BR Class 56 Trouble

[modelman]

m in need of some help with my BR class 56. To cut a long story short I have recently weathered my class 56 "Oystermouth", DCC Fitted version, using a mixture of acrylic paint and weathering powders and now I can't seem to get it running. I tried to clean

 

the wheels using the peco wheel cleaner set but can't seem to get the wheels to run. All I can do is get some power that turns the lights on in either direction but that's about it. Any suggestions on how I can fix this problem?

[Fishmanoz]

Modelman, as you can get your lights to work, and I think you say change direction when you change loco direction, it seems that you are getting signal from track to wheels to pickups to the decoder. That only leaves the decoder motor output, the wiring

 

to the motor and the motor itself as the culprits.

 

My first check would be to ensure there are no breaks in the orange or grey wires to the motor. If they are ok, you need a multimeter to go further, or a 12v globe will do. I would set your throttle

 

to around 50% and measure across the motor connections with the multimeter on a DC range and see if you get a reading and that reading changes with throttle setting. Or just put the globe across the motor connections and see if it lights up.

 

If you

 

get a reading here, then it looks like the decoder is working and the motor may be faulty.

 

Let us know how you go.

[RDS]

@modelman

I am assuming the loco ran perfectly before you painted it?

 

I'm sorry if this is too obvious but have you weathered the wheels?

If so, is it possible that they are jammed up with paint?

[modelman]

RDS said:

@modelman
I am assuming the loco ran perfectly before you painted it?

I'm sorry if this is too obvious but have you weathered the wheels?
If so, is it possible that they are jammed up with paint?

I suppose

that could be the reason. I only did the weathering with an airbrush and powders afterwards. I can get the lighting to work in one direction only and nothing else. It did run smoothly before hand with it being DCC fitted. I'll try and scrape as much off as

I can and let you know the results.

[RDS]

@modelman

OK but having ascertained that it ran well before you weathered it, I would first of all look at where the weathering has been applied. Incidentally, has something changed since your initial post because I understood that your lights worked

 

in both directions?

It seems a bit drastic to begin scrapping it off without knowing that this is definitely the cause. I think I would be tempted to remove the body and see if it is possible to turn the wheels by hand. You may have to release the motor.

 

Check the wheel pick-ups. It is clear that the wheel pick-ups are taking power from the track otherwise your lights would not work at all but they may be stuck to the wheels and preventing them turning. I guess that using an airbrush is more likely to distribute

 

paint etc around the loco than a brush would do.

[Fishmanoz]

Can't imagine how the lights can work one way and not the other unless one of the yellow or white wires is broken.

 

Should be easy to see if the wheels are jammed. Remove the body and try to run the loco in one direction, then the other. There should

 

be slight movement on the motor shaft as the gears take up the slack in the gear train from one direction to the other. Also if there is movement, it proves electrical connection and decoder and motor integrity.

[modelman]

Fishmanoz said:

Can't imagine how the lights can work one way and not the other unless one of the yellow or white wires is broken.

Should be easy to see if the wheels are jammed. Remove the body and try to run the loco in one direction,

then the other. There should be slight movement on the motor shaft as the gears take up the slack in the gear train from one direction to the other. Also if there is movement, it proves electrical connection and decoder and motor integrity.

I'll

do just that for sure. Thanks for the advice there.

[RDS]

@modelman

Thinking more about this, on some loco's there is a plastic cover on the bottom, holding the wheels in place, held on by a couple of screws.

I don't know whether this applies to the Class 56 but if it does it would be an easier way to check

 

if the wheels are gummed up.

[walkingthedog]

Weathering powder can get everywhere. It is possible for lights to work with the loco not moving. Doesn't take much to get the lights to glow.

[Fishmanoz]

Depends WTD. If the lights are setup for DC only,they will work when you run the loco. If they are set up for DC and DCC working, they will be connected via a small bridge rectifier board, will work DC as above and be on all the time, loco going or not,

 

on DCC.

 

But if a DCC fitted loco with directional lighting, they operate via the decoder white and yellow function wires and work all the time matched to the loco set direction, whether running or not. They can also be turned on or off altogether via

 

loco function keys.

[Fishmanoz]

By the way, I just answered my own question above as to how the lights can work one direction and not the other. The other direction may be turned off via its function.

[walkingthedog]

All I was saying fishy is that it is possible for the lights to glow even if the loco won't move. My brand new DC bman 10000 diesel suddenly stopped but the directional lights were lit. I change the direction on the controller and the lights changed but

 

the loco didn't move. After waggling the wheels about it sprung into life and has been OK ever since. No idea why.

 

Enough power is getting through to light the lights but not turn the motor.

 

This has nothing to do with DCC, DC or rectifiers.

 

As the saying goes, the lights were on but there was nobody in.

[Fishmanoz]

Not even the waggler or the wager?

[Fishmanoz]

Got me again, that's waggler or wagger.

[walkingthedog]

Nope they'd both gone out for a drink.

[Fishmanoz]

I'd dock their allowance for not taking you along. And that's all we're allowed to dock on waggers these days, and not before time.

[modelman]

Fishmanoz said:

Depends WTD. If the lights are setup for DC only,they will work when you run the loco. If they are set up for DC and DCC working, they will be connected via a small bridge rectifier board, will work DC as above and be on all

the time, loco going or not, on DCC.

But if a DCC fitted loco with directional lighting, they operate via the decoder white and yellow function wires and work all the time matched to the loco set direction, whether running or not. They can also be

turned on or off altogether via loco function keys.

The entire loco is DCC fitted. I'll going to try and uncouple the main body shell today and see if anything has got into the motor or the decoder surface.