Thank you everyone for your interest. I am currently sold out of these motor kits however will be making more and continuing to make them in the future. I should have more in a few weeks time.
I just found this channel and this upgrade looks great. A tip I would suggest would be to keep any redundant X04s for potential spares or re-use by yourselves or others later, as these are highly standardised motors and a lot of older kits use these motors. That said, these new motors really bring the older Tri-ang models up to modern motor standards and reveal how much potential these old models still have.
Watched this today and will certainly be looking to buy some for my old xo4 motors locos , the flywheel aspect looks to be good as it will bring an old xo4 type of loco to similar performance of a modern Hornby railroad loco. Looks like you're onto a winner here :-)
Wow, really great to see a proper modern upgrade that actually goes in properly and easily enough. If I was wealthy enough I'd definitely buy a couple to upgrade a few X.04s.
This upgrade kit has given me many devious ideas Namely finding a busted princess, then acquiring one of these kits, alongside some new, finer scale wheels and a few new details, in short simply making a Triang loco which is of/closer to 2023 specifications
Also, one possible solution to the wire on the pickup would be to simply remove the pickup, it’s only held in by two screws, so removing it and threading the wire through the frame would probably be a safer option, as you lose the risk of damaging the gear
Thank you for these wonderfully informative videos. Believe me, much appreciated ! Hope to see videos on how to fit a second motor to locos - two motors in one unit such as diesel/electric/gas turbine/ tender locos - both DC and DCC. All The Best !
The wheel pickup strip is made from bronze, not brass, as the latter would oxidize & tarnish. The pickup strip is mounted on a removable plate, detached by removing a pair of brass screws, so there was no need to solder the wire through the body from the top. Many years ago, I replaced the X04 motor n my 1959 Triang R.152 Armstrong-Whitworth 0-6-0 diesel electric shunter with a modern Hornby micro motor. I created a mounting plate, out of plasticard, then used thermo setting industrial superglue gel (warm slightly to cure) to secure the motor in place. 20 years later and it still functions fine under my layout's Hornby Zero One DCC control system.
16:37 would be much safer to take the bottom plate off and fix the wire, then thread it back up into the chassis. This is a very creative cleaver solution well done. I've got loads of X04 spares but am tempted to try one of these
Very well presented. Analogue control or as I call it pure DC ontrol is now right up there with motors like Portescap which I consider to be the best ever. Superb slow control and the extra weight is wellworth doing.
Hi Mark, looks great i wil be trying one. do you do anything similar for the triang 3mm TT locos? did you have to upgrade the wheel pick ups for DCC operation? Cheers Derek.
I think quite a few of my models have an XO2/3/4 motor in them. The problem with them isn't that I'd want to "Upgrade" them, but many of them just don't even work any more. I end up canalising motor parts from one to fix another. So this would be more useful for me for repairs.
hi. i cant understand why you did not undo the 2 screws on the bottom to remove the pickup plate before soldering the brown wire replacement to it.but besides that it is a good explained video.one more thing i noticed the last wire you soldered you covered the hole on the brass brush holder this is wrong because you will not be able to replace the brush. as that hole is the only way to keep the brush in place when fitting a new one it . which has to be absolutly clean and without any obstuctions
Hi. Yes very good point. I have sometimes found it tricky refitting the pickup plate which is why I left it in, but I see your point as that would make the actual soldering easier. I wasn’t aware of that issue with the hole on the terminals of the motor but will do some looking into that. Thanks for bringing it to my attention 👍
@@HornsWhistlesWorkshop The pickup plate must be one of the easiest things to fit ever. I suppose it depends on how many Tri-ang or Hornby locos you have serviced.
Thanks for your comments Stuart. More stock is available now. For UK orders please use the eBay link in the video description and for overseas orders, please email me at hornswhistlesworkshop@gmail.com. thanks.
I have a tender driven Duchess class. I noticed the locomotive seems to have placement for a motor, bracket and gear (on the from axle. Are parts available to convert the loco and eliminate the Ring motor ?
What a brilliant little thing, there lots of locos out there that haven't even got motors right now so this would be a treat - have you thought about motor upgrade kits for the old dapol tank locos like the A1 terrier, J94 and pug? The motors are a bit of a bit and miss sometimes and I've got a j94 with a nasty sounding motor that sounds like it's on the way out
You forgot to mention that the brass strips collecting power from the insulated wheels are mounted on an insulated piece at the bottom of the chassis, if not , you will have a short.
you will find that if you remove the two screws under the chassis the collectorplate will come away and you can solder the wire safely without damage to the nylon gear
To avoid possible melting the plastic drive cog on the axle when soldering a replacement wire, just remove the plate underneath and solder the wire on. All you have to do then is replace the plate whilst threading the wire back through the chassis.
