Faulty Model Train Autopsy | Can They Be Fixed?

[@alanchapman6514]

Thanks Sam! my Adams Radial went belly up last year and I figured it was the motor, I remember you saying they were weak so I took it out and pulled the chassis around with another loco to see if there was any friction in the mechanism, even without the body on it rolled around OK, I even contacted Oxford to see if they had any replacement motors, I was begining to think it was just an expensive paperweight! After watching this I figured what the hell, I went into the garage and stripped it apart and cleaned out the old grease and it's running as good as new.

[@SamsTrains]

Ahh sorry to hear that Alan - very common with those sadly! Great work though - at least it's better now! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@dennisbailey6067]

You have proved that a good clean and lube will improve running.Showing how to take apart and of course put back together is a timesaver.Thanks Sam.

[@johngoodman3506]

Thanks for that, I've just recovered 2 Adams Radials that I bought cheap as poor runners and could never get going properly, one was worse than yours and the other about the same. Both gearboxes stuffed with that ghastly grease, both running very well now.

[@RobA500]

I miss your old servicing videos, you should do more. Don’t remember seeing one for years so when did you release the one you mention at the start of the video.

[@SamsTrains]

Sure Rob - got much more like this coming this year! Here's the other one I did: kzbin.info/www/bejne/r3fIhKGKq9djiJI Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@dennisbailey6067]

What is important to me,is the details on the mechanism.If it has a flywheel,quality of motor,proper axle bearings,the weight,is it noisy,etc.This info is not usually given,so it nice to watch your informative videos.

[@SamsTrains]

Yeah I look out for those too - glad to hear the vids are of use! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@tomdg13]

You should do a follow-up to this and see how they perform a while later, comparing the different lubricants. I'm surprised you've not tried WD40 :)

[@vijeolook]

A small (cheap) ultrasonic cleaner can also be useful for cleaning intricate parts. I managed to revive the motor from my Bosch drill by ultrasonic cleaning. The brushes/commutator were dirty causing sparking. As a sealed unit I wasn't able to dismantle it, but it did have some ventilation slots in the motor casing which enabled the ultrasonic cleaner to do its job.

[@cheryltumolo8229]

John here-I'm on the other side of the pond modeling in On30, but your videos are a real help, and just the idea of not being afraid to disassemble a loco is compelling. Now, if you would attempt a Bachmann On30 2-4-4-2.................Thanks for your video!

[@peterstinson1066]

Sam. Keep these coming as they give a good idea of the various mechanisms. In Australia you cant just send faulty ones back, you have to repair them yourself. I have a Hornby Castle, not that old with a cylinder block fouling the con rods. Turns out the cylinder block is in at least 5 parts to be assembled. Getting the parts in exact alignment is very tricky. Love you to do a strip down

[@SamsTrains]

Thanks so much Peter - ahh of course you can't, what a pain that must be for you! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@mineit5796]

Hey Sam. Ive been enjoying your videos lately, great physics today. I have a video idea or layout addition, but I’d live to see you make a station on the layout.

[@SamsTrains]

Thanks so much!! That's a grand idea too - I'd love to try a station some time! :D Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@richardserridge2767]

I reckon you should do another video upgrading the motors in these locos and see if they improve like you did with Smokey Joe. I liked this video seeing the mechanism in detail!

[@SamsTrains]

Sure - if I can ever find a suitable replacement, that'd be fantastic! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@tinkiwinks]

Looks like another banger video has been given to us. Thanks Sam.

[@SamsTrains]

haha thank you - hope you enjoy it! :D Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@petersmith4455]

hi sam,thank god i still have my Triang jinty and dock shunters that do not fail.keep up the good work

[@SamsTrains]

haha you're right - all these years on, and still going strong! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@nilo70]

Thank you Sam for making this happen !

[@skaggsjonathan7774]

Brake down of model trains, fantastic, very detailed and informative

[@ChrisJNeale]

Very interesting vid. Re. the Oxford Adams Radial I emailed their technical department a few weeks ago and was advised to clean the gear train. I have 2, one ran fine but the other was slow. After a clean as you have done it runs much better too - same issue with lack of viscosity. It would appear that the problem is something Oxford are aware of - they were very helpful.

