110 and poor batting. If England bowled Australia 152 can only suggest something in the pitch



And Ilook at the comments made here

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/articles/cly049z6m82o

9 for 91...

Who's side of the fence do I sit on? Must admit, I'm like Graham in that regard. I'm not sure, so watch the Ashes at a distance, I guess.

8 for 83...

England 7 for 77 as I type this.

Day 1 in Melbourne, and, oh dear.

Australia is already all out for 152 and England is 4 for 46.

Let's hope it develops like the Centenary Test of 1977 did with big 2nd innings scores and a fabulous Derek Randall (maybe Joe Root this time?) performance.

Mark

Wishing All a Happy Christmas and a Healthy and Peaceful 2026!

So they're both Chinese assembled versions of original Poole design Models so somewhere between 10 & 20 years old...

They're not prone to jamming or the dreaded split gears, so if it's completely dead, most likely electrical continuity. There's no complex electronics involved so check are pick-ups making good contact with the wheels? Are brushes present and properly seated In the holders? Then check with a meter or circuit tester each step from pick-ups to motor brushes each side.

Quote from: Bob G on December 25, 2025, 11:29:46 PMThese "practically new" GF locos are in fact around 20 years old.

First things first. You need to see if the worm drive actually rotates or if it is gummed up solid. Remove the body. There will be a securing screw towards the front and then slide the cab backwards and the body will come free. There should be no wires connecting the loco and tender because when these were produced the only pickups were on the six main driving wheels.

Apply power to the wheels, axle by axle. Do you get any movement of the motor. Can you feel any power going to the motor?

Now identify where the motor feeds are. There should be power to each of the brushes either side of the commutator. Apply power leads to these points and see if the motor runs? If it does, it suggests that the pickups are not collecting power from the wheels. You should also be able to see the brass pickups either side of the chassis block that rub on the rear of the driving wheels. Apply power to these. If the motor runs from this point but not from the wheels then the pickups need to be re-bent to apply pressure to the rear of the driving wheels. You can remove the baseplate and gently remove the drive wheels, keeping the valve gear fully connected between the wheels. Then splay open the pickups a little and refit.

If the motor only runs at the motor itself then there is probably a break in the power feed between the pickups and the motor.

If nothing works at all, then the motor is dead, or needs a good service.

These are just the simple things to try, to eliminate the main problem areas.

Merry Christmas and good luck.

Bob G

Thanks, Bob. This is helpful. We will take a look as per above. Rob

These "practically new" GF locos are in fact around 20 years old.

First things first. You need to see if the worm drive actually rotates or if it is gummed up solid. Remove the body. There will be a securing screw towards the front and then slide the cab backwards and the body will come free. There should be no wires connecting the loco and tender because when these were produced the only pickups were on the six main driving wheels.

Apply power to the wheels, axle by axle. Do you get any movement of the motor. Can you feel any power going to the motor?

Now identify where the motor feeds are. There should be power to each of the brushes either side of the commutator. Apply power leads to these points and see if the motor runs? If it does, it suggests that the pickups are not collecting power from the wheels. You should also be able to see the brass pickups either side of the chassis block that rub on the rear of the driving wheels. Apply power to these. If the motor runs from this point but not from the wheels then the pickups need to be re-bent to apply pressure to the rear of the driving wheels. You can remove the baseplate and gently remove the drive wheels, keeping the valve gear fully connected between the wheels. Then splay open the pickups a little and refit.

If the motor only runs at the motor itself then there is probably a break in the power feed between the pickups and the motor.

If nothing works at all, then the motor is dead, or needs a good service.

These are just the simple things to try, to eliminate the main problem areas.

Merry Christmas and good luck.

Bob G
 

Nothing wrong with a drop of mead 

This is my favourite, avaliable from my local conveniance store 



Happy Christmas

Kevin