Hi Bill, you and I both share the fact that the old green Hornby Class 29 is our favourite loco! I too got one off eBay a couple of years ago, similar price, but slightly better packaged and a fairly good runner. But it needs a good service and I've never had the confidence to do it myself - until now. Your video has de-mystified absolutely everything - thank you so much.
You were lucky. I purchased the same model on eBay for £21inc p&p. The add said “Good condition, No Marks, No missing parts, moves OK in both directions”. When it turned up I put it on the track and it didn’t move. When I removed the body I had a surprise. No motor either end. Contacted the seller and he said it was advertised as a the dummy model. No it was not. He replied “Oops”. I kept it and use it as a double header. Didn't know they made the 25 & 29 as a dummy model.
Yikes I'd have asked for a refund. I know people do convert old locos into dummies for double heading so it may have been that. So far I've not had a really bad experience buying locos on ebay. Points yes. Never buy used points!
The current problem is due to a small wire missing. It plugs into the chassis and onto the left hand brush/spring holder. To save taking the wheels off every time you need to get at the commutator, just clip a bit of the plastic off both sides of the cover where it fits behind the wheels.
Just bought myself a very shabby example in blue. Once the new brushes turn up, it will be a runner. I have followed your videos for a fair while now and decided to give it a go again. Thanks for the excellent videos.
Something to be said for old simplicity. Recently we not only have to pay much more but models are less reliable. The manufacturers Hornby and Bachmann don't seem to do QA on their suppliers.
Hi. Great video. Just bought a Strathpeffer ringfield motor kit to fit the same loco. Makes it run much better, now converted to dcc with cab light one end. Now a good locomotive
I've had a bit of a learning curve on Ebay, and have made a few bad purchases, my blue class 29 being one of them! The photos were poor, but it was described as excellent working order, and the seller could not see any damage. It turned out the guy must have been blind, and when tested the model crawled along bellowing smoke! The model did clean up quite well, apart from a scratch on the roof. The 'glass' was badly marked, so I tried out a flush glazing kit, which, although fiddly, transformed the look of the model. The motor worked well too once all the oil had been cleaned out! The one thing I have found with the model is that the wheels need cleaning every time I run it. I do not own another model which is sooo fussy as the 29! Thank you for the video. Very interesting seeing how you get your models running so well. Gord :-)
Good Morning Bill,new subscriber here :)you made a good job of that,and blimey hasn't the seller heard of a little bit of bubble wrap? I love the older locos and used items.Well done on getting this working,trouble is i want one now!
Wow CSI Class 29 . I’ve never prized the wheels off a loco before . I wonder if it did get damaged in the post if the face plate of the motor was open . It really hacks me off folk on eBay describing stuff as “good working condition” and you stick it on track and it doesn’t go! On the bright side if you ever bought a class 25 it’s exactly the same mechanism/ set up. Even the later Hymek in green has the same mechanism ( from about 78)
I have had some excellent hits on ebay, including a very early Triang DMU set, a highly modified class 86, an amazing CR saddle tank plus a Lima 33 and Hornby 37 and rebuilt recently a Pannier and a 08 got both under a fiver and both now work as good as factory. I am sitting here fitting Kadee short couplings to my 101 DMU gangway ends whilst enjoying your video, I do so hate the drive a motorway gap in coaches and I might even make an articulated coupling bar which will allow the coach ends to behave like the real thing whilst maintaining a close fit.
Yep that eBay can be a bit of a lucky dip. But out here in Australia where obtaining new OO items can be challenging, it's where much of my stock comes from. I think the "New condition" and "Works well" that are overstated to say the least, balance out with the "non-runners" that just need a service. Nice video 👍
Another good one Bill. Loved your tip (14:40) about using the brass brush as a power contact - going to use that! Need to sub. Thanks for your videos. Cheers
Hi Bill While you are checking/smoothing the gear wheels, check the teeth because sometimes you can get damage or roughness on the as well as the faces of the wheels.