[@harryprince5472]

You normally seem to fix them pretty well Sam , so I’m gonna say yes you can XD

[@SamsTrains]

haha sort of - not a 100% success, but there is some improvement! :D Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@EthansTrains]

It’s great you got those two working as they should Sam, it’s sad to see poor-running locos sitting on shelves or in boxes so this is great for people that own items like these. For me, I’m more of a diesel person but I’m thinking about purchasing a steam loco so thanks for sharing this video 🙃

[@SamsTrains]

Thanks mate- they're definitely a bit better anyway, if not perfect! Sounds good- hope you enjoy whatever you go for! :D Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@arrow1414]

I think I mentioned this before but it seems that some British OO manufacturers seem to install those small, square motors that look like HO scale slot car motors in their locomotives, even the relatively large road engines. You don't see them in American HO locomotives, not even in small switchers/shunters. In N scale locomotives yes, but not in HO scale. Too much load for them. Those motors you examined aren't much bigger; so, to me, they could be a slow burnout risk trying to carry the heavier weight of an OO loco and their larger drive trains and pulling the weight of a consist. If it is possible perhaps swap them out for larger motors?.

[@johnd8892]

Hard to get the gears to mesh reliably with the common UK method used of the worm on the end of the motor shaft. Rare to see a gearbox with universal joint shaft to motor in steam UK models. That design allows easier motor swaps. Sam's reviews useful in showing these poor hard to change motors with fixed mounting design.

[@jimmyduncan7650]

Sams Mum : I keep getting metal flakes on my dishes? Great video Sam. Knowing how to fix them will take so much frustration out of this hobby, especially at the cost of locos. You're the man Sam!!

[@SamsTrains]

haha!! And thanks mate, appreciate it! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@henriknilsson7851]

Another interesting and informative repair! You need to do more of these. I have a brass hybrid Broadway Limited loco I bought for a fantastic price because it would not run. Turns out the lube had gone solid and after a nice clean it is now a nice runner.

[@SamsTrains]

Thanks so much - ooh very interesting - must have been a satisfying fix!! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@samshirley1962]

As for the issue with the adams radial I had a similar problem with a 50+ year old full metal 2-8-2 mikado locomotive from mantua and the problem with the slowing down was due to a gear that was cracked for who knows how long that after it ran for a while before I knew what was wrong the gear would expand and thus stop the thing dead in its tracks even though it could pull 30+ box cars

[@lapiswake6583]

I ran my oxford radial tank the other day, seemed very slow. Needs a new DCC chip now, but that's a separate issue. So yeah, I'll be doing this fix soon. Probs fix my split chassis bachmann b1 at the same time, no idea why that suddenly cut out. As for KR Models, my GT3 I took the front pony truck off so I could get at the screws to disconnect the lower front light (temporarily, as I'm gonna have to rewire the pcb in the tender to make it run off the 2nd function output so directional, as well as adding red lighting gel to it so its a rear marker light), reassembled it, screwed it tight, and it still turns very freely. So you must've reassembled it wrong when you disassembled it before first testing it. So in the future, maybe disassemble the loco to see what the mechanism is like after running in? The cavity is for the decoder. As per the small box area in the sentinels, and bachmann did similar but also chose to fill the void with a weight for better DC performance. It's a shame the large prairie still runs badly. I'd only be tempted by one if they do it in GWR lined green with the BRITISH RAILWAYS lettering in the GWR font, as I have seen that done. I've got a SR malachite green terrier and a LNER apple green a1 and a LNER unlined black b16/3 with BRITISH RAILWAYS lettering (I'd love Mallard as E22 in post-war garter blue with that lettering as per the 1948 exchange trials), but no LMS or GWR examples yet.

