james_nelmes

Potrail start with the basics - check to see if there are any shorts in-the loco. Use a multimeter in resistance mode or even better continuity. There should be no connection between each side of the loco (wheels) and the motor. Check the 8 pin connector to ensure there are no shorts between the pins. You can undo the plug and check the underside for shorts. In a single post I cannot describe all tests but it sounds like a short of some kind.

Got mine years ago for a tenner in a box under a table at a swapmeet. It’s had two firmware updates since and works a treat.

According to the service sheet, the dummy bogie on the power car has the same wheels as the power bogie, so you could just swap them over.

Thank you very much. Regards James

I’ve just acquired a couple of Hornby (ex Dapol/Mainline) class 56s and both are missing their coupling hooks. What is the correct part number for replacing these? Many thanks Jim

Some of the price rises do seem quite steep. The Railroad locos have gone up from around £75 to £97 which is around 30%. I know world prices are rising for all sorts from raw materials to shipping, but I am on a budget and this just means I buy more used and less new. Ultimately though it is about supply and demand and if sufficient people will pay the new prices, I am the odd one out.

Update: it’s up and running. The two blue wires are the motor wires and are labelled m1 and m2 on the PCB. The black pickup wires come through the PCB on the appropriate side and solder onto the pickups. There are 6 terminals on the end of the PCB which provide the directional lighting, with 3 going to the other end and 3 wires into the lighting unit at the motor end.

Think you might be right but grateful for all the advice. I think I might be getting a better idea of what’s happening.

No wires connected - I think the blue wires may be pickups and the was a black wire which might be motor power.

Sadly I had to hand it over for wrapping, so won’t see it until the 25th. I’ve seen a picture which suggests the blue wires come from either side of the PCB.

I’ve acquired a 153 for myself for Christmas which has a detached motor bogie (top clip is broken off but still in the chassis). Sticking out the chassis are two blue wires. Does anyone have a wiring diagram for this loco which will be of great help getting it running again. Many thanks in anticipation

I have a few of these that are missing the smoke box door. I have written to a number of spares providers with no luck. Does anybody know if these are available anywhere or if someone is prepared to 3D print them? Thanks James

So first apologies for posting on an old thread. I bought a very cheap not working Elite off Ebay for the curiosity of trying to fix it myself. As per previous post it is dead, but nothing burnt and very low resistance across the 15v input (2.2 ohms but interestingly 0.6 ohms across each leg of the choke. I am following the theory that the L6 (see Elite Teardown) choke has failed short circuit. As was observed, chokes don't fail short circuit as they are continuous, but in this case it is an 8 pin common mode choke, where both +ve and -ve input enter and exit separately, but are wound on a common core. What happens is over time the insulation breaks down on the windings and they go from infinite resistance to low resistance. That's my theory for this repair. I could not get the recommended part as farnell are out of stock but I have got the 200 ohm impedance part with the same footprint. The footprint is much bigger than the old component but my measurements suggest it will fit on the pads provided as they are very large. As bridging the contacts with a wire would suffice, the part I have bought seems reasonable. I will post any update to this thread when I get the bits and start. Regards James

So I've looked at the faulty elite and L4 and L6 are much smaller than the replacement part (measured about 4mm x 3mm) but I think the suggested part will fit on the pads. The issue on the elite is there is no power. I have traced this down to what appears to be a 'short' across the power input where the resistance across the 15v in is reading 2.2 ohms which is just plain wrong (compared to my working elite). I've done some research and these common mode chokes can often fail short circuit as well as open circuit so my theory is that is what has happened to L6. Is that consistent with other failures of these chokes? Thanks Jim

When I google the 8 pin choke L6 & L4, the Farnell component that comes up looks much taller than the original component. Is that ok or have I got the wrong part? Regards Jim

Thanks 👍🏻

So can I use a P9300 (15v 4A) with the HM6000? Thanks Jim

Sarah Thanks for the info - Regards James

The motor bogie for the Triang/Hornby Class 37 and Class 31 uses the x247 Armature which is mounted into bogie using two white nylon bearings, one on each arm. These often wear and the circular shock absorbers on top of each bearing crack or just break. Is it possible to get replacements or is anyone who specialises in spares thinking of producing? 10 came up on ebay recently but despite offering an large amount of money, I was out-bid. I have considered the possibilities of 3D printing but I think the material spec probably needs to be nylon which is more flexible, but most 3D printers wont work with it well.

