Market Deeping Model Railway Club chairman Peter Davies on repairing old locos

Many of you will be aware of the fantastic generosity of folk from across the world who donated to support the club last year, writes Peter Davies, chairman of Market Deeping Model Railway Club.

For all of that we are incredibly grateful. That generosity continues.

Only this week we have been contacted by folk offering stock and books, as well as asking for advice and contacts.

Of all that we have received, two locomotive manufacturers’ names dominate: Hornby, widely recognised as a market leader throughout the history of model railways; Tri-ang, a toy company set up by the Lines Brothers.

In truth, both were owned by a single parent company and used many of the same internal components.

When “inside” a Tri-ang locomotive, it is just the same as a Hornby one, certainly of the 1960s period. Only a few minor differences give the game away.

One of my delights is the repair of these old locos.

While I love seeing modern digital stock run, work on scenics, and build models, my greatest satisfaction is to have a locomotive which simply refuses to move, working on it, and getting it going again. I’ve had lots of experience over the last few decades and, over the last year, far, far more!

It is fiddly, time consuming, often quite dirty work. Locos pick up all sorts of grime and muck in their lives!

Many of the donations we received contained locomotives which had not been used for many years. Some, looked absolutely resplendent with bright, undamaged liveries.

Others had been “loved” and bore battle scars from encounters with other trains, walls, (floors too probably) and certainly hands.

All were donated to us to love and use. Sadly, even after hours of work, a few could not be rescued. That always makes me sad.

However, even those that could not be rescued could be included in our “organ donation” programme.

For those that had bodies damaged beyond use, motors, chassis, bearings, even wheel sets could all be donated to bodies that had totally defunct “insides”.

And, those locos not prepared to pay any attention to the power supplied to them, being stubborn and, saying, “Nah! Can’t be bothered!” have, one by one been stripped down, serviced, cleaned, lubricated and reassembled.

All that done, locomotives, some of them 60 or more years old, come back to life and sometimes, pretty well as good as new.

For those that have lost power because magnets have failed, a supply of new neo-magnets does the trick and gives them more power than they ever had when new.

It all takes time of course, enormous amounts of time.

Time away from our own modelling projects, time from club projects (undertaken at home under current social distancing rules for we cannot meet as a club).

Is it worth it? I can hear you asking that from here! I think so.

These locos (as well as other stock donations not needing intensive care) have all been loved, used, valued. We must do that too.

When we move to our new premises, hopefully later this year, we will be able to mount heritage displays of much of the stock made by the redoubtable Hornby (both two rail and Hornby Dublo three rail) as well as Tri-ang. Other manufacturers will be represented too and in a variety of gauges. More news on that will emerge over the coming months.

Meanwhile, I have managed to build a Petite Properties station building model too.

It is pictured above, resplendent with interior (scratch built) and internal lighting. It will soon be fitted to my layout. What fun!

Keep safe and happy modelling!