we see Mike F on Tonbridge west yard?

Hi Baz, You may have started something you may regret! Seriously, I would be interested in a few LMS ore hoppers as I know a friend will be. They seemed to have lasted well with some I believe at preserved railways.

Lincolnshire earthquake. Nothing to do with you Clive. Maybe aftreshocks from running my locos on Tony Wright's 'Little Bytham'!

I now have embarrassingly heavy locos as Tony Wright discovered recently. Growing up on Hornby Dublo, layouts with gradients and wanting decent length trains soon made me realize weight was the answer! Things have moved on, I now have a flat layout on which a 60 wagon coal empties train can be hauled by most any of the RTR 0-6-0 locos.

Hello Tony, Many thanks for hosting Keith, Colin, Richard and me on Monday. As I was operating the pick-up goods I can vouch for the reliability of the shunting with the neo magnets, no pulling on axles, just consistent reliability as with the rest of the layout. Magnetic strength falls away quickly as the distance increases, they won't affect the motor magnets either. I appreciate your interest in the stock I brought along, the tarted up Hornby-Dublo gangwayed brake looked at home on LB. I will bring some items (minus autocouplings!) for your camera when we see you at Southwold, probably Saturday. If you should get time with Bob Bishop while you are there ask him about the locos; he knows the story; he did have something of a hand in it.

Just seen this so not checked spares/junk boxes; Airfix 4F/2P tender drive?. These do have the pinion inboard of the bearing.

If Simon's suggestions don't work then its likely the commutator insulation is breaking down, hence the glowing parts. In which case it will be a new motor.

Agree generally with you but in 4mm at least, Lincs couplings are difficult on bogie stock. Maybe any coupling type with an inner counterbalance arm would be the same. Because of the angled hook Lincs will couple with pretty much any other type, though not automatically of course. As well as some stock with Lincs, I have older items with Peco/Dublo type and kitbuilt/converted/scratchbuilt stock with scale couplings but not long wheelbase or bogie vehicles. This due to buffer locking issues. These and most newer stock have small tension locks. This mix does require a good number of converter vehicles for flexibility. Jim

Clive, in keeping with the spirit of this thread and to inform the steam followers can you please identify the 'loco' in red Anyway you're doing a grand job with your layout. Jim

Hi Clive, Well done for the progress on your new big roundy roundy layout! With reasonably free running rolling stock you may be suprised at how well your locos haul on a level system. Since refurbishing the old club layout and levelling up Keith's setup we've noticed a big difference. Like the real thing, model trains do not like hills! Jim

Hi Mike, You may be on to something with soft brushes as there doesn't look to be a lot of meat on them. Somewhere on Rm Web pencil lead was suggested, HB I think, maybe worth a go. Jim

Hi MIke, Looking at your photos, is there any insulating washer between the commutator and the bearing?. As we can't see what's going on when these fully enclosed can motors are running there could be arcing between segments via the bearing, this may reveal itself by heating at the bearing. Hope it can be sorted, the K's motors run nothing like as smooth or quiet. Regards, Jim

Just found this thread, I purchased one of DJM's J94 locos 'with faults' from their stand at Warley. Apart from the fault being different to that labeled it ran ok. Having said that it did seem a bit 'gutless' so I removed the body to discover a motor of just 6mm diameter! this has a brass worm almost as big. I believe this combination is leading to the lack of tourque mentioned. The J94 also has gear drive to all axles and probably shares the same motor type as other DJM locos. Regards, Jim.

Hi Mike, Have you tried lubricating the motor bearings? as they often dry out in storage. Your video showing an increase in current draw with speed reduction suggests dry or near seazure of the bearings. Also check for end to end movement of the motor shaft, there should be just a little slack. Regards, Jim.

It might be worth trying Peco 'Eletrolube' but don't use too much. I've found these chassis tend to get a build-up of a sort of 'scum' on the axles and bearings which inhibits pick up and needs cleaning off. I normally apply just a small amount of oil.