Lima Class 31

[maridunian]

Thanks for the replies chaps. I'm not too worried about running the 31's with coaching stock, as I'm looking to repaint it in one of the Railfreight logos. Hopefully, it won't look too bad 

Here are a couple I converted years ago



Mike

[Adam1701D]

The Lima 31 is a very typical model of the times - excellent moulding but overscale to fit the 1960s Ringfield motor. 

The 4F and Deltic were also similarly afflicted. Until the TPM kit and Farish 31s came along, you just had to make the best of it. There were articles in the N Gauge Journal on how to cut and shut the body to closer to scale but this was too scary for me to try...

[PGN]

That ghastly ringfield motor was definitely Lima's Achilles' heel.

Why they didn't go with a can motor like the German manufacturers, I will never know!

[ntpntpntp]

@PGN they did in the end, before becoming Minibahn and then part of the Rivarossi group.


I have can motor 31, 86 and also a few Continental Lima models. I saw a can motor Deltic on ebay not so long ago.



Still suffers from drive on one bogie only, and pickups on one bogie.

The ringfield motor bogie would have been better if built to a higher quality.  Ibertren used a very similar design for one of their Spanish multiple units, but it's better made.   Let's not forget the likes of Fleischmann and Marklin used ringfield motors in HO for decades and they were very good.   The Hornby ringfield was ok I suppose.

[robert shrives]

Has to say that the image of the 86 can motor made me think straight away to the first can in the Farish 94xx , holden Tank, Hall and BOB / MN of the early 1970s .

Perhaps some clever soul at Lima saw it and hoped it was a solution to their poor motor - well it was good if left well alone, a good one was good, the rest left a lot to be desired or just did not work.   

[ntpntpntp]

Perhaps some clever soul at Lima saw [the Grafar can motor] and hoped it was a solution to their poor motor

Same motor as used in some Arnold locos so that's more likely what they saw, and I also have one branded as ECM somewhere.  It was the only bit of those old Grafar locos that was any good and worth salvaging.

[SD35]

And yet...it was fastest thing on twelve wheels.   

Certainly faster than any scalextric I ever had.  It never melted either unlike that BR liveried 211/212 they released.

I demotored mine and gave it to my great nephew along with some other old lima and farish stuff to push round a little scenic loop we made for him.

[crewearpley40]

I too shared the same issues with both 31 and 55 . I sold the deltic at an exhibition part exchange plus old bits i disliked for a farish. Agree with comments about moulding  , the poor
ringfield motor and pick ups one bogie. Still have the 31 albeit a non runner placed in a shed scene