Anton Stedman Posted December 29, 2018 Share Posted December 29, 2018 I have a second hand Hornby BR Fowler 4-4-0 Class 2p TTS Sound that was running fine when I first used it but after about 4 months of use it has been stopping just about everywhere on the track even at fairly high speeds. I have other engines all of which run fine on the layout so I presume it is this loco that is faulty.I have cleaned the wheels of the engine but I am beginning to wonder if it is the pickups because I took out the wires that were connected to the track and placed them on the wheels and the engine still stuttered and barely reached the required speed before stalling again.I am also wondering whether I may be doing something wrong because a similar problem happened to one of my 0-6-0 locomotives which is as new as my other faulty engine. However the 0-6-0 doesnt stop much anymore and I havent done anything to try and repair it!Does this make any sense to anyone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
96RAF Posted December 29, 2018 Share Posted December 29, 2018 Yes it makes sense.If applying direct voltage to the wheels results in the loco still running poorly then the loco is at fault.If the loco ran OK on direct battery (9v brick) voltage to the wheels but not controller output to the wheels then it points to the controller.If more than one loco is affećted then you have to try to determine the common factor at fault, be it oddly both locos, controller or track connections, etc.Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howbi Posted December 29, 2018 Share Posted December 29, 2018 The 2P has the decoder in the tender and is connected to the loco by a very small 4 pin plug and wires......would be worth checking the plug inside the tender is secure and the continuity of the wiring..........HB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anton Stedman Posted December 29, 2018 Author Share Posted December 29, 2018 Thanks very much,I have tried the 9v battery test and also applied the loco with direct voltage from the controller again. With the 9 volt it is much easier to find out the loco's problems and from this test it appears that only the back set of driver wheels and 2 out of the 3 sets of wheels on the tender feed the motor with power. However all of the wheels have pickups connected to them so each one should give power to the motor.Has anyone got any ideas on what the next steps might be?Thanks, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howbi Posted December 29, 2018 Share Posted December 29, 2018 One of the driving axles is fitted with traction tyres so can't be counted upon to supply current.......suggest you clean the backs of all the pick-up wheels with IPA (isopropyl alcohol) where the pick-ups make contact.......HB p.s. see service sheet - hss 372c Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anton Stedman Posted December 29, 2018 Author Share Posted December 29, 2018 OK, I will try that.I also tried the 9 volt battery test on some of my other loco's and the 0-6-0 that I mentioned earlier only had one wheel that picked the full amount of power.Thanks for your help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
81F Posted December 29, 2018 Share Posted December 29, 2018 It might be worth cleaning the wheels sometime there can be small specks of dirt that builds up in places that can be just enough to stop power getting to the motot particularly if these coincide with similar specks on the track Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishmanoz Posted December 29, 2018 Share Posted December 29, 2018 As well as cleaning them, I would be checking the tension of the pickups onto the wheel backs. If there is any play in the wheelsets such that they can move sideways a little, make sure the pickups stay in contact as they move. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anton Stedman Posted December 30, 2018 Author Share Posted December 30, 2018 I have unscrewed the bogie wheels from the loco and have found that one of the wires that is meant to be soldered to the pickup has come off. Is it OK to solder the wire straight back on. I have never done any soldering before. The other wheels are now working fine after the cleaning and tension checking. Thanks for the advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissaf Posted December 30, 2018 Share Posted December 30, 2018 Is it OK to solder the wire straight back on. I have never done any soldering before..Just don't use any old general purpose electricians soldering iron. They will almost certainly be too big physically and too high wattage and definitely do not use a 'Gas Heated' iron..These large irons will easily melt the insulation used on the small pickup wires. You need a small or miniature soldering iron of about 15 watts....something like or similar to an Antex. As a first timer use multi-core lead based solder, not 'lead free'. Lead free solder melts at a much higher temperature and is not easy to use by a novice..Prepare and pre-tin the bare wire and pickup termination position with solder. Hold the wire against the pickup to be soldered to, then touch the joint where the wire is placed with the hot iron. If you have to hold the iron on the joint any longer than 1 second maximum then you are not doing it right and you risk the wire insulation running back up the wire or melting any surrounding plastic parts..The soldered joint should look shiny, if it looks dull and matt then it is probably a poor dry joint. In which case touch the iron again to let the solder flow over the joint once more..Soldering requires everything to be spotlessly clean and shiny, this includes the soldering bit on the iron. Any burnt black flux on the iron tip needs to be cleaned off before soldering..Soldering is an extremely good & useful skill to have once mastered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
96RAF Posted December 30, 2018 Share Posted December 30, 2018 I use one of those fibreglass pencils to clean up parts to be soldered but be aware of the irritant properties of the bits that fly off.Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anton Stedman Posted December 30, 2018 Author Share Posted December 30, 2018 Would you recommend a particular solder iron for this. I do not own one yet. 😀 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
96RAF Posted December 30, 2018 Share Posted December 30, 2018 I use an Antex 15W oron with a 2mm tip and 60/40 resin cored solder for general loco soldering. A slightly bigger iron for rails bus wiring and a tiny iron for decoder soldering. I,also have a hot air iron for pcb work involving tiny surface mounted devices. Its a case of horses for courses and keeping the things to be soldered clean, then apply the heat and feed in the solder. Practice, practice, practice on any old wires, etc.Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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