Puffed Out Posted March 5, 2020 Share Posted March 5, 2020 I have a 2nd hand Flying Scotsman, tender driven. It hasn't been use for a good number of years, possibly 7 or 8. (Given to me).!Give a bit of clean and lube, put it on the track and give it go. It goes faster backwards than forwards. 3 seconds faster going backwards over the same distance.One loop of the track took 7 seconds at full power, as against 10 seconds going forward....I guess the brushes are worn, by going forwards most of the time. (Ringfield motor)...It won't be a regular runner on my layout. Would it be worth getting it serviced, as I'm not to bothered about it's speed that much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walkingthedog Posted March 5, 2020 Share Posted March 5, 2020 To be honest it would be worth never running it at full power. If a Ringfield loco is generally run in one direction thd brushes will wear so that it runs faster in that direction. Running it at full power is not recommended. The loco is probably doing a scale soeed of several hundred miles per hour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puffed Out Posted March 5, 2020 Author Share Posted March 5, 2020 I only pushed to full power to get the timing comparison done.(Impatient old duffer, I am)...In some ways I answered my own question. 'Don't fix it if it ain't broke'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walkingthedog Posted March 5, 2020 Share Posted March 5, 2020 Yes but no need for full power, just compare speeds at half power. 😉 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puffed Out Posted March 5, 2020 Author Share Posted March 5, 2020 You're telling me that you've never gone 'full chat' with a Loco. Pull the other one. 😆 😛..If it didn't run, I was thinking about pulling the motor and running it a double header. (Number and name change required)..But as it's a runner in it's present state, it won't be happening. 😀 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walkingthedog Posted March 5, 2020 Share Posted March 5, 2020 No not since I was about 12 and then only if my dad wasn't looking. Probably why I don't come on here saying the motor has stopped working 😆 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulleidboy Posted March 5, 2020 Share Posted March 5, 2020 There is absolutely no need to run a loco flat out. Rather like WTD - I last ran one flat out when I was about twelve or thirteen - trains will not go round bends flat out - they fall of the track. Take is eeeeasy 😉 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NWR-Gordon-4 Posted March 5, 2020 Share Posted March 5, 2020 I don't run locomotives at full speed either. As other's have said arleady. There's no need to. It will drastically wear the life of a motor out and you have the greater risk of derailment, which can cause damage. The speed that some of the motors will travel at, is not realistic to a lot of locomotives anyway. GNR-Gordon-4 (HF) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atom3624 Posted March 5, 2020 Share Posted March 5, 2020 If the Scottie has been used quite a lot, I would give it a 'once over' - check how free-running the locomotive is (tender driven you said, so should be a very free-running locomotive), give each axle and rotating point a little touch of machine oil, likewise where indicated on the tender. I would also check for hairs, etc., picked up over the years, particularly on the pick-ups. There could be a need to remove waxed oil / grease from old age, which may restrict progress slightly - every little helps. Speed and power will depend on the power supply used.I will turn my HM2000 DC supply up to full for a short while, to test speed.There are very few locomotives which cannot accept - most notable are the super detail HST and the Pendolino - I did have a 'moment' with the latter and know the 2 cannot take it without risk of 'falling off'. I would guess the larger Super Detail Hornby steam locomotives will touch perhaps an equivalent 110 mph - A4's don't achieve what would be 126mph so relatively OK but I do agree to ease off - voltage supplied exceeds the normal 'working voltage' of the locomotives.In all honesty, I'm certain at least Hornby would ensure their locomotives could sustain the full power of their own marketed power supply, but there is that thing called 'mechanical sympathy'.Apart from Tornado's 101.6 the other year, and Union of South Africa's 90mph I think, Heritage locomotives are limited to 75mph.There's a video of 5043 Earl of Mount Edgcombe hammering through a station, don't know from when, but it was recent, and appears to be 80-90mph - full scale - looks impressive!! Al. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walkingthedog Posted March 5, 2020 Share Posted March 5, 2020 Most things will run happily at full speed, think the last thing I ran flat out was the dock shunter. Trouble is we constantly have people on here with motors that have stopped working, connecting rods have come adrift and destroyed the wheels, even sets of wheels falling apart and I bet you my bottom dollar they are flat out. 😉 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atom3624 Posted March 5, 2020 Share Posted March 5, 2020 Probably 100% correct. For an example ...I've a 'test train' of 13 TEA bogie tankers - Bachmann - very free-running and not hard to pull - on my 4th radius circle of 'test track'. I was surprised that Bachmann 5MT and Rood Ashton Hall on their own could pull them without wheelslip - so this train is quite light were it to be a heavy diesel. When I put the Super Detail Hornby EWS Class 56 on them it was like it's pulling one, not 13!(13 as I don't have any more and there's no room for more once a loco's hooked up!) I can 'turn it up', but:A) It's not realistic - probably a scale 130 mph+ !!B) Genuine risk of a 'serious moment'.C) Mechanical sympathy prevails over curiosity !!D) It's 'so mad' it doesn't even look impressive - WAY too fast. Most of that is down to the superb Class 56 model - purchased used from Hattons for a 'very reasonable' price as 'faulty' - but a very small amount of TLC showed there was no fault anyway!Generally I don't go over half power, which is probably ~80 mph scale speed. Al. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morairamike Posted March 5, 2020 Share Posted March 5, 2020 I bought a secondhand 9F tender drive. It ran quite well but was jerky at slow speeds. I took the tender apart and stripped the motor down. The brushes were worn all most to the springs. At that time there was guy on eBay who did straight swop 5 pole for 3 pole armatures, no bearing change required. I bought one big improvement. Then I put a decoder in it. Excellent at speed step 1. I also changed all the plastic gears as they had worn hubs. The other mod I did was to run a wire directly from the right hand valve gear, to the motor. This was to prevent stalking on crossovers which have insulation sections equal to the distance between the two pick up wheels on the tender, without wire stall with sure no stall. Yes the right hand wheels have continuity to the valve gear via the Conrods.Ok maybe you don't need it want to go this far but at least stripntye motor down, it just clips together, clean the armature and change the brushes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puffed Out Posted March 5, 2020 Author Share Posted March 5, 2020 I've run a Loco flat out before pulling 7 coaches for 2 minutes or so. Derailed on a set of points which had a problem with the plastic moulding on the pivot point being too high. Obviously an error on the manufacturing process, when compared to all the other points...Old Loco and carriages used, I test my track really thoroughly for electrical contacts etc etc. No damage done to anything. Changed the offending points, I'll sort them out so they work properly. ..As for the Flying Scots Loco.....it wasn't too bad really, for dirt and hair etc. Their was a tiny bit of rust on the coupling rods. If and when it finally stops working, I'll think about getting it fixed by Scalespeed. Until then I won't won't be using it that much, as I have the latest vrsion of it.(Loco driven - Brand new). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LCDR Posted March 6, 2020 Share Posted March 6, 2020 The only time any of my trains get to run full tilt is when (a) my grandchildren are at the controller, and (b) I am not closely supervising. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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