[@SamsTrains]

Thanks for sharing - I think you should give me a little more credit than that though - I'm capable of re-fitting a front bogie properly... there's no doubt that my GT3 front bogie was faulty... how many different ways are there to screw down a screw?! At any rate, it dropped to pieces... I didn't take that apart anyway! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@richardc6681]

A thought regarding the 'sticky grease' - maybe the manufacturer uses grease designed to be used in hotter countries than uk? Regardless, It looks like the motor must be at fault. The lack of friction once you had serviced the loco suggests it can't be anything else. They do look particularly cheap compared to the semi can or full can motors. My money is on the fixed magnets being weak like someone else suggested, or their size/ magnetic field not optimised to the armature? By the way, you don't really need to de solder the motor, you could either buy or make an adaptor that goes in place of the decoder blank/ suppressor board you remove for DCC operation and plug your adaptor in to the female/ chassis DCC socket pins 1 and 5. You can buy 8 pin dual in line headers online for pennies. Then you have a test harness for the future that you can use on all your 8 pin DCC locos and no fiddly soldering burned fingers or melted wire. The same idea would work for other decoder pin types. Finally since both Hornby and Oxford subcontract their manufacture I guess both these locos come from the same factory, hence the mechanism similarity.

[@paulisnotonfire]

Found the Prairie strip down useful/interesting, didn't even know you could get into those gears and I'd had the bloody body off an hourish prior to lubricate it before running it in.

[@Bender13]

Great video Sam. I really enjoyed watching you service these locos especially when I commented on a previous video as to whether you did or not. You certainly can teach us a lot. Now the next question is….. are you going to replace the motors on these and make them worthy to run on your layout. If you do I hope you show it as I would definitely love to see it.

[@JayseHeiney2000]

my OO Gauge Terrier in the LBSC Livery had that same problem, my Dad had to clean off some of the gears, cause their was Way too much lubricant on the geartrain...

[@johnd8892]

The livery is not the issue. The unstated make of the model is the issue.

[@PebProductions46]

What I've learned from this is that I was lucky to grab a Hornby Adams Radial and that I should wait to see how the Dapol Large Prairie turns out

[@learn_with_gern]

It's really up in the air how the Dapol Large Prairie will be. They tend to have problems like the recent Rails Terrier, but their Mogul is one of the best models on the market. Hope it's the latter.

[@PebProductions46]

@@learn_with_gern I do love the Dapol Mogul. My concern with the Hornby Large Prairie is its performance on curves. I only have room for a circle of 2nd radius track, so curves are literally all I have to work with. If the Dapol one has similar failings, then I just won't be getting one, but I want to give it a chance.

[@SamsTrains]

Definitely - the Hornby Adams was the best model.... it very much looks like Dapol will win on the Large Prairies though... fingers crossed they can pull it off! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@Coxswain]

I got my old model trains and coaches and whatnot back and has been great but I don’t have my controller so I’m just dusting and cleaning it all So I don’t know what is faulty or not such as my class 390, 68 HST, 2 37s and some steam shunters Have to wait till I get a chance to look in my nans attic

[@pettra1]

It's amazing what a good clean up of excess oil can achieve, even if it only solves part of the problem! What type of motor was in the second engine you investigated? 3 pole, 5 pole, coreless and would that have made any difference etc? Best, Pete.

[@SamsTrains]

It is actually Pete - even I was surprised how well this worked, at least with the Oxford loco. These both had 5 pole skew wound motors - appeared to be the same motor in each interestingly! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@auralfury]

that was oddly satisfying to watch. ..lol It's always good to periodically open them up and give them a good once over and cleaning. Maybe the factory grease they use is just a bit too thick and gums up too much dust and particles. Could be the plastic gears/teeth, or maybe dirt accumulation on the wheels reducing conductivity. Could a new "can" motor be fitted to these to make it run better.

[@michaelschultz5127]

Please make more of those type of videos.

[@jamesrailwayvideos4365]

My Oxford Rail Adams radial tank I stripped it down and removed all the old grease and oil and cleaned all the parts put it back together and it worked a treat. I think the grease they used was too thick

[@SamsTrains]

Great to hear that - quite a lot of stories saying how well that worked! I wonder if I left mine too long, and they've sustained motor damage from the strain? Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@RideCamVids]

I'd get a replacement motor for that Prairie to compare against the original one, Then I'd take the motor that was in it and drop about ten turns off of each coil and retry it.