I just watched OOBill's review and he liked the second version of the motor you sent to him, the one with the single start worm gear. Is that the version you are selling in your eBay store. I have several tired x04 powered locomotives. Thanks.
Hi there, love this article, I just checked your ebay for this motor, but it says you don't post overseas, how can I get this is Australia, also your rolling road, regards Martin
Hello, very nice demonstration, clear and sharp, please, can you, but give a name or a company, where I can get this engine. Sincerely Raymond - Bonjour, très belle démonstration, clair et net, s'il vous plait, pouvez-vous, mais donne un nom ou une société, où je puis me procure ce moteur. Cordialement Raymond
@@HornsWhistlesWorkshop the motor for the Ringfield co co configuration, a 9v instead of the 6v, you mentioned a few videos that a 12v variant wasn’t viable because of how thin the motor case is.
Hi Nick, thanks very much. More stock is now available. For UK orders please see the eBay listing, to which there is a link in the video description. For overseas orders, please email me at hornswhilstlesworkshop@gmail.com, thanks.
This looks like a brilliant solution and what is the procedure for ordering as I have many Triang loco's that require just such an upgrade and parts are in short demand here in Australia regards Bill
You can pop me an email at hornswhistlesworkshop@gmail.com to arrange shipment to Australia however the initial batch of motors I have will be for UK only. Once I have more stock available I will do overseas orders. 👍
Hi John, There is an email address on the business card shown at the end of the video. If you email me, I can arrange with you once I have more stock. Best wishes
I wonder if this would work on old American mantua 2-8-2 mikados. They have a pittman motor that is usually worn out. It looks like the motor you’re replacing though.
The reason that traction was poor was you are probably running in nickel silver track whilst Tri-ang -Hornby track was steel snd much of their motive power relied on Magnadhesion. Magnets located behind the wheel allowed greater grip on Hornby's steel track. My late Father's layout has steel track with nickel silver points. Our old Brush type 2 (class 31) will be fine on plain track then spin hopelessly while attempting to pull a train on points.
I like the new unit you have developed, I have a Airfix Prairie which uses either a X03, X04 and as your display unit it is not a brilliant runner, would your mod work with my prairie? if it will then I would like to order a kit.
Hi Peter, If it uses an X04 motor then yes, this will work, however that will not be the case if your model has an X03 motor (which has a plastic worm gear) as the worm on this kit won't mesh.
Hello, this looks great. Can your conversion kit be used on the old Hornby 2MT? it has a cross beam that sits under the motor housing. And could it be used on the old "Nellie" style 0-4-0s?
Hi Piers, I can't seem to find a good enough image on google for the 2MT motors to be able to tell you. If you can email me some pics of your model I might be able to advise (email address on the business card at the end of the video). Regarding the 0-4-0 models, yes as long as they are fitted with X04 motors then they should fit just fine. Best wishes
@@HornsWhistlesWorkshop Thanks for getting back to me. I had a Hornby 2MT with a failed X04 Motor and was looking out for a conversion kit just like yours for some time, but in the end I gave it to the GCR Emporium to sell for spares or repairs. So it was really an academic question. I'll see if I can find the service sheet though and email that to you as there may be other potential custoners for your conversion kit with the same question in mind. As to the 0-4-0s I had in mind purchasing one for reasons of nostalga but they are very old now and usually awful runners so your kit would be grand for an upgrade. P.S. I've just remembered, OOBill did an excellent video on upgrading his 2MT with a Type 7 motor. That would clearly show the tie bar I think. Thanks.
Hi Pete. For UK orders there is a link in the video description to the eBay listing. For overseas orders, please email me at hornswhistlesworkshop@gmail.com, thanks.
Hi Mike. There is more in stock now. For UK orders please use the eBay link in the video description and for overseas orders, please email me at hornswhistlesworkshop@gmail.com. thanks.
Hi, more stock is now available. For UK orders please use the eBay link in the video description and for overseas orders, please email me at hornswhistlesworkshop@gmail.com. thanks.
Hi Bruce, yes I will be doing overseas orders once I have more stock. There is an email address on the business card shown at the end of the video. If you email me, I can arrange with you once I have more stock. Best wishes
Next week (hopefully Tuesday). There will only be a very limited amount available to start with but more motors are on order so will be continually restocking.
