Bought this old Lima Class J50 from eBay for £21.00. Advertised as being in very good condition and running well. It wasn't bad but it runs even better after I service it in this video!
A big thank you bill ,love the posting and the Lima J52 is a good value loco I once had the apple green LNER model ,no what it is that after I watched the video I was spurred on to do my Bachman. 08 and 37 overdue for a body off clean and oil and check up all fine and running smooth although more electronics than my Lima 73 which is due next ,then my class 85 many thanks and all the best Mark 😊👍🏻
Hi Bill, Another great video on how to get the best out of old oo locos. i have two of these Lima J50 locos.I am well impressed with your layout and growing collection of locos and rolling stock.
I have two of these locos...one black - one green, I can't fault them.. A lot of model railway folks claim that Lima trains are cheap, unreliable rubbish. I fail to agree, I have eight Lima locos and they all run perfectly.
I just picked up the green one at a Bristol show. I was surprised at the metal hand rails and ladders, thinking them to be later additions as mine has six wheel picking ups too. It runs well but smells!
A bit fed up with eBay ,until the last two weeks I’ve had nothing but superb service from the sellers ,I’m restoring a blue Pullman first one the body I ordered wasn’t the one I the photo and i have brought off him before ok money back no problem ,but yesterday a power car I ordered came nothing like the photo or description it was scratched filthy and fell apart ,so I’m thinking for now no more eBay which is a shame hope you continue getting your bargains ,cheers Bill
That's unfortunate. So far I've had a mostly positive experience with ebay. Certainly a lot of locos haven't been the "good runners" as advertised but I don't mind that as I want to repair them anyway. Not sure what alternative sources there are. Facebook I suppose but that would mean joining it! One rule I always stick to on ebay is I don't bid on or buy anything that has stock photos, poor quality photos, only one photo or really bad spelling in the description.
Great locomotive. I was just on ebay when this popped up. Tbh it doesn't really have what I'm looking for really anymore. I mostly ghost around on hattons. Still. Great find
Hi Bill. A word of caution about using T Cut. Yes it does a great job. basically, like Brasso, it is acidic and is designed to also contain abrasive to cut through layers of lacquer and paint. That means that you need to remove every trace of it from the commutator because there is varnish/lacquer coating the wires on the coils and the acid will continue to work for a while. I suggest that if you want to use T Cut then finish off with a cotton bud soaked in IPA or Lighter Fluid. TBH Lighter Fluid should do just as good a job, better than IPA and it evaporates without residue and in non-abrasive, unlike the T Cut. It will cut through grime and that is all you need. You are correct about bending the spring retaining clips, but make sure there is a slight gap between the end of the clip and the spring to ensure that there is not too much pressure on the brushes causing excessive wear.
From memory this was the cheapest loco in the Lima catalogue from the mid 70s when the company was typically known for poor detail but robustness. I never owned (or wanted) one but had a blue class 33 diesel from the same era.
We have a few Lima models, and they are all good runners too, straight from the box. My son has one of these - I'd love to swap the central axle and connect it up to the con rod!
I’ve just bought a Lima Small Prairie and waiting for it to arrive, I wasn’t sure how good it would be but I’m quite optimistic now after watching this
Excellent Loco and not so Ugly, That little Loco looks Mint! What a difference a little bit of TLC makes - Great packaging from the Sender of the Parcel - that would be the standard we all expect to see, but sometime they fall short of this 📦👍🏻 🚂 Gr8 Skills Again DrBill 🥇
My very first loco as a kid was a lima J50 in LNER apple green that was part of a set. I am now into N and awaiting the release of a brand new N version by Sonic Models.
The weight is for a pannier tank, whether your loco started life as a pannier or the weight was swopped for some reason is any bodies guess, as they are the same chassis, motor and wheel set, only the weight and body are different, another great service video, cheers Mark
Well done William! Lot better and quieter.For extra pickup - I think you could simply solder som spring wire to the centre pickup and let it rub against the back of the rear wheel?
Some of these models had a traction tyre groove on one of the cab driving wheels however there was never a traction tyre fitted to any ones I came across
Now you have tried the Lima J50, Why not try the Lima Prairie. I have restore several Prairies and they are nice little tank engines. As you say a pick up on the back wheels will work wonders. So will coupling up the middle wheels using a set of wheels from a donor engine. You can also replace the Lima motor with a newer CD motor for a not a lot of money. I swapped one out in a Lima Prairie and it was a revelation in how much better it ran.
