Help for a Newbie: Farish Pannier Tank won't go!

[JonathanC]

Hi all,

I am new to this forum and this is my first post. I started buying N gauge items in 1996 with the purchase of a Graham Farish GWR 5700 Class Pannier Tank engine and some wagons. I then bought some coaches and 3x Minitrix Pacifics plus a 9F. I had every intention of building a layout, right down to building a base board, but then life got in the way and it all got packed away.

However, I have got my trains out again and I am having trouble with the Pannier Tank. I have laid out a circle of PECO set track and my Minitrix Flying Scotsman is working beautifully. The Pannier Tank on the other hand is struggling. It has had very little use in the past 13 years and hasn't been used for about 6 years. It is trying to work, but the motor is struggling to turn around. Does anyone with experience with similar vintage English made Graham Farish engines have any suggestions for what I should do?

Thanks,

Jonathan

[Flashbang]

Hi and welcome
I think any make or gauge of loco that's not been run for several years needs a good service before trying to run it.

Apply a light lubricating oil (Not WD40 or 3 in 1) but special oil as sold in good model shops especially for models, to all the moving parts. Including any valve gear pivots and slides on the outside of Steam outline models. Apply a tiny drop of oil to the motor bearings at each end of the motor where the shaft emerges. Rule of thumb when oiling - If you can see the oil its probably too much! If the motor is of the open frame style - you can see the comm. Then clean the comm segments with a fibre pencil. Use a sewing pin to very carefully scrape along the insulation line between the segments to remove any carbon build up. Check the motor brushes are in good order, if not replace them with new ones. Also ensure the brush springs are applying light tension onto the carbon brushes and holding the brush onto the comm correctly.
Now try turning the worm drive cog by finger. It should turn and very slowly also turn the driving wheels - Note; normally you can't turn the driving wheels by hand as the gearing locks them, so don't force them around. Ensure that while turning the worm gear cog nothing is binding - rectify any binding as necessary.

Take your train controller and temporarily connect a pair of wires onto the 12 volt controlled terminals and strip a short length of insulation from the free ends (about 10mm will be ample). With the loco supported so as the driving wheels are off the ground and the controller turned up to around half power, touch the pair of temporary wires onto the motors brush terminals or the tags where the motor wires connect. The motor should burst into life and turn the wheels. If it doesn't, immediately remove the power leads. If any smoke is seen coming from the motor is more than likely to be defective with internal coils on short circuit. Seek a replacement motor if possible.
Assuming the locos motor turned ok, then carefully upturn the loco and clean all the driving wheel tyres and the insides of the wheel flanges where any wiping contact touches onto the inside of the flange. Also clean all other wheels to remove any crud that quickly builds up on these wheels. I use a fibre pencil for this. You'll have to rotate the driving wheels to enable the whole driving wheels tyre and inner flange to be cleaned - use the worm cog rotated by finger method as before. Now with the loco secure upside down and the motor free to rotate, apply the temporary leads again to the wheels that collect power. The motor and wheels etc should all rotate. Run the loco on the track now (which has also been cleaned with a track rubber) and check its performance.

Any problems now encountered need further and more detailed investigation.

[JonathanC]

Thanks for the very detailed reply. I will give this a try when I get some time and get back to you.

[Richard]

I was enthused by a recent visit to the Forest of Dean railway (to see Thomas the Tank engine) to refurbish my N-gauge layout. Unfortunately the track has been stored on a board in the garden shed for at least 10 years so I read the above reply with more than a little anticipation. The loco, which I kept indoors, is a 9400 GWR pannier which I bought about 1975. After reading the comments on getting an old engine to run (mine last ran over 30 years ago) I thought there was no hope and that my refurbished layout would be a 'grandfather's axe' affair but I thought I'd give it a whirl and found a piece of 'new' track (also circa 1975) and connected up the controller. The engine needed a little nudge but after that I could run it quite happily along my 1 foot piece of track. I think I'll take it apart though and do a bit of judicious oiling etc.
However, the track has obviously suffered from being stored in the shed and now looks authentically 'aged'. As I have nine points and enough Streamline track for three loops around a 4 ft by 2 ft 6 board I think it's worth, in the first instance, to try cleaning it up.
I would welcome any advice on how to approach this, both as 'dos' and 'don'ts'. I bought one of those abrasive track rubbers but I think it needs something more serious. I was think of one of those fine carborundum stones used for sharpening pen-knives followed by the track rubber. I've nothing to lose except my sanity.

[travellingmatt]

If your track is Nickel Silver, then you can probably get the worst of the crud off by using silver polish wadding.

Generally avoid things like wire wool, as the resulting dust will get into the loco and destroy it.

You can use wet and dry paper for bad build up, but only fine grades like 600 or upwards. Take care not to change the cross-section of the rail by sanding the corners off - use a small block of wood with the paper glued on, rather than hand-held. You will still need to polish the rail with something else, and/or use a track rubber. The idea is that your track should be shiny, not scored, as a rough surface will collect more dirt.

If the track is steel, then the chances are it will be actually pitted by any rust, and to be honest, there is not a lot you can do about it, as even if you polish it all off, you will end up with a low spot on the rail there, and this will break the electrical contact to the loco wheels.

Hope that helps.

Matt

[Richard]

Thanks Matt,

A first go at cleaning up the track, with a track rubber, on a usable section showed that the loco would run, so with more attention using the silver polish wadding first and then the rubber I think most of the track will be usable.

Richard

[Flashbang]

Hi
If the rails are Nickel Silver (test with a magnet, NS rail wont attract the magnet Steel rail will).
I would recommend never to use anything abrasive on NS rail. As it will leave minute scratches in the rail surface and these just add to the increase in accumulation of muck that builds up on the rails and this will transfer to the wheels causing even more electrical problems - viscous circle really!

Use initially the specially produced Track Rubber, then if required and as interim maintenance between the rubber being used, apply Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA) via lint free cloth - an old clean cotton hankie is ideal. If you can't get IPA then use Meths. You do not want to use anything that will leave any residue.

Next clean the locos wheels and any rear of wheel wiping contacts - clean all wheels tyres not just the pick-up wheels. Use a fibre pencil, or power brush and scraper set like the Peco PL40 and if necessary and again as routine maintenance use some IPA or Meths applied by the lint free cloth or a cotton bud dipped into the IPA or Meths, but ensure no stray strands of cotton fluff are left behind if a cotton bud is used.

Note; IPA is obtainable from some chemists or Maplin stores. Or from suppliers on ebay. Meths is the next best alternative as it leaves no serious reside.