loco smells of burning

[bluedepot]

hi

i ran a dapol class 58 tonight (58023), and it ran very nicely, but it really smelt of burning.  i only ran it for about 20 minutes max.

should i be worried???

should i send it off for servicing if it still smells when i give it another run tomorrow?

the other locos i ran tonight did not smell at all and it was definitely the class 58 and not any toast or any other electrical burning!


cheers


tim

[NinOz]

What is the current draw like at, say, 5 or 6 volts?
How hot is it after running compared to other locos?

[Snowwolflair]

Could be a supercreep motor problem.

I have encountered several Dapol motors recently where the motor has had resistance in the gear chain causing a partial stall, but still working.  The effect is to heat up the brushes to a point they "burn" the commutator and cause short bridges across the gaps of the commutator.  the result is heat and poor running until it fails completely.  I have come across it on tender drives where the loco gear train is tight, but it's the same motor and if you loco has bogie problems it is likely to be the same issue, and yes you do get a smell of burning although it is still running.

[bluedepot]

hi

thanks for the replies snow and ninoz

it was getting hotter than other locos

i tried it again tonight and it was smelling of burning after 5 - 10 mins

so anyway it's going off to dcc supplies tomorrow for servicing

a bit annoying but these things happen...

luckily i have a few other type 4 and 5 locos that can cover for the class 58s booked workings so no crisis...


tim

[Dr Al]

Often this is the diodes or capacitors on the PCB - especially if the lights stop working.

Cheers,
Alan

[bluedepot]

hi alan

the lights were working still. I just wasn't confident to diagnose it or fix it myself so hopefully dcc supplies can do... plus they have spares presumably to replace any circuit board components.

it hasn't run that many hours in the last year so a bit strange it just started to smell of burning now really


cheers

Tim

[ntpntpntp]

If a loco is left sat in its box for a long time you do sometimes get a little smell when you first run it again until the brushes settle and any slight oil/dirt deposits burn off the commutator. It should only last for a moment or two though.

[B757-236GT]

Have you taken the body off to see which components are getting hot. Also it would avoid while you are faultfinding the risk of melting the body which is not unknown occurrence due to the heat.

Richard