Today I had the privilege of working on an old Wrenn OO gauge 4-6-2 locomotive, the ‘Duchess of Hamilton’. A customer sent it in to me because it would not run, saying that the motor may have seized. Upon inspection the valve gear and crank rods were bent slightly and therefore fouling. The motor was locked solid due to a build up of dirt and oil, and the same applied to two of the axles. After a full strip down and clean I managed to free off the seized axles and motor. The valve gear and crank rods were gently straightened and by the flick of a finger the wheels rotated freely by a few revolutions. I carried out a service to the motor and running gear and then rebuilt the locomotive, and proceeded with a running in process. The video below shows an overview of the work and the end result. It feels good to bring a new lease of life back to a vintage model that has otherwise been kept in very good condition. It also shows how important it is to service your models every so often. Enjoy the video!
Mark Johns