Prairie? I'm probably more likely to get the Airfix one but I'm open to any Lima locos if they are at the right price. CD motor? Watch out for my next video!
@@oobill I have both the Airfix (Large) Prairie and Lima (Small) Prairie. Both run well, but the Airfix one is incredibly noisy. I think the Lima version is the best steam loco Lima produced. Also, a big plus is with the driving wheels being so close together, the Lima model will go around any radius curve without fuss!
@@gord307 100% agree with you on that. The Airfix 61xx looked lovely but the motor was very noisy and from memory the cylinders started rocking a little and it quickly started running roughly. My Lima 4575xx in contrast had a disappointing paint finish and the wheels and side motion looked crude yet it was a smooth and dependable performer that could cope with the sharpest of radii.
Hello, I have this model myself, just with some slight differences in the couplers and weight design, and out of curiosity took it apart to see how it worked. When I put it back together I've somehow made it not only stop picking up any current but it also acts as a kill switch on my track layout while another train is running. I did touch a few bits with a magnitised screwdriver and its not exactly in the cleanest condition but I'd love to get it running again as it was my dad's which he passed down to me so it means a lot to me. I know this is a long shot but if there is any advice you can give me I would appreciate it. Thank you very much
Nice model. I think Lima made some good OO gauge models some of their detail was better than Hornby's of the day, probably why so many ex Lima models still exist in Hornby's current range. I have a Class 94xx based on the same chassis the only thing I will say is you have to be careful with the wheel alignment as it can be easily put out due to the centre floating axle. The metal strip in the middle of the chassis is just a spring to allow for uneven track work the centre axle has a lot of free movement for this where Hornby and some others tended to use flangeless centre wheels, it also helps on 1st radius curves.
Lima diesels tended to be less temperamental than the Hornby ones and their 'modern image' range was significantly wider. Hornby were better than Lima with steam locomotives but I would say the reverse is true for diesels. The 94xx is a mixed bag as it has a good bodyshell but unfortunately the chassis design lets it down.
Recently purchased 94xx (GWR green) - One “Mint” and One “Donor” and I concur with flimsy Chassis - but looks really Great pulling a rake of Brown & Cream Composites or Sandwiched in a pair of Auto coaches.
@@donniblanco5239 I think part of the problem is the big lead weight. It sits too high, making the locomotive top-heavy and affecting stability. However, there is still not sufficient weight over the front axle, i.e. it is 'nose light'.
The metal Stanley is a world beater over 60 years old stores blades in the handle double use blades unbreakable the best a classic and still made today for us pros !
Hi again, I know this is over a week from when you made this video, But can I ask did you ever disconnect the wheels from the coupling rods. I am only asking as I have bought several of these to try and actually fully couple the wheels up making it a true 0-6-0. I was wondering if the pins holding the conrods on were a screw fit or just a pressure fit and how easy they were to remove. I do not want to try pulling the pins out if the are a screw fit and damage them before I start. Thanks.
I never disconnected them no. They screw in and have hexagonal heads. I'm not sure if coupling the middle wheels would be a good idea. The middle wheel is conductive and sprung to maintain good contact which is part of the reason it runs so well. Also the wheels are flanged and move from side to side a lot which eases going around curves. I think connecting them would introduce conductivity issues requiring additional pickups and may cause issues on curves. There's a reason it's the way it is. :)
Hi, Thanks for the info. I was going to put contacts on the back wheels in a similar fashion to the way the middle wheel is connected. Brass strip for the live and connecting to the axel for the neutral. So I hope that will sort out that problem. 2 have arrived and am waiting for 3 more to arrive. Once they arrive I will start. I will let you know how it/if will work.
Hi Rocco-probably what you would know as “Cutting Compound”- Simoniz or Meguires, I’m sure you’ll find there are many brands avlbl at Walmart or Target. 👍🏻
Hi bill I am a new subscriber could I pick ur brains I have been bing watching ur channel how to clean ring field motors I have a Hornby class 25 lights come on non runner cleaned brushes and springs and commutator any idea any advice much appreciated thank you 🚂🚂🚂