Nice upgrade and a good outcome. You obviously don't appreciate the simplicity or longevity of the vintage X.04 or X.03 motors or are a collector of vintage Tri-ang locos. These old girls don't really wear out unlike the plastic upgrades. Those of use who are collectors love the 1950's and 60's locos and know how good they are. DCC is not a necessity for these old girls and they run best with the vintage controllers of the same age. Take the base plate off to solder the brown wire on without fear of damaging anything else. The intent is good but bagging the old motor that probably just needed a full strip down and clean wins you no friends in the collector world.
Some valid thoughts there, however an alternative view could be some collectors or owners who have models of sentimental value would relish the chance to put a more modern motor in their older model. Absolutely accept that it isn't for everyone though.
These are now back in stock, please find the link to the eBay listing in the video description. Thanks.
Thank you everyone for your interest. I am currently sold out of these motor kits however will be making more and continuing to make them in the future. I should have more in a few weeks time.
Very interested in purchasing a couple of your motors....have you an e.mail address?
excellent, you don't happen to know of a replacement motor for the N gauge Lima ringfield motor by any chance? class 51
I just found this channel and this upgrade looks great. A tip I would suggest would be to keep any redundant X04s for potential spares or re-use by yourselves or others later, as these are highly standardised motors and a lot of older kits use these motors. That said, these new motors really bring the older Tri-ang models up to modern motor standards and reveal how much potential these old models still have.
Very impressed - the older models are much more fun and with a replacement a new lease of life is possible for a reasonable cost.
Watched this today and will certainly be looking to buy some for my old xo4 motors locos , the flywheel aspect looks to be good as it will bring an old xo4 type of loco to similar performance of a modern Hornby railroad loco. Looks like you're onto a winner here :-)
Just fitted one in my b12 loco wow what a difference will be back for more
Good stuff thank you!
Wow, really great to see a proper modern upgrade that actually goes in properly and easily enough. If I was wealthy enough I'd definitely buy a couple to upgrade a few X.04s.
This upgrade kit has given me many devious ideas
Namely finding a busted princess, then acquiring one of these kits, alongside some new, finer scale wheels and a few new details, in short simply making a Triang loco which is of/closer to 2023 specifications
Also, one possible solution to the wire on the pickup would be to simply remove the pickup, it’s only held in by two screws, so removing it and threading the wire through the frame would probably be a safer option, as you lose the risk of damaging the gear
Thanks for these motors I have now upgraded three or four of my old Triang/Hornby locos with these motors and also fitted DCC to them
It's a nice kit and certainly does make a difference to the smoothness and low speed running. 👍
Thank you for these wonderfully informative videos. Believe me, much appreciated ! Hope to see videos on how to fit a second motor to locos - two motors in one unit such as diesel/electric/gas turbine/ tender locos - both DC and DCC. All The Best !
The wheel pickup strip is made from bronze, not brass, as the latter would oxidize & tarnish. The pickup strip is mounted on a removable plate, detached by removing a pair of brass screws, so there was no need to solder the wire through the body from the top.
Many years ago, I replaced the X04 motor n my 1959 Triang R.152 Armstrong-Whitworth 0-6-0 diesel electric shunter with a modern Hornby micro motor. I created a mounting plate, out of plasticard, then used thermo setting industrial superglue gel (warm slightly to cure) to secure the motor in place. 20 years later and it still functions fine under my layout's Hornby Zero One DCC control system.
Oooooo....they Holy Grail. Well done guys.
16:37 would be much safer to take the bottom plate off and fix the wire, then thread it back up into the chassis. This is a very creative cleaver solution well done. I've got loads of X04 spares but am tempted to try one of these
Looks like a very decent upgrade, definitely looking to purchase one.
Very well presented. Analogue control or as I call it pure DC ontrol is now right up there with motors like Portescap which I consider to be the best ever. Superb slow control and the extra weight is wellworth doing.
Certainly want to try one of these, if it's as good as shown then all my Triang X04 stock will be upgraded.
Thanks Alan. They are now in stock again and the link to the eBay listing is in the video description.
Brilliant! I have four locos in need of upgrading. Please let me know when you have more in stock.
Cheers from down under Wally
Hi Wally. More stock is now available. For overseas orders please email me at hornswhistlesworkshop@gmail.com, thanks.
Hi Mark, looks great i wil be trying one. do you do anything similar for the triang 3mm TT locos? did you have to upgrade the wheel pick ups for DCC operation? Cheers Derek.
