Trainline Point Motor Servo

[jimmielx]

My Trainline 45 point motor has stopped working. I can hear the motor running, but the point does not get thrown.

I think the fault is the servo motor which I runs continuously without hitting end stops when I plug the servo directly into an ESU SwitchPilot Servo. Ideally I'd just like to replace the servo rather than the whole thing, but I can't find any markings on the servo to be able to identify it. Does anyone know the type of servo used?

Thanks! James

 

[Gizzy]

Got a problem with my only TL point motor too, but haven't yet got around to looking at the cause.

It's not even a year old as yet, but seems to have failed during the wintry weather. All my much older LGB motors are working fine after a little fetling though.

Unfortunately, I can't use an LGB motor on the TL R2 point as it has a longer throw on the tiebar, compared to the LGB points. So I might have to have it repaired or replaced....

 

[jimmielx]

Hi Gizzy, it would be interesting to hear what your problem turns out to be. Mine too is less than a year old and in quite a sheltered spot on a raised section of track on decking boards. I also have six LGB points with motors - no problems with those. I do like TL motor in use and it has saved on wiring and a new motor decoder driver, however the servo motor inside does seem a little fragile and I am pretty certain that the gearing inside has suffered some failure. I decided to pick up another at GRS yesterday so will be replacing it and will see how this one goes. I would like to repair the old one though and I imagine the servos could be sourced cheaply online - if only I knew what to get!

The closest I've found are at the link below on eBay. Weight and dimensions seem about right and the case looks identical as far as I can tell. So I am wondering if it is just a generic 3.7g sub-micro servo?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4-X-RC-Su...sGames_RadioControlled_JN&hash=item4171d5b48f < Link To http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm...mp;hash=item4171d5b48f

Any thoughts as to whether this is worth a go?

 

[Gizzy]

Hullo James,

I think mine is driving fully one way. I did manage at some point to move the blades, and the motor drove the blades back, so something is working? Electrickery must be getting to the motor.

I'll try and have a look in the next week or two, now that the warmer weather has finally arrived here in East Anglia....

 

[jimmielx]

Hi Gizzy

That does sound similar to the problem I had. I was able to force the servo to one position and it would always drive it back to the start position. I could always hear the motor when I attempted to change the points, but it would only drive them one way...

I have today replaced the whole point motor with a new Trainline one - courtesy of some slightly milder London weather...! I hope this one lasts longer. In the mean time I'm going to take a punt on a very cheap servo motor I found on ebay here:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270818690257 < Link To http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/...&item=270818690257
It certainly looks right so hopefully I will be able to replair the old point motor. It'll take a couple of weeks to arrive, but I'll report back any progress.

Cheers

James

 

[nicebutdim]

If you find they are the right size of servo you could upgrade to these https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&r...K793497F3iwJ_iY2Q&sig2=3I08QDgmDJm_xXQlgB3ulg < Link To https://www.google.co.uk/...3I08QDgmDJm_xXQlgB3ulg They have metal gears and a bearing on the output shaft. I have converted 3 to continuous rotation for a crane mod that I'm carrying out. They seem to be quite hardy, a little noisy but certainly stronger than anything standard.
Don't forget you can waterproof servos to protect them from moisture ingress which will always kill them.

 

[jimmielx]

Hi nicebutdim

Thanks for that, great idea. Yes if they do turn out to be a standard spec then a metal geared motor would be much better I think.

I have successfully used some cheap servo motors to drive semaphore signals. Those have been outside totally exposed for two winters now, they are 'waterproofed' with plenty of liquid electrical tape and are still working just fine. The trainline point motor is well waterproofed and the servo was also covered in some sort of sealant, so I'm not sure what has caused the failure. I wonder if over the winter the point has become stiff and then when the motor drove it it met resistance which damaged the servo. I don't really know but it seems possible.

Thanks