Tomix e231 (old i assume) renovate ? Bin ?

[workslikemagic]

Hello everyone :)

I have a tomix e231 with a dodgy motor (not smooth, not regular, hiccups) and with both light sets being dim at full power, and flickery! (bought on ebay, hence the pb :-))

I love it (it s a yellow one) and goes well with my yamanote which is like new.

What do you suggest i do? What would you change first ? What would you clean ?

Thanks for any help :)

[Bernard]

What I would do before changing anything and since you bought it on ebay.....give it an old fashion cleaning. Take it apart clean off all the gears and contact points and then lubricate all moving parts (gears, motor, etc.) It might be that it's been sitting for years and needs a through cleaning.

Also post some photos of the train when you have it apart (or if you have any questions about taking it apart)

Some members here probably have that train and can tell you what to do. I look forward to reading about how your problem is resolved....good luck.

[The_Ghan]

Hi workslikemagic,

 

It's probably a Sobu Line E231.  Tomix release 92343 in October 2010 and 92245 in February 2004.  The good news is that parts are available for BOTH.  A full list of parts can be found in the brochure that comes with the train.  For example, the replacement motor for 92245 is the Tomix 0611 M-5.  I got this information from the bottom right corner of the brochure.  Unfortunately I can't find a brochure for 92343 on line.  

 

Hobby Search has the Tomix 0611 M-5 motor in stock for around $14, but before you rush off and buy spare parts I would suggest a bit of maintenance first.  Clean the wheels and check the electrical pickups.  I'm presuming that the actual track is clean and your other trains are running smoothly.  

 

I always use a process of elimination to isolate problems.  Try using your GOOD motor car from the Yamanote set with your dodgy cab cars from the Sobu set one at a time: first one cab car, and then the other - so that there are only 2 cars on the track, one of which is your good Yamanote motor.  You might find that one or both the cab cars works fine in the absence of the Sobu motor car.  If you're running a standard DC setup (not digital) there's a fair chance that the Sobu motor car is causing all the problems.

 

Give all that a go and report back.  

 

Good luck.

 

Cheers

 

The_Ghan

[KenS]

The symptoms (dim, flikering lights and irregular motor) sound like power pickup problems.  The most likely cause is simply dirty wheels.

 

Take some 50% isopropyl alchohol (rubbing alcohol) and cotton swabs, and carefully clean the wheels (where they touch the rails: tread and flange) on all cars with lighting (be careful not to get cotton fibers onto the wheels or gears).  Also be careful not to get alcohol on painted plastic, as it can strip the paint. Cleaning wheels on cars that don't have lighting is also a good idea; it won't affect the car, but it keeps the dirt from being redeposited onto clean track.

 

For the motor car, take a scrap length of track longer than the motor car.  Put a damp (not wet) alcohol-soaked cloth (a lint-free handi-wipe or microfiber cloth) on one end, and place the car so one set of wheels are on the rails covered by the cloth, and the other is on the metal rails (I'm presuming Tomix has power pickup from both sets; if it doesn't you need to be more creative).  Hold the car in place, and apply power (half to full track power) so the wheels rub on the cloth.  Do that only briefly, then move the cloth so a different part is under the rails (i.e., so the wheels will touch clean cloth) and repeat.  Repeat for both ends until the wheels look clean. Let it dry, then try it on clean track.

 

Make sure your track is clean, too, so the wheels don't pick up more dirt immediately.

 

If the car has rubber tires on some of the wheels, it's possible the alcohol could damage them, although I've read several reports from people who did this and saw no negative effect on tires.

 

Tomix actually makes a machine to automate this kind of cleaning when you drive trains over it, but for serious dirt like you appear to have, you'd probably need a more intensive cleaning.  I'd include a link, but I can't find the track cleaners now that Hobby Search has reorganized their site.

 

There could be other causes: corroded power pickups/contacts if the train was stored in a damp environment, for example. But I'd start with a good cleaning.

[workslikemagic]

Thank you all for your awesome tips. I m really glad to be collecting japanese trains only for the great level of help you guys are providing! (Japanese-level service ;-))

 

I have checked further. It is indeed the old version of the 231, my current yamanote bough last year is quite different technically.

 

I tried the yamanote motor with the old 231 and the lighs still barely work, so i think there is an issue on both motor and carriages.

Tonight i ll go for a cleaning session on all wheels and check back with some progress :)

 

Thanks a lot again to everyone !