[@dodgydruid]

Am I odd in preferring to fix up, make look good loco's etc than actually building up a layout? I am thoroughly enjoying rebuilding my very very early Triang DMU and still yet have to lay down a working set of tracks other than a test track I have in the kitchen lol Just finished getting the power bogie (thanks to John's superb videos for help) down to its knickers and really taking my time in getting it all right, normally I am a watch collector and restorer but I am loving these little engines :D

[@SamsTrains]

I don't think you're odd - that's by far my favourite aspect of the hobby too! Sounds fantastic - all the best with your restorations! :D Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@nameless5413]

More technical side of the hobby dose make for a reasonable extension of the channel's scope in my opinion. Afterall there were already videos on regauging and ... lets call it more creative projects with the underwater train, the supercharge train and alike. The power of glue or as some manufacturers call it "lubricant".

[@timstrainvideos142]

great video. maybe you could explain the different parts of the motor / mechanism and what they are called. or a video showing the anatomy of common diesel and steam locos.

[@SamsTrains]

Thanks Tim - see this video, I did exactly that: kzbin.info/www/bejne/i5WQkGdsgM5sjtk Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@freddieparrydrums]

Hi Sam. I have some trains you might like for restoration! A class 67 in particular. Missing front bogie and a few other things. Was my childhood train. It’s a Wrexham & Shropshire edition :)

[@dallas184]

I use degreaser then re oil with 3 in 1 light machine oil

[@cheesekay7314]

Sam, question, can you do a review about a fleischmann

[@SamsTrains]

Sure! I'd like to do that some time! :D Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@cheesekay7314]

@@SamsTrains thanks Sam, I’m from the Netherlands and this one is the only one available for a decent price. So I’m curious what you think.

[@SushiDoge]

New sams trains video lets gooo 😳

[@SamsTrains]

Thanks Sushi - enjoy it! :D Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@lukesrailvideos2940]

Hey Sam, I recently bought the BR green Hornby prairie and my one runs fine. So I’m assuming maybe a bad batch is to blame with the fault on yours?

[@SamsTrains]

Glad to hear that - yes I am 90% convinced it's the motor to blame on mine! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@sandyiitmip]

Hi Sam, video on wheel Quartering will be very helpful.

[@SamsTrains]

Ooh blimey - that's a very tricky topic! I think I've shown my method before in a servicing stream, could be wrong though! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@robinforrest7680]

Come back Triang Hornby XO4, all is forgiven 😂. My two Airfix praires with their enormous 1001 5-pole motors still run fine - if a little noisily!

[@SamsTrains]

haha yep - they may be primitive... but they work properly and are easy to service!! Thanks for watching - Sam :)

[@007trekhound]

Remember cap is across motor can leak current back to source

[@SamsTrains]

Duly noted, thanks for sharing!

[@odenviking]

Yes they can be fixed by you Sam. 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@lewishughes8541]

I love the Oxford Adams radial but with issues like these I don't think I am going to save up for one

[@SamsTrains]

Yeah, lovely as they look I wouldn't really recommend it - the Hornby ones are a better choice! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@TallboyDave]

I seem to remember that bad/weak magnets in a model motor can also cause poor running and excessive power-draw; have you ever checked if your models have ropey magnets?

[@gregoryhale2202]

Hi Sam, the other day I stumbled on a KZbin channel called oobill, he specializes in repairing faulty locomotives and I noticed he uses a product called Electrical Contact Cleaner. It comes in a pressure pack can and has a long nozzle. It might be worth checking it out to see if it is worth using. I have not yet tried this product mainly because I have not had a locomotive that needs repairing. Cheers Greg

[@SamsTrains]

Thanks a lot for the comment Greg - yes I've bought some of that actually to test, not tried it so far though! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@111greatbear3]

Are you gonna compare the Dapol GWR large prairie tank to the Hornby Large prairie tank?

[@holy_Moley317]

Awesome job. On a side note, will you be doing a review on the Caledonian 812 coming soon

[@twonkfieldrailways4110]

This is very interesting. It makes me wonder how the hornby and Oxford radials compare

[@SamsTrains]

Thank you! Hornby much stronger mechanically - I have reviews on both! :D Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@yws152]

hi i have an extremely old hornsby steam train, i,m trying to get it working. The motor is receiving power and is spinning well, everything has been oiled however neither the worm gear or wheels are turning. I have no idea how to fix this. Can anyone help?

