Talking T Gauge

B 67 · Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 5:30 am Post subject: Maintenance 103

I'm not sure that this is really maintenance, but some odd happenings with my two class 103 trains deserve mention here.

As I related in a previous thread, my two sets have been getting slower and slower. Now, knowing that they have a very high scale speed as it is, anything that makes them run slower is hardly cause for complaint. But this week I noticed that it had got much worse - and there was also noticeable slipping. The lights on the orange set hadn't worked for a few weeks, although the blue one was fine. They were bright even at low speed - even before the slipping problem.

Now some of you are probably thinking about my admission to using oil on the rails and how it has now come back to bite me. I was beginning to wonder too. Cleaning the wheels and rails didn't make any difference.
Then I thought of changing the direction of the power cars as they seemed to run better in one direction than the other. But the slipping was still there.

Next I took the trains off the track and ran a single power car. Zoom! Yes, it ran at lightning speed as it did when new. But was still controllable at lower speed (such as the 25 seconds per lap on a standard oval I mentioned elsewhere).

Next I tried the other power car (of each set) and the same thing. Smooth running fast and slow. Hmmmm!

Then I attached a trailer. Ah ha! Back to slow erratic running, with occasional slipping. Even two power cars and one trailer did the same thing. So it was the trailer cars causing the problem.

It seems the wheels were rather stiff, although very clean. So I tried running them back and forth on their flanges on a smooth surface (a laminated Eishindo brochure was handy) and after doing this for a bit, placed them back on the track and coupled to the power car. Like a miracle, the trains ran perfectly, fast and slow, smoothly and the lights on the orange train were working again too.

Now, I'm not sure exactly what happened, but presumably some gunk had collected between the sides of the wheels and the pick-ups on the bogies - forcing the wheels to turn in this way must have cleared the gunk, freeing the wheels to turn and of course improving electrical pick-up (on the orange cars).

Anyway, the point is that such a simple action made such a drastic improvement to the running. So, if your trains start slowing and slipping - the fix may be as simple as running the trailers back and forward on a sheet of paper or similar surface.
_________________
Darren,
Stratford,
Australia.

David K Smith · Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 2:01 pm Post subject: Re: Maintenance 103

B 67 · Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 2:14 pm Post subject:

Thanks David. As you may have guessed, I hadn't actually pulled a bogie / truck apart yet, so I wasn't sure exactly how they were set up inside. I figured I'd do the disassembling thing once my stock has arrived - which should happen on Monday as it is apparently in Melbourne as I type.

I realised they weren't pin-point bearings, but had no idea that things were how you said. Still, it explains the problem I had. I also now understand why the wheels move so much and often seem to be at an odd angle.
_________________
Darren,
Stratford,
Australia.