flying scotsman overheating and jinty is drunk!

cjbeattie · January 20, 2016, 07:15:12 PM

hey guys,

I bought a flying Scotsman that had been dcc converted and around 4-5 weeks after buying it i noticed it started to get very hot to touch and it would then become unresponsive and stop working, i would let it cool down for 5-10 minutes and suddenly it will work again, now though it has lost all ability to reserve and simply wont go backwards.. any ideas? have I been duped? and hence place it in the bin ? lol maybe lesson learn't for buying second hand engines..

The jinty I have bought with the railway set I bought has also become very sporadic with its nature and works sometimes and not others, all connections to the track are secure and the dcc controller I got with the train set is still working so not sure what is working there....

I seen this video on utube the other day and I just thought WOW

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhKF2TvGJYM

any help would be appreciated!

thanks

Craig

Railwaygun · January 21, 2016, 01:38:56 AM

Jinty - first step is to clean the wheels and the track - IPA and tissue will get the grot off the wheels, and a small piece of hardboard + IPA will clean the track.

Search on the Forum for wheel cleaning.

Did you lubricate the loco on purchase? Minute drop of oil on each gear will do.

The Scotsman is a bigger problem - could be something rubBing on the gear train from the electrics, or over/ under oiling or binding gears.

Is it Dapol or Farish?

Dapol instructions ( for an A4)

http://dapol.co.uk/pdfs/A4Instructions.pdf

Farish instructions - use the Jinty lubrication instructions . The may be a leaflet with the model?

You may need to try running it on DC with the original / replacement blanking plug in the 6pin socket to see how it. Runs. Does the DCC chip get hot? .

Otherwise it is your local club or one of the specialist DCC fitters who may be able to help, or a forum guru.

silly moo · January 21, 2016, 03:38:52 AM

Another thing to try is close observation of the wheels, pick ups and coupling rods through a magnifying glass. That might reveal bits of ballast or fluff jamming up the works.

cjbeattie · January 21, 2016, 04:23:27 PM

thanks for the replys and help guys

ill take the scotsman to bits tonight see what i can see. and oil the gears..

and clean the jintys wheels..

take care

Craig

N-Gauge-US · January 23, 2016, 12:19:06 PM

Quote from: cjbeattie on January 21, 2016, 04:23:27 PM
thanks for the replys and help guys

ill take the scotsman to bits tonight see what i can see. and oil the gears..

and clean the jintys wheels..

take care

Craig

Did cleaning the Jinty's wheels help? When mine has clean wheels and is on clean track, it is a great engine. The second either the wheels or the track gets dirty, it will come to a halt everywhere it finds dirt. Useful for identifying dirty bits of track, but more than a little frustrating at times! I'm considering putting some metal polish or lubricant on my wheels to see if that makes a difference, as both supposedly repel grime and allow pickup with minimal/no traction issues. We'll see if I get the stomach!

cjbeattie · January 23, 2016, 12:43:31 PM

I cleaned the wheels with a cloth and wd40 its all i have at the moment, but havent tested it yet will do later on. i will also do the track today when i have time, is this finding dirt and stopping a 'N' gauge thing? i use to have OO models and i cant remember them being this fussy..

when the scotsman was actually working i wasnt as fussy as the jinty with stuff like this..perhaps larger? more wheels? not sure why..

noticed a wire on the scotsman coming from the tender moving into the engine .. so i think this is where they chipped her to dcc perhaps?

Craig

N-Gauge-US · January 23, 2016, 01:08:55 PM

Quote from: cjbeattie on January 23, 2016, 12:43:31 PM
I cleaned the wheels with a cloth and wd40 its all i have at the moment, but havent tested it yet will do later on. i will also do the track today when i have time, is this finding dirt and stopping a 'N' gauge thing? i use to have OO models and i cant remember them being this fussy..

when the scotsman was actually working i wasnt as fussy as the jinty with stuff like this..perhaps larger? more wheels? not sure why..

noticed a wire on the scotsman coming from the tender moving into the engine .. so i think this is where they chipped her to dcc perhaps?

Craig

Hey Craig,

I've not used WD-40 to clean anything on my layout before. Not sure if that might compound the problem but do be sure not to get any inside of it as WD-40 can collect grime and harden over time, creating problems. Also, make sure when you do lubricate them to use a synthetic lubricant like labelle or Dapoil.

Yes, n gauge can be a bit fiddlier about dirty track than OO apparently is (never modeled OO, just going by conversations I've had). You hit the nail on the head with larger equating to less power issues generally. The more wheels with pickup, the less likely the engine won't be able to pull enough power. The wire running from your loco to your tender is likely one of the pick-up wires carrying power from wheels to the motor. I would guess (but don't know) that the Scotsman is tender driven and so the wire is simply carrying power from the driving wheels to the tender, which should also have pick ups on every wheel. The Jinty, by contrast, has six wheels and that's it for pick-up (obviously!), so if the wheels or track or a combination of the two have a layer of grime that stops power from picking up cleanly, then it will simply stop.

Railwaygun · January 23, 2016, 01:15:47 PM

Take the top off the tender may be small screws underneatH / clip on, and check DCC chip is seated.

If you have a blanking plug, replace the chip with it.

I never use WD40 anywhere - it is a moisture remover, and leaves a sticky deposit which attracts dirt!

Lighter fuel from £ shop or IPA ( isopropyl alcohol) from chemist ( not meths - see WD40) is the recommended cleaner, with a lint free cloth.

If the loco runs, put a strip of cloth on the track, moisten, and put loco on, with rear wheels on live track. Run loco and then turn loco round and repeat. It cleans dirt +++.

Search "wheel cleaning" In this forum .

Nick r

bridgiesimon · January 23, 2016, 01:56:56 PM

I cleaned the wheels with a cloth and wd40 its all i have at the moment,

aaaaaaaargh, nooooooo!!!!!

Don't use WD40 on anything on your layout, it has chemicals in it that will destroy your model, if you have no damage, you are a very lucky chappie!!

Simon

cjbeattie · January 23, 2016, 03:32:39 PM

ahhhhh live and learn i guess

thanks for the tip guys, i only put a tiny bit on a cloth then wiped the wheels with it and never directly sprayed it onto the wheels... so will wipe it off now...

Coming from motorcycling we use wd40 for everything idiot on my part thinking it would do for model trains too..

gonna test the jinty and scotsman tonight after i take the tender to bits ..

once again thanks

Craig

Railwaygun · January 23, 2016, 03:56:05 PM

Quote from: Railwaygun on January 23, 2016, 01:15:47 PM
I never use WD40 anywhere - it is a moisture remover, and leaves a sticky deposit which attracts dirt!

Lighter fuel from £ shop or IPA ( isopropyl alcohol) from chemist ( not meths - see WD40) is the recommended cleaner, with a lint free cloth.

Nick r

always keep cleaning agents off the plastic body - they may damage paint / transfers.( inc. WD40, lighter fuel and IPA)

EtchedPixels · January 23, 2016, 08:40:17 PM

WD40 is not a lubricant either - its a water dispersant.

Something like fine sewing machine oil is best - Daywat for example. You can buy the same stuff at inflated prices in little bottles under other brandnames

If you bought the Flying Scotsman from a commercial converter then return it as faulty goods.

Alan