Hornby 61xx Waddle advice/help required

[chuffinghell]

I've recently bought a virtually new Hornby 61xx and it has a side to side waddle (it appears to pivot left and right about the central drive wheels)

 

After looking at other posts about other similar problems, the issue of quartering has come up a few times

 

I've contacted a Hornby servicing/repair centre and they've told me that its unlikely to be the quartering because if it was this would cause a catastrophic fail?

 

I appreciate that a rolling road exaggerates these kinds of issues but I wondered if its worth me looking at the quartering of the wheels myself as I'm assuming its just a matter of making sure the wheels are at 90 degrees to each other on the opposite side.........unless I'm missing something?

Edited July 31, 2018 by chuffinghell

[Nick Gough]

Is it missing the traction tyre from the rear near side driving wheel?

I've just bought an Airfix version with a similar issue caused by that.

[chuffinghell]

Is it missing the traction tyre from the rear near side driving wheel?

I've just bought an Airfix version with a similar issue caused by that.

 

Many thanks for your response

 

 

It's a later Hornby 61xx, I don't they have traction tyres

Edited July 31, 2018 by chuffinghell

[John Isherwood]

Many thanks for your response

 

 

It's a later Hornby 61xx, I don't they have traction tyres

 

Most unlikely to be quartering - more likely excess side-play on the front and rear drivers.

 

Peco fibre washers with a segment cut out, or C-clips, pressed onto the axle between the back of the wheels and the frames should cure it.

 

Be careful though, it's not easy to remove them if you overdo it and jam up the wheels.

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

[chuffinghell]

Most unlikely to be quartering - more likely excess side-play on the front and rear drivers.

 

Peco fibre washers with a segment cut out, or C-clips, pressed onto the axle between the back of the wheels and the frames should cure it.

 

Be careful though, it's not easy to remove them if you overdo it and jam up the wheels.

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

 

 

I'll have a look at that, thanks John

 

Chris

 

PS I bet that wont stop it sounding like a tractor though

Edited July 31, 2018 by chuffinghell

[chuffinghell]

Most unlikely to be quartering - more likely excess side-play on the front and rear drivers.

 

Peco fibre washers with a segment cut out, or C-clips, pressed onto the axle between the back of the wheels and the frames should cure it.

 

Be careful though, it's not easy to remove them if you overdo it and jam up the wheels.

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

 

Hi John

 

Stupid questions

 

1) Would it better to leave a little side play or remove it all together (being careful not to jam up the wheels of course)

2) Is it better to just apply the washers to just the front and rear drivers leaving the centre axle to 'float'

 

Many thanks

 

Chris

[John Isherwood]

Hi John

 

Stupid questions

 

1) Would it better to leave a little side play or remove it all together (being careful not to jam up the wheels of course)

2) Is it better to just apply the washers to just the front and rear drivers leaving the centre axle to 'float'

 

Many thanks

 

Chris

 

Chris,

 

1) Leave a little side-play.

 

2) Leave the centre axle to slide laterally - the front and rear axles will keep the loco on the straight and narrow.

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

[chuffinghell]

Thanks John

 

I’ve ordered some peco fibre washers

 

Regards

 

Chris

[DCB]

The Hornby 61XX is a bit of a lottery, we have 1 which runs nicely, 1 which runs after a fashion, 1 which waddles like a duck and is permanently being

fiddled with and two Airfix beasts about which the least said the better.

The basic Airfix / Hornby chassis is awful. It has a cast chassis with square axle holes and with production tolerances and wear the axles only bear

on a tiny amount of the chassis and slop around furiously.

I would resist the urge to take the chassis apart as getting the pick ups back in place afterwards is challenging.

I would check the rods are straight and are not binding, and the cross heads move freely in the slide bars, drop of peco electrolube maybe?

If its new give it an hour of running. If you don't have a continuous run buy a circle of set track and run it on the lounge/bedroom/garage floor.

Vacuum up first to get rid of the fluff. Avoid the kitchen and don't ballast the track.

 

Spacing the axles to reduce end float sounds good, split washers sounds dodgy to me but a guy on here suggested using plasticard dummy frames behind

the wheels to reduce end float. Unfortunately he used white plasticard but Black should work.

Bushing the axle holes would cure the issue if you could file the holes out evenly. Probably need Romfords to get the quartering right and then fitting

the drive gear would be an issue. I have a Hornby 61XX and an Airfix 61XX in bits on my workbench as I write. Sorely tempted to stick them back

together and put them n ebay as non runners, lets someone else have the hassle

 

Our Hornby 61XX sit on shed looking pretty. I have a Farish 81XX on a re wheeled Triang Hall chassis which runs beautifully, and a Wills 61XX with

Romfords and an X04 which also runs very well and the two have shared banking work on the layout for 30 odd years.

 

We also have a Bachmann 93XX which runs beautifully but wont pull the skin off, and thoughts on transplanting the Bachmann chassis to the Hornby

Body have crossed my mind on a number of occasions. 93XX and 61XX chassis in full size were pretty much identical forward of the back of the back wheel.

[chuffinghell]

Chris,

 

1) Leave a little side-play.

 

2) Leave the centre axle to slide laterally - the front and rear axles will keep the loco on the straight and narrow.

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

 

Thanks John

 

Your suggestion has done the trick

 

Now all I have to do is justify running a 61xx on a branchline I may have to refer to rule #3

 

Chris

Edited August 2, 2018 by chuffinghell