Andrew-372848 Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 (edited) It’s pretty cold up here in Scotland and a failed central heating system means the dark recesses of the house where my locos etc are stored are pretty baltic. So when I decided to give the layout a quick exercise before the HST arrives today, I was horrified that the locos stubbornly refused to cooperate. My 08 shunter stuttered a few inches and refused to obey my go-faster command, the A1 likewise and the A4 was having none of it without a finger prod or two! Poor things were in hibernation. However, after 10 minutes or so in the warmth things improved and after a further running-in session all was back to normal. Perhaps I need to move my collection somewhere warmer or maybe Hornby could add a new loco warmer to any forthcoming range of accessories? Edited March 7 by Andrew-372848 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rallymatt Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 Do you mean you are not using the special ‘TT:120 Loco Cosies’? Sounds like the lubricant may be affected by the cold, there is quite a lot one them from what I have seen 😁 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew-372848 Posted March 7 Author Share Posted March 7 Must have missed those. Perhaps I could get my other better half to knit some - or maybe not. Trouble is if I move them somewhere warmer (airing cupboard) the lube will dry out. Never mind, they tell me Spring is round the corner! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMD Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 @Andrew-372848 Cold? Up here in old Caledonia?? Surely not…😀 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
96RAF Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 Are they decoder fitted, in which case they may need to warm up depending how cold Baltic is. Theirvspec does not list their operating or storage limits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rallymatt Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 (edited) A while back I did post a video of my BR 130 struggling to start in cold conditions… churned over for ages until an engineer gave us a dose of Easi Start…. https://youtu.be/UQjzXWWiUIg?si=4htgUS9R2VaRawVS Hope this helps 👍 Edited March 7 by Rallymatt 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rog RJ Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 Good old ether, knocks us out, starts machines. 😁 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew-372848 Posted March 7 Author Share Posted March 7 1 hour ago, 96RAF said: Are they decoder fitted, in which case they may need to warm up depending how cold Baltic is. Theirvspec does not list their operating or storage limits. Yes decoders fitted, but I don’t think the temperature will be that low! 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ntpntpntp Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 Could be condensation on the track if the temperature is varying significantly. I have DCC G scale locos and stock, I used to notice the running would become stuttery in the late summer evenings as the rails cooled. It's always recommended that electronics (decoders, DCC systems) should be stored in reasonably stable conditions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew-372848 Posted March 7 Author Share Posted March 7 Thanks to everyone for your thoughtful replies. I’m hoping the water contamination will be removed from my oil tank tomorrow and normal service will be resumed. 🤞 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gilbo2 Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 I wonder if the track needs to be spotless if cold and not used for a little while? Similarly with the loco contacts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew-372848 Posted March 7 Author Share Posted March 7 Could well be. I’ve noticed a couple of sticking points, just a slight hesitation, which I’ve been meaning to clean. I’ll attend to that tomorrow before running in my HST and see if the running improves. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew-372848 Posted March 7 Author Share Posted March 7 2 hours ago, ntpntpntp said: Could be condensation on the track if the temperature is varying significantly. I have DCC G scale locos and stock, I used to notice the running would become stuttery in the late summer evenings as the rails cooled. It's always recommended that electronics (decoders, DCC systems) should be stored in reasonably stable conditions. Indeed. Hopefully this is just a temporary condition while the house is not adequately heated. 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fahad7866 Posted March 8 Share Posted March 8 18 hours ago, Andrew-372848 said: It’s pretty cold up here in Scotland and a failed central heating system means the dark recesses of the house where my locos etc are stored are pretty baltic. So when I decided to give the layout a quick exercise before the HST arrives today, I was horrified that the locos stubbornly refused to cooperate. My 08 shunter stuttered a few inches and refused to obey my go-faster command, the A1 likewise and the A4 was having none of it without a finger prod or two! Poor things were in hibernation. However, after 10 minutes or so in the warmth things improved and after a further running-in session all was back to normal. Perhaps I need to move my collection somewhere warmer or maybe Hornby could add a new loco warmer to any forthcoming range of accessories? I have same question Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BritInVanCA Posted March 10 Share Posted March 10 @Andrew-372848 can you be more specific about the temperature? My layout is in my garage. I have a space heater that I crank up in the winter before I go down there otherwise the starting temperature would be about 8 - 10 C. I get it up to at least 15 C before I start running locos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew-372848 Posted March 10 Author Share Posted March 10 Difficult to say, but you could feel the temperature difference when the door to the cupboard was opened, like opening the fridge. At a guess I’d say ~10 degrees centigrade. Everything felt really cold to the touch. Sorry for being so vague. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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