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Header: Hal-Zuzzu Model Railway Build Blog |
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| Published: Thursday, October 19, 2023 | ||||||
| Post: #150/174 - Views: 45006 |
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Restoring a Class 37 locomotive purchased from eBay. I acquired this Class 37 from eBay, but I wasn't satisfied with its performance or the DCC conversion. After experiencing months of issues on my layout, I chose to set it aside until the opportune moment to address the situation. 
The moment has arrived to address the Class 37 (37699), and I initiated the process by disassembling it for cleaning and assessing which components I intend to salvage. I attempted to supply a direct 12v feed to the motor contacts, but the motor remained unresponsive, despite the brushes being in good condition. Given my success in replacing the motors on my other two Class 37 locomotives and a Class 56, I opted to swap out the motor on this one with a coreless one as well. 
In order to accomplish this, my first step was to mill out the section of the chassis where the coreless motor will be positioned. The coreless motor is slightly longer than the available flat space, requiring an additional 8mm of clearance. This adjustment can be effortlessly made using the appropriate milling tool attached to my Dremel.
In this image, you can observe the motor in its position, temporarily secured by my finger to ensure it sits level with the chassis. 
Once I had confirmed the final motor placement, I moved on to soldering a pair of wires onto the motor connections. My next step was to add tubing over the motor shafts, effectively increasing their outside diameter to match the size of the output shafts in the drivetrain. This allowed me to use a single size of silicone tubing to connect both ends of the shafts to the drivetrain. After completing the soldering, I inserted the motor into its designated position for the last time. To secure it, I applied double-sided tape to the motor's bottom before firmly placing it into position. 
Once I had confirmed the final motor placement, I moved on to soldering a pair of wires onto the motor connections. My next step was to add tubing over the motor shafts, effectively increasing their outside diameter to match the size of the output shafts in the drivetrain. This allowed me to use a single size of silicone tubing to connect both ends of the shafts to the drivetrain. After completing the soldering, I inserted the motor into its designated position for the last time. To secure it, I applied double-sided tape to the motor's bottom before firmly placing it into position. 
The subsequent task involved installing the plastic cover over the motor, effectively securing it in place during operation. The motor wires can be effortlessly threaded through one of the several conveniently provided holes in the plastic cover. 
The two nuts, connected with wire to bridge them together, represent one side of the track contacts originating from both the front and rear bogies. This setup will serve as one of the wires supplying power to the decoder, while the other source will be connected to the chassis for grounding. 
In this instance, I opted for an ESU Lokpilot 5 DCC wired decoder, which I discovered to be significantly more compact compared to the Lenz wired decoder. It also provides the option to solder on a stay-alive, although I won't be adding that feature at this time. To secure all the wiring neatly, I prefer using tape, and I also utilize double-sided tape to affix the decoder securely in place. It's worth noting that this specific model comes with transparent heat shrink around the decoder, ensuring 100% insulation. 
My next step involves adjusting certain CVs to align with the operating requirements of this locomotive for my layout and driving preferences. A crucial setting pertains to the coreless motor. It's worth mentioning that most decoders have their own unique settings for coreless motors, and the ESU decoder is no exception. Therefore, I headed to the programming track to configure these settings before introducing the locomotive to the layout for its inaugural run. 
And now, it's positioned on the layout, all set for its maiden run. But before I let it loose, I'm going to conduct a 'speed measurement' using iTrain to fine-tune the correct speed calibration, in conjunction with adjusting CV 5 and CV 6. 
I look forward to sharing some running footage of the Class 37 (37699) in action, along with the Class 37 (37906), Class 37 (37143), and Class 56 (56092), all of which have been recently upgraded to coreless motor drive. If you are interested you can watch a video of my latest coreless conversion: https://bit.ly/46BoLZk Stay tuned and don't forget to register for post updates...Check out the live CCTV camera HERE |
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