Al

It was a general comment not to throw out old components, I think it goes without saying that if it's a FAILED component, then yes, you would most probably bin it (although some components are repairable).

I replace a lot of components on my locos, most of which haven't failed and will therefore be kept for future use.

Dan

Quote from: DesertHound on October 17, 2014, 07:04:22 PM
I replace a lot of components on my locos, most of which haven't failed and will therefore be kept for future use.

Why? If they still function then seems strange  to swap them unless they are an upgrade (e.g. a 3 pole armature for a 5 pole, which makes perfect sense)...

Cheers,
Alan

Mainly because I buy rubbish from people on ebay Al ... know what I mean 

Quote from: DesertHound on October 17, 2014, 07:08:28 PM
Mainly because I buy rubbish from people on ebay Al ... know what I mean 

Well, that's what returns are for, via eBay's robust returns process.

Cheers,
Alan

Nah - better off fixing 'em up yourself.

Now - components that I might replace, even if I could leave them on the chassis, let's see if I can come up with five:

1) worn brushes - ok, not absolutely necessary to change and could be left on a bit longer, but might as well change for a new set, and keep the old ones as they can still be used at a later date.

2) rusty screws - could be left on, but better replaced with a nice new set and see if you can clean up the old ones with an oily rag.

3) "balanced motors" running hot - agree, could be binned but there just might be a fix for them, why throw them out? They still work, but I would swap them with new ones, since I run the risk of damaging other components through heat transfer.

4) stiff gears in bogie towers - nothing failed on them but sometimes swapping the odd gear makes the world of difference.

5) swapping plastic armature couplings for spring where appropriate - no need to throw out the plastic ones - might be used again one day.

6) screws with chopped off ends - nah, they can go in the bin as they just damage the thread on the chassis where they haven't been burred off properly 

So yes, it does very much depend upon which components we are talking about.

Dan

Fair enough, but you can't complain too much if you don't use ebay's own tools if there's a problem.

Quote from: DesertHound on October 17, 2014, 07:22:20 PM
1) worn brushes - ok, not absolutely necessary to change and could be left on a bit longer, but might as well change for a new set, and keep the old ones as the can still be used at a later date.

Why? Use the first set of brushes until fully worn out, then replace. It's a common misconception that replacing brushes is the first thing you should do and will fix a lot. Sometimes this is true, but often brushes have plenty more life that they can usefully provide (efficiency....stop using up the world's resources unnecessarily, save the planet and all that ;-) )

Quote from: DesertHound on October 17, 2014, 07:22:20 PM
2) rusty screws - could be left on, but better replaced with a nice new set and see if you can clean up the old ones with an oily rag.

Will make your chassis look prettier, and certainly important if they are conducting, but otherwise won't make a whit of difference to performance. Some of our models are 30+ years old, so corrosion can and does happen, particularly if they have seen some of their life in a damper environment.

Quote from: DesertHound on October 17, 2014, 07:22:20 PM
3) "balanced motors" running hot - agree, could be binned but there just might be a fix for them, why throw them out? They still work, but I would swap them with new ones, since I run the risk of damaging other components through heat transfer.

If they are that hot then they are a failed component and should be discarded.

Quote from: DesertHound on October 17, 2014, 07:22:20 PM
5) swapping plastic armature couplings for spring where appropriate - no need to throw out the plastic ones - might be used again one day.

Why? drive springs can actually be poorer and inflict more friction in the drivetrain via fractional misalignments. The only time the original couplings need changed is if they split (same as gears) and become loose on their shafts. This does happen, and warrants changing them.

Cheers,
Alan

Quote from: Dr Al on October 17, 2014, 07:37:22 PM
Fair enough, but you can't complain too much if you don't use ebay's own tools if there's a problem.

Quote from: DesertHound on October 17, 2014, 07:22:20 PM
1) worn brushes - ok, not absolutely necessary to change and could be left on a bit longer, but might as well change for a new set, and keep the old ones as the can still be used at a later date.

Why? Use the first set of brushes until fully worn out, then replace. It's a common misconception that replacing brushes is the first thing you should do and will fix a lot. Sometimes this is true, but often brushes have plenty more life that they can usefully provide (efficiency....stop using up the world's resources unnecessarily, save the planet and all that ;-) )

Quote from: DesertHound on October 17, 2014, 07:22:20 PM
2) rusty screws - could be left on, but better replaced with a nice new set and see if you can clean up the old ones with an oily rag.

Will make your chassis look prettier, and certainly important if they are conducting, but otherwise won't make a whit of difference to performance. Some of our models are 30+ years old, so corrosion can and does happen, particularly if they have seen some of their life in a damper environment.

Quote from: DesertHound on October 17, 2014, 07:22:20 PM
3) "balanced motors" running hot - agree, could be binned but there just might be a fix for them, why throw them out? They still work, but I would swap them with new ones, since I run the risk of damaging other components through heat transfer.

If they are that hot then they are a failed component and should be discarded.