[@DangerAngelous]

Actually with the gearing on the Prairie do the gears from the worm drive get progressively smaller to the driven axle? I thought they looked like they geared for speed not torque

[@robnewman6101]

Wow. Interesting.

[@SheffieldNo14Productions]

Oh no the Adams Radial

[@jagc1969]

Great video, Sam. Good job.

[@SamsTrains]

Thanks Juan! :D

[@EsotericArctos]

You'd be surprised how sticky a dodgy lubricant can be. I have know dodgy grease to totally freeze a mechanism, causing motors to burn out. Unfortunately sometimes motor design is lacking as well. I wonder how these are tested in the factory... Do the companies just hang two coaches on the loco and send it on a flat track and say "Good enough" >>>

[@johnd8892]

The factory test vids I have seen are just loco only. Not sure they even test the amp draw is within specs. Too high indicating problems. Even these tests do not detect grease and oil that gets worse over time as per your good point of grease locked mechanisms.

[@thiruraj3866]

*when your locomotive is faulty, who you gonna call? Faulty Busters!*

[@SamsTrains]

haha!! xD

[@willhooker9567]

Always good to see old locos get restored!

[@SamsTrains]

Thanks Will! :D

[@And_Zo]

Great work, I have a worse model than both of those, my Bachmann 57, it is the worst model I own, it refuses to pull a single coach, I have just left it in the box lol

[@SamsTrains]

Uh oh sorry to hear that Andy - I'll give that a wide berth then! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@darrianwilcox]

Crackin video again sir! Anyway to change or upgrade the motor? It’s such a shame that 2 lovely looking loco’s have such issues..

[@SamsTrains]

Thanks so much - yeah a motor upgrade would be the only way to truly fix these I reckon! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@tim04]

Sam, what about the over hearing issues on the adams? And how long did you run it around before any issues arouse again since you done a lubricstant change? Please see this and let us know feedback on this issue.

[@ivovanzon164]

What did they do at Oxford... watch a Marklin brown goo removal video and think 'Yeah, lets do that'? For the lubricant usage... it depends a bit on what you are trying to accomplish. For plastic-on-plastic contact which doesn't need filling of gaps, you can try the Faller PTFE lubricant For the usual metal-on-metal work, a good quality oil will do For anything that needs a combination of rattle removal and lubrication, there is the Roco teflon grease

[@BrickSaturn]

Special Investigator Sam, is on the case. Will he find and mend the issue that plague those lovely engines?

[@SamsTrains]

haha love it... sounds like a movie trailer! ;D Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@kennybacchus6400]

Like fixed train video

[@mansdaz]

Interesting video sam thanks.

[@kyletrummel69]

Hey! That was a yankee tune you were whistling there!

[@SamsTrains]

haha it was! xD

[@jamesdunloptrains]

Very interesting video today Sam really shame how much lubricant they put on locomotives

[@SamsTrains]

Thanks a lot James - yes it's a bit silly isn't it? Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@jamesdunloptrains]

@@SamsTrains yeah cos I remember my first Bachmann Thomas had to much in it and it was doing the same thing

[@jacksullivan3705]

Is there a video where you fix the springing in the Oxford Adams Radial? I've been meaning to fix that in mine myself. If not, what's a good tutorial to do so?

[@SamsTrains]

Yeah - I did it in my review for the green one! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@fastoutnotforkids7192]

Hey sam. I was wondering since you fix these locos to a ponit. Maybe you can help me. Right now i got a ho scale train from tyco called the Chattanooga. Problem seems to be with motor and the gears. After a little bit of inspection it seems the motor in the Tinder because it's a tender driven loco has a pancake motor and the motor has a little gear that is on a drive rod and the gear is just not turning but the drive rod is turning. So any ideas on how to keep the gear moving on the drive rod? If you need a bit more info. Let me know. Google aint much help trying to look at these problems. Lol

[@SamsTrains]

Sure! That sounds like the same problem we get on Hornby Ringfield motors - the secret is to strip and clean everything, and then apply a tiny drop of glue to the inside of the gear with a needle, and then gently push it into place (being careful not to gum up the motor bearing or other gears) - only attempt it if you're confident, as it's not easy to fix if the glue goes runaway! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@fastoutnotforkids7192]

@@SamsTrains thank you! I will try it when i get some confidence lol but in all seriousness thank you. I will try it when i get a free day to clean it up. Thanks again! I will let you know how it turns out.