Yup I do. Just never makes the edit unless there is a problem. I do a little clock repair from time to time so I'm used to looking very closely at cog teeth.
Hi Bill I bought a blue Class 29 from Ebay, very screechy and stuttery on arrival. But with a service and a good lube and some new traction tyres it now runs beautifully. Quick question. Where did you buy the sheet of BR decals ? Cheers
Who sends locos in the post like that? If I received one like that I would have been raging and left poor feedback on ebay... Last time I sent a loco, I wrapped the loco in bubblewrap, put it in a box packed with shredded paper, bubblewrapped the box then wrapped it in parcelpaper... There's no such thing as going overboard on packaging. Having worked in parcel delivery before, I'm afraid to say they do get bumped about a bit in transit...
trying to service this one now as it has developed a squeal, having problems separating motor from chassis and don't want to break anything. Was able to pry open the casing and stuck a qtip inside to clean the commutator. Lifted a load of black dust however it is still squealing like a Banshee. maybe you could go over the process of removing the motor as when I look at the underside, it is not clear what comes out. Thanks
Pull the holding clips back and push up from underneath to separate the motor from the chassis. Sometimes easy sometimes not depending on how often the motor has been removed. If it doesn't budge put a screwdriver down from the upper side and lever back against the clip and push up from underneath. Not the greatest design!
Will give it a try. To make matters worse one of those tiny springs popped and disappeared and now I am stuck until I can put together a list to Peter’s Spares. How frustrating
Another great video, many thanks for taking the time. I recently received a class 29 from ebay which too has required a total clean. However, on reassembly it runs lumpy on the track slowly. I've been scared to over lubricate! The motor runs very well with a battery but as said its very poor on thre track. I was wondering what you lubricate the wheel axles with bearing in mind they are conductive and the main power for the motor comes from there?
Lumpy running is a sign of inconsistent power getting to the motor. So check everything involved in getting current from the wheels to the motor. Make sure all pickups are clean. The 29 has a pickup in the front bogie so don't overlook that. Too much oil can cause the issue so you're right not to over do that. There are specialist oils that some recommend but I think they are way over priced. I just use a little precision oil or silicon grease. Brushes are a more common cause of lumpy running if they are dirty, overly worn or not pressing against the commutator properly. So ensure they are in good condition and the springs provide sufficient pressure. Sometimes the springs can get too compressed and need stretched out a bit. Carefully!
@@oobill Hi Bill, thanks for taking the time to respond, your answer is pretty much inline with my own thinking. Ordered new brushes and springs which I don't think is the total answer but will help anyway. The answer is all about continuity and finding out where the weakest part is. Will post again once I get it figured out. Cheers
@@Salmo1960 Also make sure the slots between the poles on the commutator are clean. Any debris bridging that little gap will also cause lumpy running. You might be surprised at new brushes and springs I've seen that make a big difference to a poorly running loco even when old ones seemed OK.
@@oobill Hi Bill, Many thanks again for taking the time to reply. I now seem to have smooth running as I removed the wheels again and cleaned them with a peco rubber which has made a difference even though they had been cleaned with IPA. So what I am left with is slow running albeit smoothly. The brushes and springs will be replaced later in the week once they arrive. Your correct in that the brushes could be have some impedance limiting the current to the motor. Other thing I plan to do now is to check out the motor to see if the poles are all functional too and try and find where the losses are. Cheers again.
@@Salmo1960 Dirty wheels is the number one cause of lumpy running but it's usually a more tell tale stuttering. If its running slow check if the motor is getting hot. Could be a weak magnet. There is a way to test how many amps the motor is pulling with a test meter to confirm but slow and/or inconsistent running and a hot motor indicates a weak magnet more often than not.
They give off tiny little glass fibre particles that get into and badly irritate the skin. Not to mention getting into the loco motor etc. They do polish copper really well but that glass fibre dust is horrible. You don't really notice it till you've used one regularly for a while but mine has been binned.
