Locomotive not running well on track

[Michael Thomas-366660]

My Excalibur Express loco, which ive had for several+ years sitting in a box barely runs on the track, Makes a noise while trying to move then stops.. When i wiggle it it moves slightly.

Any Advice please? do i need to send it to hornby for a service/repair?

[96RAF]

All the lubrication will have dried out so it should be given a service, clean off old oil and grease and lubricate very sparingly per the maintenance sheet if you have one, else generic lubrication using common sense.

A tiny drop on the motor bearing, axle bearings, valve gear and motion linkage pivots, rolling stock and tender axles, etc.

Note to use the correct lubricants, not household oil like 3-in-1 or WD-40, etc. Special model lubricants or sewing machine or clock oil are ideal, but do not overdo it. Too much is as bad as none at all.

[P-Henny]

See also:

FAQ1 located in the 'General Discussion FAQ Index' pinned sticky thread. Direct link below will take you there.

https://uk.hornby.com/community/forum/faq-beginner-question-my-loco-or-set-is-not-working

[ColinB]

Probably the wheels have oxide on them, give them a clean with alcohol/ink rubber/cotton wool bud and see if it runs any better. Long term give the loco a service but generally in most of my cases it is the wheels. From a quick web search (Sam did a review on it) it is relatively new loco, I can't remember what mechanism Hornby implemented for the pickups. On a lot of the older locos the pickup connection relies on two press fit connections on the pickup plate, sometimes the oil runs down and gets into these connections giving a very poor connection. Try the wheels first.