[@duncanwatson9054]

I think the Prairie has a motor issue, as well.

[@martinpattison4018]

The motors are not fit for purpose. The motor stopped turning even in your hand. They have no Torque. Martin. (Thailand)

[@007trekhound]

Read motor resistance in ohms

[@SamsTrains]

I wasn't reading motor resistance - I was testing the current-draw! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@007trekhound]

@@SamsTrains yes I know but if you read across motor leads in ohms and rotate motor you can see if windings have isues

[@ciaranburke3243]

Very interesting sam, cheap motors and dodgy quality control looks like the issue 🤔

[@SamsTrains]

It could well be mate - I suspect so! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@007trekhound]

More from Texas

[@michaelschultz5127]

It's called the "secret door"

[@frostycola42]

please do dmu s next

[@SamsTrains]

Great idea!! :D

[@lewiscartwright3609]

Hi Sam I am thinking about joining the Hornby Collectors club and I would test Hornby's Loco Samples and give them Feedback a bit like when the Doctors give You Tablets and then you give them Feedback on how effective the Tablets were and whether or not they would work on you and I plan on Doing a Diesel locomotive Bash/Gala and so if I joined the Hornby Collectors Club I would Get A Collectors club 0-4-0 and I could also ask Hornby if I Test Some of their Locomotives mostly Diesel locomotives but I don't mind Testing some Steam locomotive Samples and Giving them Feedback on what I liked about the model and what Needs improving and one of the Hornby Diesel locomotives that I would Love to Test on my Layout is the Malcolm Livery Class 90 and I would love to have one to keep and one as a Test sample that I would Give back to Hornby and I would love to have the first version of the Hush hush but I'm not going pay nearly £200 for a locomotive that I am going to run and actually use on my layout because it is pretty pointless to pay almost £200 for a model that is just going to sit in Display cabinet or display shelf to be covered in Dust

[@SamsTrains]

Hi Lewis - that sounds very cool - definitely worth asking them! Thanks for sharing! :D Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@lewiscartwright3609]

@@SamsTrains I agree Sam I will check with my mum first and then we can both have a look on the Hornby website Cheers. Lewis 👍

[@michaelschultz5127]

Are you sure that the motor isn't a 3 pole, if it is then, it might be better to replace it with a 5 pole.

[@SamsTrains]

I'm pretty sure it was a 5 pole, yeah! Though a replacement might definitely do the trick! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@Jimyjames73]

Well Done Sam 🙂🚂🚂🚂

[@mitchell5259]

Hey sam, do you still service locomotives fans send in? and if so, how much would it cost, and would you take ones from the US?

[@SamsTrains]

I don't unfortunately my friend - I'm sorry about that :( Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@johnarmstrong3782]

I cured my Oxford Rail Adams Radial issue by squirting WF40 into it. Just saying.

[@pedrodebarros4949]

Great Sam really enjoyed

[@SamsTrains]

Thanks so much Pedro! :D

[@doublenickelbob]

Just remember when all else fails, smash it with a hammer! lol

[@agriben7591]

I would like to get a adams raidial Sam just got to save up first don’t know what livery is going to get tho :( Thx Ben :)

[@SamsTrains]

Sounds good Ben - go with a Hornby one whatever you do! xD Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@Poliss95]

What scores should we give Sam for his fault finding? 6.9 perhaps? :-)

[@SamsTrains]

haha, nice! ;D

[@leewaymodels]

Weird how those two are similar and they are from different companies.

[@SamsTrains]

Yeah!! There's a connection between Hornby and Oxford rail though which includes fluidity between their models. Even the Hornby Terrier started as an Oxford project I've heard! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@timgage8972]

A video on smoking trains and trains with gimmicks?

