EFE Rail Class 143/144 Pacer

[Great Waterton]

I'm considering one of these, do they really run that bad? I run DC on flat track. It won't be coupled to anything else, just running on its own as a 2 car set.

[Dicky L]

[cs233]

Put off buying more simply due to the poor running qualities on 3rd radius corners it slows down noticeably and seems to lack torque. Low speed control below par also. Shame as in terms of the detail it is quite reasonable

[JDW]

2 hours ago, Dicky L said:

 

I hadn't noticed before, but the Regional Railways logo is in the wrong place (It should be under the two saloon windows closest to the door at both ends)

Edited May 7, 2023 by JDW

[BR(S)]

37 minutes ago, JDW said:

 

I hadn't noticed before, but the Regional Railways logo is in the wrong place (It should be under the two saloon windows closest to the door at both ends)

 

Not always. Look at the picture of 144013 here for example:

 

https://www.mattypsrailwaypics.com/class-144.html

 

And on the EFE 144011:

 

 

 

 

Edited May 7, 2023 by BR(S)

[JDW]

4 minutes ago, BR(S) said:

 

Not always. Look at the picture of 144013 here for example:

 

https://www.mattypsrailwaypics.com/class-144.html

 

 

I stand corrected! 

[Dicky L]

[Pillar]

On 04/05/2023 at 21:12, Cleeton said:

Has anyone been drastic enough to replace the motors with a better quality alternative? If so, any tips/recommendations?

 

I've been experimenting with converting mine to P4. I tried swapping the motors for Mashima 1015 or Mashima 1020, which are capable of fitting to the original gearboxes (although the latter needs either chassis modifications or omission of the flywheels), but there was no real improvement. I think the gearboxes are the issue rather than the motors so I plan to try fitting a High Level Kits Pacemaker unit to see if that makes a difference.

Edited May 24, 2023 by Pillar

[LNERandBR]

2 hours ago, Dicky L said:

 

Looks nice but how does it run?

[darrel]

Mine arrived today. I've been wanting one in West Yorkshire livery for a long time. I used to drive them in this livery when I was based at Skipton. The fact the destination screen at one end says Skipton is an added bonus. Looks great not had a chance to run it yet so can't comment on the how well it works. 

[Dicky L]

On 24/05/2023 at 14:50, LNERandBR said:

 

Looks nice but how does it run?

I now have 2 and out of the box they run awful and suffer severe wheel spin,  particularly when going over points. Today I carried out an experiment and removed the body and added weight to the power car. This seems to improve running considerably. 

[The Black Hat]

16 hours ago, Dicky L said:

I now have 2 and out of the box they run awful and suffer severe wheel spin,  particularly when going over points. Today I carried out an experiment and removed the body and added weight to the power car. This seems to improve running considerably. 

Any news or info how you did this. Hoping they are not as fiddley as the Realtrack versions are/were. Just would be interested to know how this can be done and what the results are... 

[Dicky L]

My experiment at this stage is quite raw. I simply removed the body and placed 6 coins on top of the power car. The results are quite pleasing. Clearly I need a better weighting solution but this definitely confirms lack of weight is the issue preventing slow running and causing severe wheel spin. I do have running videos on my Chesborough Junction & Healey Bridge Facebook group. 

[Alan Oliver]

I used car wheel balance weights under the chassis, it made a big difference 

[Dicky L]

7 minutes ago, Alan Oliver said:

I used car wheel balance weights under the chassis, it made a big difference 

Just the power car or both?

 

[Alan Oliver]

Both cars anywhere there is space 

[Roy Langridge]

1 hour ago, Alan Oliver said:

Both cars anywhere there is space 

Have you tried adding weight to just the power car? I would have thought any gains from adding weight to the trailer are marginal and may even offset some of the gains from weighting the power car.

 

Thanks,

Roy

[Dicky L]

28 minutes ago, Roy Langridge said:

Have you tried adding weight to just the power car? I would have thought any gains from adding weight to the trailer are marginal and may even offset some of the gains from weighting the power car.

 

Thanks,

Roy

yes that was my thinking too. I suspect it would just make the dummy car harder to push when leading. 

[Alan Oliver]

The weights are self adhesive so when I can get chance to run it on a larger layout I can remove them if necessary 

[BR(S)]

Useful to know that extra weight seems to overcome the running problems.  I was happy with how it looks, especially the recent Metro-Train one, but put off by the reported poor running.

[Dicky L]

Following on from my previous posts I have now added weights to the underframe of the power car. I am now very happy with how the unit runs. 

[MajorTG]

The Metro 144 sure does seem popular ! 
 

I’ve fitted mine with a Dapol Imperium2, but would like to dim the cabin lights a little. The decoder manual is lacking in detail. Has anyone managed to solve it ? 

[The Black Hat]

On 06/06/2023 at 10:01, Dicky L said:

Following on from my previous posts I have now added weights to the underframe of the power car. I am now very happy with how the unit runs. 

Any idea of the source of where you got these from please?

[Alan Oliver]

You can get them from eBay car wheel balancing weights 

[Dicky L]

4 hours ago, The Black Hat said:

Any idea of the source of where you got these from please?

I got mine from Amazon