Reducing noise in old Branchline loco?

[GreenDiesel]

I have a 00 GWR Prairie tank loco that was made by Branchline, I believe in the 1990s. It looks great and actually runs very well. My only frustration is that it's quite noisy, especially when running forwards at medium to high speeds. It's much quieter in reverse.

 

I can run it nicely & quietly at low speeds. But, once the speed is up, it's quite noisy, almost a vibrating noise. I can briefly hold or squeeze its sides when it runs in front of me and that reduces the noise.

 

So I'm wondering if I should remove the body and try to insert some foam, polystyrene or even bubble wrap to muffle the noise? Is this a dumb idea or something that might work? I realize, of course, I will have to be careful not to get plastic or foam into the mechanism and that there will be heat issues. Is there any way to reduce this noise or is it simply something I have to tolerate?

 

Thanks!

Rob

[Silver Sidelines]

Hello Rob

 

I had an early WD 2-8-0 which was very noisy (apparently so were others with the same number).  The problem was that the soldered connections on the motor were in contact with the body shell - transmitting the brush noise and causing resonance in the body.  The solution was to re-solder and bend the motor contacts so that they were clear of the body shell.   Not perfect but a huge improvement.  I used the same locomotive to push my Cam Truck here.

 

It might give you a pointer as to what to look for.

 

Regards

 

Ray

[GreenDiesel]

Hello Rob

 

I had an early WD 2-8-0 which was very noisy (apparently so were others with the same number).  The problem was that the soldered connections on the motor were in contact with the body shell - transmitting the brush noise and causing resonance in the body.  The solution was to re-solder and bend the motor contacts so that they were clear of the body shell.   Not perfect but a huge improvement.  I used the same locomotive to push my Cam Truck here.

 

It might give you a pointer as to what to look for.

 

Regards

 

Ray

Thanks, Ray. I think this is what's happening. Yes, it does sound as if something is making contact with the body, which causes a vibrating noise. I'll try your suggestion. Rob

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

...So I'm wondering if I should remove the body and try to insert some foam, polystyrene or even bubble wrap to muffle the noise? Is this a dumb idea or something that might work?...

Always try to reduce the noise transmission from its source, before thoughts of trying to damp it or muffle it.

 

That's an interesting transmission path suggested by Ray on the WD, exciting the body shell. My WD's became inexplicably quieter after I stripped out all the factory wiring and hardwired in decoders.