Clan Line repaired

When Clan Line failed during our last exhibition, there was concern that the armature had been cooked. Lots of smoke from the cab and no sign of life whatsoever.

Having stripped it down, the armature shows equal resistance across all three poles and no earth faults. Upon reassembly the issue was found to be that there wasn't enough free-play in the armature. Fine when cold but with heat comes expansion, and that expansion was enough to jam the armature. It had been running for some considerable time before it failed and was pretty hot.

A quick tweak of the end bearing screw and some light lubrication and Clan Line is back in service, ready for the next exhibition.

You wouldn't get that kind of luck with a modern plastic loco!