Quote from: DesertHound on October 17, 2014, 07:22:20 PM
5) swapping plastic armature couplings for spring where appropriate - no need to throw out the plastic ones - might be used again one day.

Why? drive springs can actually be poorer and inflict more friction in the drivetrain via fractional misalignments. The only time the original couplings need changed is if they split (same as gears) and become loose on their shafts. This does happen, and warrants changing them.

Cheers,
Alan

1) Like I said, not absolutely necessary to swap out old brushes for new, but it's something I like to do on occasion, depending upon how much life the old brushes have left. If I put new ones in, I know I won't have to worry about them for a long time. Not a requirement and certainly no misconceptions that they are a cure for a lot of problems. The old ones are, of course, kept. Also, if I've stripped the chassis down, it's nice to have a "flat brush face" on the comm, which can then shape itself. Putting the old ones back isn't a major problem but try and get them back on so that the curvature of the brush face is flush with the comm. I'd say I only replace them on about 10-20% of the Poole stock I buy. Not entirely necessary I'll concede.

2) I take pride in my stock.

3)  motors are repairable - not always, but sometimes. I won't be throwing them out until I've had a go.

5) Yes they can be, which is why I said "where appropriate". If you use springs the shaft becomes one and all its mass acts together - more flywheel effect. The downside can be the accentuation of any shaft imperfections or bent springs.

Dan

How many engines have I broken?, well that would be two.

First was a Lifelike diesel, I ran twenty or so locos on a layout without any derailments but this F7 loco would not stay on the track, I did everything possible to get it to stay on the track but in desperation one day smashed it into a concrete path and watched it blow to pieces, ah at last no more problems 

Second was a Hornby Drummond T9, it had so many fragile bits hanging off it plus a disgusting electrical connection between the loco and tender that I got frustrated with it and did the same as above, smashed it into concrete and watched it fall to bits, from new it was a lousy runner and as for super detailing you can shove it  this loco was enough to put me off OO Gauge forever 

Many !

Curiosity killed the loco...  ..... need I say more ?

The bar connecting the wheels on my Class 08 has come off do these bars just clip back on or will I have to send it off for repair, I will have another look at it tomorrow, just strange that can just fall off as I am extra careful when handling my Loco's.

Quote from: Geoff on October 18, 2014, 08:36:48 AM
The bar connecting the wheels on my Class 08 has come off do these bars just clip back on or will I have to send it off for repair, I will have another look at it tomorrow, just strange that can just fall off as I am extra careful when handling my Loco's.

Geoff

I've only taken my class 08's apart once (a Poole version and a newer Chinese version). Do you happen to know which version you have? Is it a UK built version or a Chinese one (and if Chinese, is it the newer version with the outside connecting rods?)

Perhaps someone else can chip in and help you with this one (to whom I'll happily defer) but if not I'll do my best to help you.

Cheers

Dan

I don't tinker with my locos so I haven't broken any semi-deliberately.

However I have had 2 hit the deck from a height of 3-4 ft - a Dapol M7 and B17.

Both survived with only superficial damage.

What ever other problems Dapol locos may have it seems they are quite shock-proof.

Best regards,


Joe
P.S. Anyone know where I can buy a spare front buffer for a B17 ?

Quote from: joe cassidy on October 18, 2014, 11:59:21 AM
I don't tinker with my locos so I haven't broken any semi-deliberately.

However I have had 2 hit the deck from a height of 3-4 ft - a Dapol M7 and B17.

Both survived with only superficial damage.

What ever other problems Dapol locos may have it seems they are quite shock-proof.

Best regards,


Joe
P.S. Anyone know where I can buy a spare front buffer for a B17 ?

Agreed, I've accidentally dropped a Dapol Hymek and Pannier with no damage done.   

Quote from: Desertound on October 17, 2014, 08:01:12 PM
5) Yes they can be, which is why I said "where appropriate". If you use springs the shaft becomes one and all its mass acts together - more flywheel effect.

Hmm...physics sounds incorrect here unless i misinterpret...In both cases it is the same as the mass rotating is (to first order) the same so the flywheel effect of the combination of armature and worm shafts is therefore the same.

In both cases the mass is small so the net effect is small which is why we now have proper flywheels in locos.

In the case of the springs it can actually be significantly cancelled out by the excess friction if there are fractional misalignments; the old couplings give mire freedom in this respect.

Cheers,
Alan

Quote from: Geoff on October 18, 2014, 08:36:48 AM
The bar connecting the wheels on my Class 08 has come off do these bars just clip back on or will I have to send it off for repair, I will have another look at it tomorrow, just strange that can just fall off as I am extra careful when handling my Loco's.

If it's an old style on there is a single push fit crank pin on the central driver. If this does not hold securely then you should be able to replace that wheelset with a fresh one from br lines.

If a new tool model, contact Bachmann to see what parts are available - on this the rods are retained with crank pins on every wheel.

Hth, Alan