Tri-ang Class 31: Donation Overhaul

[@farmerdave7965]

Pretty work, Bill. Greetings from Colorado Springs.

[@PeterJewell2]

This is a timely video, Bill, thank you. In the past few months I have acquired four such spider-powered locos (two 31s, a Hymek, and a 37, for a smidge over fifty quid the lot). One of the 31s has similarly non-existent brushes! Fixing them all will keep me out of mischief for a while!!

[@peterm8969]

Thanks for the video Bill! Survived the heat in London OK!

[@anglingsteve]

Hya Bill thank you for checking and servicing the locomotive for me I really appreciate it.

[@deanbriggs9214]

Hi Bill, I enjoy your work, very educational, by the way that split roof attachment can be solved more permanently by slipping a piece of snuggly fitting brass tubing over the plastic lug.it will stop it from splitting again when tightning, keep em coming bill, all the best....

[@oobill]

Yeah I was thinking any sort of tubing around it but I have nothing to fit. I need to order a whole load of brass tubing of different sizes.

[@PaulinesPastimes]

The wheel substitution on the front bogie is brilliant. It would never have occurred to me that those wheels would fit on the axles. Very effective 👌

[@DaiElsan]

You make it look so easy. I love watching these videos. 👍👍👍👍

[@shedhead00]

Hi Bill the ringfield wheels great idea

[@nicholasbishop3300]

That old loco runs really nicely Well done Bill Nick Australia

[@darrenhillman8396]

Hello Bill! Another brilliant fettle of an old classic! “OO Bill - Keeping Classic Models Alive” I have the green one of these stored in my loft somewhere, along with a Hymek, a class 37 and a Class 47 from my childhood layout built by my Dad for me. Plus coaches and wagons. I love the honest simplicity of these models; as a comparison, I have also purchased (for static display) the highly-praised Accurascale Class 55, which although its detailing is exquisite, to me, it is becoming almost museum quality, with a price to match and a model I am almost scared to handle because of its fragility. There is a lot to be said for the simpler and less detailed models of our childhood. My Dad would be astonished at the price of todays models, and probably saddened as it has the potential to turn people away from a wonderfully engaging and absorbing hobby. I really enjoy watching your painstaking work on an ailing model and seeing it brought back to life. One thing to ask, Bill; we have a fleet review soon? I cant be the only one of your viewers wondering just how big the fleet is! Best wishes from down here on Merseyside! 👍🏻

[@oobill]

43 locos. With a few others awaiting restoration. I think the only way to do any kind of fleet review would be to make it a series.

[@andrewpalm2103]

Thanks for this video, Bill. Hope you did OK with the heat wave over there. Fortuantely here in NE Wisconsin the temps have been fairly normal for our summer with mid-80's F highs but high humidity. We were very glad to get our annual air conditioning maintenance this morning. The news services over here have said that AC is relatively uncommon in UK homes. Yikes!

[@oobill]

It only reached 30 degrees in my area. Some offices, shops etc have AC but very few homes because it's rarely warm enough to justify it. Plus it would cost too much to use these days!

[@lloydpenfold486]

I've done a few of these, it gets easier every time! I found that the hole in the plastic 'support plate' for the brushes to pass through is large enough for them to be inserted from above, unlike the narrow slots on the XO3/4 design which I find quite fiddly.

[@dennisb-trains23]

Great layout and narration!

[@maltnz]

See if you can get a hollow styrene tube (circular) the right size to go over the screw stud in the roof, use that as additional reinforcement. Worked on some of my Lima and Triang stuff. If you cannot get the exact size get a slightly smaller diameter you can file or drill to fit.

[@PeterJewell2]

Great idea. Very simple. (Genuinely) never thought of doing that!

[@allenwalker5840]

I think the roof is on backwards- the steps on the side should lead up to the recess on the roof

[@petersmith4455]

hi Bill, great video, these Triang class 31s are good if looked after, i had one in 1963 when they first came out in a sort of blue colour, watch out for those plastic white bearings on the commutator shaft

[@oobill]

I've already ordered replacements as they are in very poor condition. Those bearings have two problems. 1. They wear out and the armature shaft has too much movement. 2. The little hoops on that act as little vibration deadening spacers against the traction magnets crack and fall apart again leading to too much movement. Fortunately you can get replacements.

[@ededwardson6074]

How about fitting LED lights for and aft!

[@Mike-kc8rl]

Nice old engine ,there were literally thousands of these triang 31s made ! The blue one seems to be the rarer? I see you made the classic mistake of putting the roof on the wrong way round!!

[@Northerner_Transport_Hub]

Not gonna lie not keen on these 31s because I've tried to run mine and a massive orange spark shot out of the wheels Great restoration Bill

[@PeterJewell2]

That might indicate dirty wheels. I've found that some really sparky old models improve considerably after some IPA cleaning (cheaper, to remove the dirt) followed by contact cleaner cleaning (to condition the tyres - it's better electrically than IPA). (Don't spray the contact cleaner until you've stopped the wheels sparking, as the sparks can ignite the vapours, which can be rather, er, exciting!)

[@Northerner_Transport_Hub]

@@PeterJewell2 not this thing. I tried moving her and just got a big orange spark. I've got rid of her now.

[@PeterJewell2]

@@Northerner_Transport_Hub - oh, OK. Hopefully my comment will help someone else. I have been astonished how much dirt can be removed from 50+ year old loco wheels, and the massively improved running that results.

[@thedepot7416]

That’s damn good, so much quieter than my class 31😂

[@mikeking2539]

Yucky.... looks like it fell into a vat of oil!