There are quite a few of these conversion kits on e-bay. I like the Stathpeffer ones because it is reversible and is designed to fit without too much trouble. Others involve 'packing' around the motor to fit into the available space but I'm sure work OK - just worth checking what motor they are using as some are very cheap and nasty.

There are kits to convert Ringfield motors to be driven by a CD drive motor which offer much smoother performance. Some of these are straight plug in replacements where you leave the gears in place on the back and the new motor drives a replacement centre cog. A company worth looking at is Strathpeffer Junction who make these kits and publish instructions online so you can see what's involved. A can motor is one where the workings are enclosed in literally a metal can of some sort. Open frame is where the armature and mechanism are in a frame but accessible. By common open frame motor, I mean there is a small open frame motor referred to as a 'type 7' Which is used in a number of models. The pole number (e.g. 3 pole) is the number of copper pieces that make up the commutator. The more poles, the finer the motor runs. in terms of your Ringfield you don't necessarily need to do the strip down I described. first step is to remove the bogie from the chassis, bend out the metal brush retaining strips and allow springs and brushes to fall out. It should be obvious if the brushes are unevenly worn and you then can choose to service them or replace. Well known auction site and search for ' ringfield springs brushes' - some people sell them in pairs. I bought a Hymek a couple of years ago for £10 With a ringfield motor that didn't run. 20 mins cleaning off the thick grease used as a lubricant and re-oiling and it ran sweetly again. They will run very sweetly with a little tlc.

Modern hornby locos use typically 5 pole can motors and are very reliable. The ringfield hasn't been used for at least 10 years. However, as I said once serviced they run well and I have converted a couple of 3 poles to TTS sound. If the motor is run in one direction mainly the brush can tend to develop a smooth worn leading edge and a sharp back edge. The leading edge will run from pole to pole without trouble but the sharp back edge can jam in the commutator slots as it attempts to run. Replacement of the brushes will fix this or as I said take them out and carefully file the surfaces flat. I dealt with a running better in one direction at the weekend (though very marginal) and just manually operated it via the gears for a few turns before running it in at a moderate speed. If memory serves, at the heart of the M motor is their common open frame small motor and it might be possible to replace it - as I said, take the motor out and apply power to see if it's motors or pickups.