I think quite a few of my models have an XO2/3/4 motor in them. The problem with them isn't that I'd want to "Upgrade" them, but many of them just don't even work any more. I end up canalising motor parts from one to fix another. So this would be more useful for me for repairs.
hi. i cant understand why you did not undo the 2 screws on the bottom to remove the pickup plate before soldering the brown wire replacement to it.but besides that it is a good explained video.one more thing i noticed the last wire you soldered you covered the hole on the brass brush holder this is wrong because you will not be able to replace the brush. as that hole is the only way to keep the brush in place when fitting a new one it . which has to be absolutly clean and without any obstuctions
Hi. Yes very good point. I have sometimes found it tricky refitting the pickup plate which is why I left it in, but I see your point as that would make the actual soldering easier. I wasn’t aware of that issue with the hole on the terminals of the motor but will do some looking into that. Thanks for bringing it to my attention 👍
@@HornsWhistlesWorkshop The pickup plate must be one of the easiest things to fit ever. I suppose it depends on how many Tri-ang or Hornby locos you have serviced.
That seams good/ can you please come up with a replacement motor for the old Triang Stephenson’s Rocket? Mines broken and I want to revive it.
I just found your tutorial, clear, concise and very helpful. When can we expect units will be available, thank you.
Thanks for your comments Stuart. More stock is available now. For UK orders please use the eBay link in the video description and for overseas orders, please email me at hornswhistlesworkshop@gmail.com. thanks.
I have a tender driven Duchess class. I noticed the locomotive seems to have placement for a motor, bracket and gear (on the from axle. Are parts available to convert the loco and eliminate the Ring motor ?
any idea when you will have them available again?
I added new moter dose not move , took moter out works ??? Help needed
Will not drive grear wheel
08 shunter R152
What a brilliant little thing, there lots of locos out there that haven't even got motors right now so this would be a treat - have you thought about motor upgrade kits for the old dapol tank locos like the A1 terrier, J94 and pug? The motors are a bit of a bit and miss sometimes and I've got a j94 with a nasty sounding motor that sounds like it's on the way out
Thanks very much. I haven’t looked into those models but maybe something for the future.
You forgot to mention that the brass strips collecting power from the insulated wheels are mounted on an insulated piece at the bottom of the chassis, if not , you will have a short.
you will find that if you remove the two screws under the chassis the collectorplate will come away and you can solder the wire safely without damage to the nylon gear
To avoid possible melting the plastic drive cog on the axle when soldering a replacement wire, just remove the plate underneath and solder the wire on. All you have to do then is replace the plate whilst threading the wire back through the chassis.
Hi is there any conversation for the hornby class 58 cheers
Hi, could you look into the Hornby class 58 motor, it would be great to get rid of the scalextric type motor and it’s assembly.
im gonna have to buy one at somepoint
I just watched OOBill's review and he liked the second version of the motor you sent to him, the one with the single start worm gear. Is that the version you are selling in your eBay store. I have several tired x04 powered locomotives. Thanks.
Hi there, love this article, I just checked your ebay for this motor, but it says you don't post overseas, how can I get this is Australia, also your rolling road,
regards Martin
Hi Martin, I have responded to your email. Thanks.
Hello, very nice demonstration, clear and sharp, please, can you, but give a name or a company, where I can get this engine. Sincerely Raymond - Bonjour, très belle démonstration, clair et net, s'il vous plait, pouvez-vous, mais donne un nom ou une société, où je puis me procure ce moteur. Cordialement Raymond
Hi, this is superb and very long overdue, hopefully you can look into replacement 9v pan motors for the Ringfield motors.
Thank very much. What do you mean by 9v pan motors?
@@HornsWhistlesWorkshop the motor for the Ringfield co co configuration, a 9v instead of the 6v, you mentioned a few videos that a 12v variant wasn’t viable because of how thin the motor case is.
Ah yes, there’s no way around that I’m afraid.
Awaiting these to be restocked. Very smart choice for reviving older locos, thanks for this! Looking forward to trying it when stock is available.
Hi Nick, thanks very much. More stock is now available. For UK orders please see the eBay listing, to which there is a link in the video description. For overseas orders, please email me at hornswhilstlesworkshop@gmail.com, thanks.
what is the current draw compared with the triang motor?
This looks like a brilliant solution and what is the procedure for ordering as I have many Triang loco's that require just such an upgrade and parts are in short demand here in Australia regards
Bill
You can pop me an email at hornswhistlesworkshop@gmail.com to arrange shipment to Australia however the initial batch of motors I have will be for UK only. Once I have more stock available I will do overseas orders. 👍
Hi There ,, where can i buy these five pole motors and adaptor's from please.
