96RAF Posted November 13, 2022 Share Posted November 13, 2022 I recently refurbished a couple of my locos, an A4 and a Merchant Navy, both suffering from a failed drive and previously poor running.I replaced the drive wheel sets, complete gear train and fitted new pickups and associated lower chassis parts, along with a complete rewire of both locos. The motion was checked for clearance and free running of the wheels with the motor out. A quick belt on the rolling road and all seemed well.The A4 ran a few laps of the track without problems but yesterday it wouldn’t move. Investigation leads me to think failed gears again as I can hear and feel the motor running and the loco can be pushed along the track.The MN will move a very short distance then stop, give it a nudge and the same thing happens, in either direction, which leads me to think the motor has failed. It was my very first loco and has done a lot of miles.It looks like I have to take them both to bits again. Not a happy chappie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brew Man Posted November 13, 2022 Share Posted November 13, 2022 I have a similar problem with my Prairie as you have with your MN. When I first set it to run, it moves a couple of feet then stops nudging it sometimes gets a very brief response but mostly not. I've had the pickup unit off and thoroughly cleaned the contacts but it made no difference. Even connecting a battery directly to the motor produces erratic response. So I'm thinking it's the motor too. It's not a very old model either. Next I will get the motor out and see if there is anything repairable. Otherwise it's a replacement motor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinB Posted November 13, 2022 Share Posted November 13, 2022 I am very surprised out of all my locos those two are probably the most reliable. Even the A4 chassis I buy secondhand are very good. Now if it was a Patriot or Royal Scot I could believe it. You are not using those cheap motors Sam used, I found that they were a lot less reliable than the ones I bought from New Modellers (for some reason they seem better than those sold by anyone else). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
96RAF Posted November 13, 2022 Author Share Posted November 13, 2022 New Modellers have the x4026 motor on back order for 20 quid.I bought a box of cheap Chinese lookalike motors for £1.50 each, but I have to swap the worm drive. I even put one on an ESU decoder test rig (easy life) to replace a seized motor and that failed so I’m not putting my shirt on the others being good for much. I think the A4 has stripped the drive axle splines again - as was the original gear train fault. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinB Posted November 13, 2022 Share Posted November 13, 2022 Yes it is those motors I was on about. You will be surprised to know that the motor fitted to the rebuilt Royal Scots and Patriots is exactly the same size as x4026 and works just as well, for some reason in the loco it looks smaller. It is also half the price and you can still get them (probably not after this post). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rpjallan Posted November 30, 2022 Share Posted November 30, 2022 I have just refurbished a couple of Triang Hornby R357 Class 31s that my brothers & I had when we were kids (one BR blue, one BR green). The bodies of them are in really good condition surprisingly, once I cleaned them up. I overhauled the motor bogies - one runs really well, the other just ok.Last night I dismantled my old Triang Hornby Britannia that I got for my eighth birthday. It's not in great condition. Was played with a lot. It needs some parts to get it going although the motor actually looks alright. I'd like to get the smoke working as well but it looks like the elements are pretty hard to come by.Need to sort out the R455 0-4-0 drive gear as well as per a previous topic... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atom3624 Posted November 30, 2022 Share Posted November 30, 2022 I remember the R357 from years ago, when an early teenager, tinkering for hours until 'Dad, why doesn't this work?' was uttered by my lips!!How are the bushes the drive shaft - worn = wobble.Brushes / Commutator / Slots ... if you've got this far, I'm sure you're familiar with these.Are the wheels clean - pickups likewise and making contact?Insulation where it should be, wires soldered ... Sorry, I tinkered so much with my R357, there's still a strange affection for the poor beastie!Al. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rana Temporia Posted November 30, 2022 Share Posted November 30, 2022 I have several R357 class 31s including one converted to a skinhead or toffee apple version. I recall when the Airfix version was released and it was heralded as a great improvement……but it wasn’t. The Tri-ang one was scale length, the Airfix one was too short. To me the front of the Airfix one looked wrong. The Airfix one still had the dummy wheels in the middle of the motor bogie and worst of all, parts of the chassis and motor bogie were made from a brittle plastic that disintegrated in many examples. I must have had at least ten examples that have all been passed on. The actual motor was very good, but no use if the chassis disintegrates around it. The main problem with the Tri-ang motor is the bearings/spacers on the armature where the plastic breaks. I bought a dozen off eBay to refurbish some of my old 31/37/77s but haven’t got round to it yet. Great fun keeping them going! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rpjallan Posted December 1, 2022 Share Posted December 1, 2022 The problem is the nylon bushes on the armature I think. Everything else is pretty good. But I'm just going to leave them as they are for the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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