0v - 12v on all RPM varies with voltage - dont know a value. Right so the first one is a ringfield motor - probably a three pole. The motor bogie can be unclipped from the chassis and then insert a small screwdriver at the back of the bogie between the motor and the bogie frame and gently ease the frame off. Now insert a screwdriver behind the wheels on the side with the gears showing, and lever the wheels off gently. The wheel and axle from the other side will just fall out. How dirty are these? I generally clean the axles with iso-propyl and use a pipe cleaner to clean the tubes the axles run through. The motor has a faceplate which can be removed by gently! easing the two clips at the back of the motor up and off and likewise for the two at the bottom - try not to break these. On the Class 37 there are two dummy wheels - one fits on the faceplate and one on the other side on a mini axle from the motor housing. All the wheels should be put to one side. As you remove the faceplate two small springs and brushes should fall out. If the brushes look OK and are nice and flat at the bottom you can re-use them. The two springs should be reasonbly clean and not 'squashed'. Replacements can be found on the auction site by searching 'ringfield springs brushes'. I also remove the brass clip that holds the gears in place on the back and clean the gears, and put a tiny spot of oil on each bearing before reassembling with the clip. A bit fiddly - as with all these, if you are new to it, take a few photos before disassembly to help rebuild. I then clean the commutator as described before. With this motor, if you have an open circuit on a winding, the resistance will read infinate between copper plates. Hopefully they will all be the same. Sometimes with these the tiny wire that attaches to the tab at the edge of the copper plate loses connection due to the age of the solder. I've repaired dozens by just touching a soldering iron on the tab to re-melt the solder. This is only necessary if you have an open circuit. To re-assemble, clip the faceplate on, bend up the brush retaining strips a little and replace the springs and brushes. The springs are a pain and shoot off all over the place. I tend to put a small screwdriver inbetween the coils and then manouvre into place on top of the brushes. Once in place, bend down the retaining strips. I now apply a little power in both directions to see if we are running ok - again small bursts of power and let it run in. On these when they run well in one direction and not another, it's typically the brush has worn assymetrically and is jamming in the commutator slot one way and not the other. Either file it flat or replace and it is pennies to replace. Once it is running ok replace the wheels ensuring the wheels with the geared inside are lined up to the gears. A little oil on the axle before re-assembly and ensure the end of the axle lines up level with the face of the wheel you push it through. Check it rotates by turning the motor. Once both driving wheels are in place, replace the dummy wheels on their small axles and fit the bogie frame. It's now ready to fit back to the loco and test. The M type motors are a pain as a non-serviceable unit and have to be replaced if faulty. However, my experience with these is they often wont work due to the pickups not making good contact. To test apply power directly to the motor. If it runs but the loco does not, it's pickups. They will need gently bent to make good contact at all times. If it's the motor, you are probably on the auction site for a replacement or contact a dealer. There are lots of guides to service a ringfield motor so google that and it should be straigtforward. Again they come back to life easily and run well when serviced.

From the sound of it, I suspect these are the older X03/4 motors with an open frame and I guess a brass worm fitted (you would be able to remove the plastic worms easily. These are great motors and often appear dying or dead, but with a little TLC, can be made to run really well. First step is to clean the commutator (3 copper pieces in a circle the brushes sit on) - I use cotton buds and iso-propyl alchohol or petrol lighter fluid. often carbon deposits can build up in the slots between the commutator and the current can short across each piece of copper to the next causing heat, smoke and bad running. Take a needle and move it along the slots stating at the end of the slot near to the windings (but not too near!) and moving it along the slot away from the windings so as not to damage them. Next step is to get a resistance meter between adjacent copper pieces (pole pieces to be correct). Do this three times for the three pole pieces to the next one in order. If the resistance is roughly the same for each pair, the armature is good. If one has gone open circuit, the resistance of one pair will read around twice the resistance of the other two, due to the way it is wound. If the armature is not good, you can either buy a replacement from a well known auction site, or send it off to a repairer such as Scalespeed, who will repair and service the motor to 'as new' standard - they used to charge around £16 per motor. Next check the magnet - a small screwdriver should stick to the magnet and need a light pull to remove it - if there is little or no sticking, the motor has lost its magnetism. You can again send it away (Scalespeed do a 'remag' as part of their service) or buy a 'super neo' magnet from the auction site - type X04 and magnet into the search criteria. Apply a little oil to each bearing - on these motors, there is often a little pad that the oil can be dropped onto and if not a tiny drop onto each of the two contact surfaces between the armature and rest of the motor. Finally check the electrics - on the right hand side of the motor, looking from the magnet forwards, there should be a small insulating sleeve between the brush spring and the brush. If it is missing or damaged, you can make one out of the plastic insulating sleeve of any small wire. Now I apply power - only in very short bursts. It will need to 'run in' to run more freely, and if it is sticking, applying full power can burn out the armature which means a dead motor. I will often rotate by hand for a few turns first. A 9V PP3 battery is a useful alternative if you do not have a power supply, held across the two brushes. With careful servicing these will come to life and give reasonable slow running and performance.

I have picked up motors in the past where the brushes have worn unevenly and catch the edge of the commutator slots in one direction only.