[@lazerjet899overshoots8]

Lemons engines

[@davidantoniocamposbarros7528]

I don't need sleep,i need answers

[@SamsTrains]

haha!! xD

[@tobyyoder8350]

Put the cheap ebay motors in them

[@anfieldroadlayoutintheloft5204]

good vid

[@SamsTrains]

Thank you!! :D

[@thatmodellingbloke]

Sam looks at anything Heljan, 'Yep faulty' Lovely video Sam's Warwells

[@SamsTrains]

haha not anything, just most things to some extent, lol! ;D Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@modelrailwaynoob]

@@SamsTrains Interesting Sam. At the moment, my Heljan Class 17 is my best running locomotive. It s perfect slow crawler every time

[@rogerking7258]

Hi Sam, I've recently had a revelation. I bought an ultrasonic cleaner for use with car gearbox internals and bicycle parts; it's great for those purposes, but then it dawned on me that I might be able to use it for model parts. For the large vehicles (cars and bikes) I use it with cleaning agents dissolved in water, but for models I tried it with both IPA and automotive brake cleaner because they dry off almost immediately. The results are fantastic - ten minutes is enough to remove almost any contamination, leaving components perfectly clean without any effort. I haven't tried it yet, (and if anyone does it will be 100% at their own risk) but there is a reasonable possibility that I could just drop a complete motor into the tank and let it be cleaned both internally and externally. So long as it is allowed to dry thoroughly there may well be no problem with this if you make sure that the bearings are lubricated again before running. I reckon that the very smallest of ultrasonic cleaner would be perfectly adequate if only used for models.

[@646klein]

I use a small jewellery cleaner with ipa and it does the job very well an inexpensive too if anything seemed a bit dirty still a scrub with an old toothbrush and pop back in works a treat

[@bruceraykiewicz6274]

Thank you Sam. As an old mechanic, and a guy that used to repair HO, HON3 and T scale engines a long time ago, I really enjoyed this video. I used a needle oiler all the time. With regular straight 20 wt oil. Oh, way back when, I would purchase Atlas turntables, disassemble them, and use the can motors in locos. I anchored the motors down with early GE heat resistant silicon sealant. I'm sure there is better stuff today. Sorry for going on so.

[@SamsTrains]

Thanks very much Bruce - really appreciate your feedback and comments! I'll have to look into the silicon sealant - sounds like good stuff! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@ModelRailwaysUnlimited]

Hey Sam a very interesting tear down, my suggestion would be to see if you can find a way to recharge the motor magnets, this will improve power and reduce current consumption. Is there room to get a couple of tiny neo magnets in there?

[@SamsTrains]

Hey Mike - they already use neo magnets I believe - they definitely feel strong at any rate, and they act directly onto the armature! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@ModelRailwaysUnlimited]

@@SamsTrains Oh ok just an idea, does seem as if the motor is under powered, no hidden components in series with it are there?

[@brianmicky7596]

Hi Sam, Great review, can't they just upgrade the motor, They charge enough money when you buy them , (Love the air line impression) All the Best Brian 🤗

[@SamsTrains]

Thanks Brian - yes I think that's what's needed... pity they don't use better ones! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@LektroiD]

Great video, Sam, as per usual, they both certainly seem a lot smoother running. Would be great to see you servicing a couple of diesels too...

[@SamsTrains]

Thanks so much! Got something along those lines coming up! :D Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@richardandrews6754]

Hi Sam, two things to check magnets probably gone week you can get a machine on line to re- energizer the magnets. however far more likely is weak brush springs/ dirty commutator. Great video, stay safe.

[@SamsTrains]

Good ideas Richard - though these particular motors use neodymium magnets, so there's no chance of those growing weak over time. Could be onto something with the weak springs, though these motors are a bit of a devil to access... I haven't dared try it with these as of yet! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@richardandrews6754]

Hi Sam you may be correct on the magnets not loosing power with age but that presupposes they had some go in them in the first place. you should be able to feel the poles as you rotate the arm, the more defined the better. if it turns with little in the way of definition three or 5 steps depending on number poles then the magnets are shot. looking at the crappy far east motor in these engines I would not be surprised.