Model Boat Mayhem
Mess Deck: General Section => Other Hobbies and Interests => Topic started by: tubby tomo on August 20, 2008, 07:58:01 pm
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hi all in my last visit to mayhem i said i was having trouble with 08 shunter makes a lot of noise when running at full power i got in touch with the guy i got it from he told me what it might be i try ed what he said no joy so hes goimg to send me another one i think ill get more headache's from railways than boats ???
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Hello Tomo 1,
What make of 08 is the model? Let me know I might be able to help. I've modelled lots of them (including O gauge).
Cheers
Simon ::)
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hi simon its a hornby shunter DCC
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Hello again Tomo 1,
If it's one of the new generation of Hornby 08 shunters (the highly detailed version with outside frames, etc) then it will have a can motor and flywheel to give realistic slow running. The real 08 shunters only run at a maximum speed of about 15 to 20 mph (the re-geared class 09 shunters can run a little faster). If you are running your model too fast, i.e. at an unrealistic speed you may find that this will cause the nylon gears to whine as the model is not designed to run at fast speeds. However, it may have been badly assembled at the factory in the Far East (where they are mass produced). My friend (who was a railway modeller by profession) found that his Hornby 08 made strange noises at certain speeds and he has never tracked down the cause. In fact mine makes odd noises at times as well. The most likely cause is badly aligned gears; unfortunately, if your 08 is the new super detailed model it is difficult to take the chassis apart to adjust things. Another possible cause of the noise may be bad quartering of the driving wheels. Basically on a loco the cranks which the coupling rods are attached to have to be precisely matched; also they have to be a quarter of a turn advanced or retarded on the opposite side (if you look at the loco now, you will see that on each side the coupling rods are in a different position - this is quartering). If the quartering is out by a small amount then your loco will run like a pig (maybe noisily) and may not run at all because the coupling rods will bind and not rotate freely. My friend's 08 lost its quartering by a small amount and he had loads of trouble with it. Usually it happens when the driving wheel slips on its axle. Apart from the above it is unlikely there could be any other cause of the noise and bad running. It really depends on the individual model; most run very well, a few don't. The Bachmann 08 has one advantage over the Hornby model in that it has something called compensation; in this case it means that the centre wheel is sprung and will move up and down, which gives more reliable electrical current pick up and thus less tendency to stall on dirty or uneven trackwork. Having said this both the Hornby and Bachmann 08 shunters are excellent and accurate models. If you look on Ebay there are loads of both for sale.
All the best
Simon O0
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hi Simon yes you right I'm running it to fast its a nice engine I'm having a bit of trouble wiring up the track at the moment as you know all the track as to be live which is OK Ive done the points but when i wanted to run another track so i could switch tracks now Ive run in to the buffers as the track shorts out i was wondering if i need another controller as i said this setup is DCC at the moment i run two trains on same track at different speeds :-\ ???
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Hello Tomo1,
Your electrical problem is potentially harder to solve than the problem you had with the loco. The points could be the problem; there are two basic electrical types of point. One has something called "dead frogs" and the other has "live frogs". If your points have dead frogs these are self contained electrically and self isolating and should not give you any problems with short circuits. If on the other hand your points have live frogs these are not self isolating electrically and will need special switches to alter the polarity when you switch the points from one road to another. The switches you need are called polarity switches and these need to be wired correctly to the point to change its polarity when you switch roads. There is a website link here that might help explain this a bit:
http://www.all-model-railroading.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=6556
My advice would be to Google "Peco" in Devon; they have a technical advice bureau and they can help you with wiring diagrams (particularly for their own points). They will usually post these free with some stamps. Also you could join the free forum called "RMweb" which will have loads of helpful railway modelling experts. The frog part of the point by the way is the "V" where the two tracks diverge; if its made of plastic it is a dead frog and if it is made of metal it is a live frog (like the one shown in the web link above, which indicates all of the parts of a point in one of the photos if you scroll down that page). I hope this helps. Railway wiring can be a nightmare!
All the best
Simon O0
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hi simon your dead right what ill do for now is have one loop and lots of points till i find out more otherwise ill never get to play with it ive got 17ft of straight track and at one end 8 by4 at the other end 4by4 im happy O0
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I'm not sure how DCC works but I think it has 12v permanently across the rails. If so one test you could do is put a test lamp across the rails then switch points into every position. If it goes out you know that position ism causing either a short or a disconnection.
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hi bee the live is 17v i have a brandnew tram and i have to set up a single track for it as its 12v i don't mind as its so detailed its worth it ill just give its own 12v system and let it run O0
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hi polobeer Ive found a automatic switch over tracks when running DCC railways it switch's polarity over as the train runs over the switch ill let you know when its up and running this is when your makeing a loop to join another track O0