Exhibitions can be hard on the models being exhibited. My Meridian Models Armoured Simplex has been doing sterling service with a couple of days solid running at the NEC under its whitemetal belt. On a continuous run, that's a lot of miles.
Being pretty certain that this was more than the chassis was designed for, I've been planning to build a second loco but as is the way with these things, it never quite happened.
There didn't seem to be a problem as the model started happily and by lunchtime on Saturday, I'd stopped crossing my fingers. Too soon however as in the afternoon it kept stopping. Gentle prods would occasionally bring it back to life but as the day wore on, the model needed a rest at the back of the layout.
With Owen's Bridge, I have more worries about this than a normal layout. The wooden bridge at the front is pretty delicate. The wires between the lifting mechanism and bridge deck are thin and black - right for the prototype but if you are the sort of person who hurls your hand over a model without bothering to look, just the sort of thing you're not going to see until you've caught then and have half a model dangling from your paw.
A poorly loco is a magnet for finger pokers so it's better to leave it out of sight than risk "help".
Sunday wasn't any better than Saturday. The model ran intermittently. A little pre-show poking didn't seem to make much difference and I wasn't taking the thing apart behind the stand.
Back on the bench, there was nothing obviously wrong. The belt drive is saggy but adequate. If I can work out where the spare is, I'll swap it over but this isn't essential. Wheels have been cleaned (again) pickups adjusted and the gear mesh tightened at one end. A little lubrication was applied where I could.
On the rolling road, the chassis thrashed away quite happily for an hour so maybe I've breathed new life in to it. The next showing is at Leamington in March so we'll see what happens.
3 comments:
The chassis was designed to make the drive belts easy to replace. If you need some more Meridian would be happy to oblige
I think the belt is OK - worn but not the cause of any problems. It's reliability is one of the things that has impressed me. I have a spare somewhere too if it breaks. Not sure where mind you...
On mine I used phosphor bronze strip against the back of the flanges instead of the supplied wire, as I think it gives better contact. Not that mine has had anything like as much use as yours! Also try graphite on the rails, those tiny wheels need as much help as they can get. It really works and stops the wheels getting dirty too.
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