The art of compromise.
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Finally gettiing out of my system.
'Petermac
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Much to my surprise I won the auction and became the proud owner for the sum of £56.65p.
The loco quickly arrived and I put it on the track to give it a run. It moved about two to three inches in either direction before stopping dead. Not having a clue about this particular loco, I took to the internet to ascertain what problems had been encountered with this model. They seemed to range from problems with a hot motor or the white 'gunk' in the gears causing problems or the pick-ups on the rear bogie not maintaining contact with the wheels.
So, armed with this knowledge I took a breath and removed the body. There appeared to be an excess of oil so I wiped a piece of kitchen roll over the motor and cleaned it off any other surface where it was apparent. I removed the driving wheels and cleaned the rear faces ( where the pick-ups make contact) and the treads with solvent to remove any dirt. Next I removed the cover to the gear train and removed the nylon gears. These were wiped off and I poked around with a small screwdriver inside the gear housing to remove all of the white grease much beloved of the Chinese manufacturer. The pick-ups on the rear bogie were adjusted to ensure that contact was made when the wheels moved from side to side. I removed the motor (breaking one of the fine wires in the process necessitating a small extension piece having to be soldered in place). The motor was tested and was found to be running hot. I removed the two brushes and cleaned the commutator with solvent on a stiff paint brush. I also gently cleaned out the slots in the commutator with a scalpel blade to remove any waste carbon. One of the brushes needed replacement and luckily I had a couple of spares to hand from a defunct Bachmann Class 04 Diesel shunter. Lastly, I noticed that one of the hexagonal nuts had become loose on the coupling rods, so all were tightened with a nut spinner. I would now add that all of the foregoing took place over about five days. As soon as I seemed to solve one problem, another popped up to stop the loco from running. Lastly, I lightly oiled the gear train and the coupling rods.
And the result? A sweetly running loco which performs smoothly with no trace of hesitation.
The original whistle had been a plastic affair so I'm not surprised that it snapped off at some stage. I ordered a brass sprue containing four rather nice whistles from Peter's Spares and duly fitted one atop the cab. The Hornby couplings have been replaced with my preferred Bachmann type. The brake rods appeared to be missing. Enquiries of Hornby revealed that they don't carry spares of this item. However, I enquired of the original owner and he appears to have found them and is kindly sending them on to me.
The loco makes a very nice addition to my Southern fleet and here she is in all her diminutive glory…
Terry
Last edit: by col.stephens
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You could start a loco maintenance business.
Ron
NCE DCC ; 00 scale UK outline.
NCE DCC ; 00 scale UK outline.
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Cheers Pete.
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I particularly like the way you say "I removed the wheels/the nylon gears/motor" etc. as if doing each was as simple as flicking a light switch !
Doing any of those tasks would severely test my abilities and, most likely, lead to failure ! Don't ask how I know ….. :roll:
'Petermac
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Staying on the thread Kevin.
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The lighter wire in the last photo is the one which I managed to break. Luckily the break was in the middle so I was able to solder in a short extra piece. The two wires terminate at the covers for the carbon brushes. The commutator can be accessed by gently prising off either of the brass covers which resemble small pots. The captive coiled spring inside is just waiting to catch you off-guard by flying off in any direction never to be seen again. You have been warned.
Coming up… another new loco for Farleigh?
Terry
Last edit: by col.stephens
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Cheers Pete.
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A few years ago I was very pleased to hear that Hattons were going to release the ex-SECR P Class 0-6-0. I had once built the Wills' white metal kit of this loco which was expertly painted and lined by a work colleague in Southern Railway Olive Green. I was very fond of this loco although I don't remember what became of it as the years rolled by. When the Hattons' model became available I bought the BR black version. I couldn't justify buying the SR Olive Green liveried version as I was not intending to build a Southern themed layout anytime soon. How times change? Of course, by the time I started to construct Farleigh the Olive Green version had sold out. For nostalgic reasons I wish that I had bought that version instead of the BR one and for some time have regretted it. Despite regular searches on Google, Ebay and Hattons' website looking for a secondhand model, one has never surfaced.
Last week I was perusing the internet and was just about to shut down my computer when a thought came into my head which told me to search again. I can't explain why but I had a confident feeling that today I would be lucky. I typed the relevant details into Google and immediately spotted an entry for a shop indicating that two new models in SR Olive Green were available. A quick telephone call confirmed that the models were available so one was immediately ordered.
After a long search here is the smallest loco in my Southern fleet…
Terry
Last edit: by col.stephens
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Cheers Pete.
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Coal dray and horse by Dart Castings. Coal sacks from Peco although they have been reduced in size. The empty folded sacks are made from masking tape.
The horse and dray form part of a small scene based around the coal office…
Terry
Last edit: by col.stephens
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Staying on the thread Kevin.
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Who cleans up after the horse.
I suppose that's what the barrow is for ?
"The only stupid question is the one you don't ask"
Regards.
Tony.
Regards.
Tony.
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Terry
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Barry
Shed dweller, Softie Southerner and Meglomaniac
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Cheers Pete.
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Have you added coal to the sacks ?
'Petermac
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Tonight, on a whim, I decided to extend the short piece of scenery in the fiddle yard to improve the view when looking under the bridge from the scenic section. If you remember from way back in this thread, I added some scenery to the fiddle yard to give the impression that the scenery carried on into the distance on the fiddle yard side of the bridge. I'll post a photo when it is complete.
Terry
Last edit: by col.stephens
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Cheers Pete.
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