Jump to content

Model Railway - What's your latest acquisition?


Recommended Posts

I gave up on my Lima Crab many years ago. It ended up with the driving wheels just locking up and the motor burnt out.  Very happy with my Lima diesels ( 50,40 and 47) and Diesel railcars ( 117 and 121) which have given in excess of 25 years of service.

 

I night try again having a look at the Crab, but at the time I just could not stop the wheels locking up.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have had several Lima locos with the miraculous expanding metal weights including a 94xx, King and crab. It all happened within a few years of getting them as Christmas/birthday presents when they were still fairly new to 00. I read that some people filed the weights back to shape. I found the best method was to remove the weights from the chassis and bash them back into shape with a heavy hammer. The only filing I then had to do was a little bit where the axles fit into the weight. They have never moved since. The only loco to suffer any permanent damage was the pannier which is slightly distorted around the front. 

 

I know the Lima motors get a lot of stick but all my original ones still work and they are easy to service. I have had to repair some I have bought second hand. Not the best slow runners but very powerful, especially the King. My two Lima Westerns also seem to have pretty much indestructible motors. 

 

The cheap continental locos are a good source of spare armatures for burnt out Lima motors. Most seem pretty standard, or you can buy one of the CD remotoring kits. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Lovely model, M-R.  Looks brand new !    I have just received my Lima Crab 13000 in Crimson. Rather puzzled by the strangely shaped weights in the tender, whose cover was loose and not possible to fit over the weights, of a greyish material which I assume is the dreaded MAZAK !     (I had a Jaguar XK120 with chromed mazak rear-light plinths which eventually showed pit marks. Also on my XK150 S.    Luckily gunmetal 😀 repros were available, so that fixed the problem, after chroming).

Anyway, back to the Crab. It runs very strongly, tender drive. So the weights consigned to the Spares Box. Well pleased now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

MR, I have a rake of those Lancashire Coke wagons (being born in Lancashire, but now Greater Manchester), but none came in a box. I don't remember it ever being in a catalogue other than in a diorama picture though. 

 

Another boxed wagon I got fairly recently was the green J Bly and Co one which for some reason has previously evaded me. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Great Clay loco MR! 

Jimbo, you might find the Crabstruggles to pull anything much without the weights in the tender. You can manufacture some from aquar ium weights if those that came with the loco are too distorted. 

Thanks for the tip, Temporary Frog, I have some neo magnets which are pretty heavy and may fit. But would the magnetism be harmful to the motor ? 🤔

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Tony, the J Bly is a Tri-ang Wrenn product. 

 

Jimbo, it's Temperate Frog as in in the European (and UK) common frog which lives in temperate climates and was my nickname at school. You just need some weight in there that will fit between the tender body and the motor block. I have used aquarium weights and blu-tac on some other locos. I'd be a bit wary about magnets as they may interfere with the motor. Someone recently gave me some bits of lead flashing which is 2 or 3mm thick and can be cut with scissors, it is also very easy to shape. Something like that would be ideal. I make sure I wash my hands afterwards!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
×
  • Create New...