Hi to anyone and everyone. HANDS UP anyone who has unexpectedly lost directional lights on any GF Gauge loco, eg their Class 70, but not bothered to send it back for repair under warranty, or paid for repair.   

I've had this issue constantly since including a GF70 in my year old project to build a layout, with many warranty repairs and a full replacement loco.  Please don't make suggestions about the electronics, I've checked that thoroughly, now with split power supplies to track and points. 

Yes, with a GF Class 55 I bought at Wigan show back in 2014.

Dr Al of this parish reckons it's an easy fix.

Unfortunately it's Friday night here in Oz, and I'm on me phone so can't provide the link easily. 

But I think it's fixable. 

Nope, never. Bought a 37 without working lights, turned out just to be the little brass contact strips were bent back from making contact with the pads in the nose.

Have a 66 bought with no working rear lights, which is fine, it's always hauling a train, so no huge loss.

Yeah, this rings bells.

The brass strips not making contact.

Never experienced an actual live failure (i.e. actual dead or damaged components) - occasional need to adjust a copper wiper strip as others have said, but I don't consider this as a real failure.

Seen a class 20 that someone else had popped one of the LEDs at one end - soldering in a replacement rectified this.

I've seen a lot more Dapol models with popped lights, but again I've never had a live failure - other folks have popped them. Some of the electrical components seem to be known as weak on the Dapol stuff - like the BAT54C dual diodes on the PCBs.

I actually don't fundamentally know what people do to kill most of them though - I've just had no trouble using standard Gaugemaster controllers on DC for years. I suspect sporadic short circuits may be the most likely suspect (e.g. wheels intermittently wiping on point blades).

Cheers,
Alan

Actually yes, I bought a Dapol HST without working lights, that did have a dead LED, which I did manage to replace, much to my amazement, without melting anything else! Sold it on again, so no idea if the fix lasted! 

Not actually suffered any loss of directional lighting but have found (on DC) that loco wheels and track must be very clean if running the locos at slower speeds or the lights flicker/die.

Quote from: newportnobby on December 01, 2017, 11:46:30 AM
Not actually suffered any loss of directional lighting but have found (on DC) that loco wheels and track must be very clean if running the locos at slower speeds or the lights flicker/die.

Flickering is common on brand new locos - I think it emanates from brush/commutator sparking - once run in properly this tends to be much lessened, and the lighting settles down.

Cheers,
Alan