Gordon R383 won't move!

[journoboy]

Hello I bought a Hornby R383 Gordon the Big Blue engine no.4 for my son's birthday (pre-owned). Tested him a couple of months ago worked fine backwards and forwards. Got him out the box today he will not move. He makes the noise so I know power is getting to him and then the controller cuts out. Assuming something is causing a short? Other engines all working fine and the track is only a basic oval, nothing completed. I'm a newcomer to the world of model railways so any advice appreciated. Juts wondering if it is a simple fix or if I need to find a repair shop. 

[Chrissaf]

One cannot say whether the fix is simple or not, until one knows what is causing the issue.

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From your described observations, it does appear to be a 'short circuit' issue. It could however also be a jammed drive train issue.....read below:

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You haven't stated what controller you are using. If it is a 'train set' controller than they are very low power and cut out far too easily.

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Now if the wheels / coupling rods / motor gears have jammed, then the motor can buz but not turn. This is termed a 'motor stall'. Now when a motor stalls and cannot turn, the current it draws from the controller will increase significantly. This rise in current could make a cheap train set controller think that it is seeing a short circuit and cut out to protect itself.

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The only way to prove whether the issue is a genuine 'short circuit' or just a jam in the drive train. Is to use a multimeter to measure resistance. Place the probes of the meter (set to resistance scale) across the wheels that have the pickups on them. If the issue is genuinely a 'short circuit' then the meter will read a resistance value very close to zero Ohms. If the issue is just a jammed drive train, then the meter will read the resistance of the motor. Typically about 50 to 100 ohms.

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If you don't have a multimeter then search ebay for the term "multimeter". Meters are available for as low as £7 including delivery.

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Inspect the coupling rods and/or wheels to see if you can observe anything obvious or misalignment of the coupling rods if applicable, compare the left hand side to the right hand side and look for differences, you can try to detect a jam with your fingers, but due to the way motor worm drives work, you cannot normally turn the motor by turning the wheels. So there is a finite difference between what the fingers detect as being a jam compared to what is normal. Normally, the wheels can rock back and forth a few degrees under finger pressure. The only true way to confirm a drive train jam, is to remove the body to access the motor. You should then be able to try turning the motor by hand which should then turn the wheels. If the drive train is jammed, then the motor will also be locked up and not turn manually.

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If your Gordon is 'Tender Drive', then the wheels and couplings on the main loco should turn freely without any resistance.

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TIP: As a newbie poster on the forum, just be aware that the 'Blue Button with the White Arrow' is not a 'Reply to this post' button. If you want to reply to any of the posts, scroll down and write your reply in the reply text box at the bottom of the page and click the Green 'Reply' button.

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See also – further TIPs on how to get the best user experience from this forum.

https://www.hornby.com/uk-en/forum/tips-on-using-the-forum/

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Note: Forum has a BUG at present that prevents making the URL link above clickable and also prevents any images being posted.

[Going Spare]

It would be helpful to know what type of noise is being heard.  If it is a screeching and the tender wheels are not turning, it may be that the pinion gear on the motor shaft has lost its grip on the shaft allowing the motor to spin without achieving drive to the wheels, or, if the wheels are turning, the traction tyres may be slipping on the wheels or, if glazed, on the rail surface.  Take the tender body off the chassis to reveal the motor so you can see what is, or is not, going on.  The body clips on to two lugs on the top of the chassis.  Squeezing the front and back of the body may release the clips by causing the sides to bow outwards slightly.  If that doesn't work, carefully slide a blade between the bottom of the body and the chassis, starting at a corner and working along the side gently prizing the body outwards until the clips release.    

Another problem may be a foreign body caught in the teeth of the gears stopping them turning.

[Bexhill Donkey]

I bought a Gordon R383 for £80 second-hand in September 2022. I found it made a buzz but did not move. I traced the problem to the connecting pin on the tender - it was filthy and black! I cleaned it with Servisol Super 10 sprayed onto a cotton bud. I also cleaned the copper connectors by twiddling the cotton bud in between the contacts. A lot of black came off! I bent the connectors very slightly inwards with a pair of long-nosed pliers to ensure better contact. (Only do this if the test run demonstrates it is necessary!) Now, my Gordon is running fine and super smooth! I didn't need to open the tender at all.