Cheers from john in Australia.
Hi John, There is an email address on the business card shown at the end of the video. If you email me, I can arrange with you once I have more stock. Best wishes
I wonder if this would work on old American mantua 2-8-2 mikados. They have a pittman motor that is usually worn out. It looks like the motor you’re replacing though.
Sorry Alex but I don’t know.
The reason that traction was poor was you are probably running in nickel silver track whilst Tri-ang -Hornby track was steel snd much of their motive power relied on Magnadhesion. Magnets located behind the wheel allowed greater grip on Hornby's steel track. My late Father's layout has steel track with nickel silver points. Our old Brush type 2 (class 31) will be fine on plain track then spin hopelessly while attempting to pull a train on points.
I did not know that at all, very useful thanks Jack.
Will you be adding more stock? A very interesting and well explained video. Just subscribe 😊
hi, once you fit the body does the model still growl or does it run quieter than the x04 engine.
I like the new unit you have developed, I have a Airfix Prairie which uses either a X03, X04 and as your display unit it is not a brilliant runner, would your mod work with my prairie? if it will then I would like to order a kit.
Hi Peter, If it uses an X04 motor then yes, this will work, however that will not be the case if your model has an X03 motor (which has a plastic worm gear) as the worm on this kit won't mesh.
Hello, this looks great. Can your conversion kit be used on the old Hornby 2MT? it has a cross beam that sits under the motor housing. And could it be used on the old "Nellie" style 0-4-0s?
Hi Piers, I can't seem to find a good enough image on google for the 2MT motors to be able to tell you. If you can email me some pics of your model I might be able to advise (email address on the business card at the end of the video). Regarding the 0-4-0 models, yes as long as they are fitted with X04 motors then they should fit just fine. Best wishes
@@HornsWhistlesWorkshop Thanks for getting back to me. I had a Hornby 2MT with a failed X04 Motor and was looking out for a conversion kit just like yours for some time, but in the end I gave it to the GCR Emporium to sell for spares or repairs. So it was really an academic question. I'll see if I can find the service sheet though and email that to you as there may be other potential custoners for your conversion kit with the same question in mind. As to the 0-4-0s I had in mind purchasing one for reasons of nostalga but they are very old now and usually awful runners so your kit would be grand for an upgrade.
P.S. I've just remembered, OOBill did an excellent video on upgrading his 2MT with a Type 7 motor. That would clearly show the tie bar I think.
Thanks.
Looks a great kit.
I have a 1980s spitfire locomotive with a very noisy motor that is in mint condition
So would be good to have it running better
Can you get the worm gear to work with both the brass and plastic final drive cogs?
Yes it works just fine. The worm gear on these is nylon.
have you got more on order ?
So im in Australia how do i get one or 5 😅
How can I get one of these in the U.S. ?
I am interested in a couple of these once you get more stock in how do I go about ordering some and how much are they?
Hi Nick. There is a link in the video description to the eBay listing, although I am out of stock at the moment. Best wishes.
Hi Mark. How would I be able to buy this kit?
Regards
Pete.
Hi Pete. For UK orders there is a link in the video description to the eBay listing. For overseas orders, please email me at hornswhistlesworkshop@gmail.com, thanks.
Are there no more of these left?
Hi Mike. There is more in stock now. For UK orders please use the eBay link in the video description and for overseas orders, please email me at hornswhistlesworkshop@gmail.com. thanks.
grreat i tried odering on ebay out of stock do you expect further stock soon
Hi Robin. I am hoping to have more stock later this week 👍
@@HornsWhistlesWorkshop rea amm watchn on ebay and wil order when stock
Would like to purchase some of these but there is no link for ebay,how do I find them please
Hi. The eBay link is in the video description but I’m afraid I’m out of stock. More on the way and should be available in a few weeks.
Any news on new stock?
Hi, more stock is now available. For UK orders please use the eBay link in the video description and for overseas orders, please email me at hornswhistlesworkshop@gmail.com. thanks.
Are you going to sell to overseas customers? I Have 4 vintage stock that I would like to set up with this modification
Hi Bruce, yes I will be doing overseas orders once I have more stock. There is an email address on the business card shown at the end of the video. If you email me, I can arrange with you once I have more stock. Best wishes
@@HornsWhistlesWorkshop when do you expect more stock please
@@brucewoods9377 now in stock, I have replied to your email, cheers.
When will these be in stock to buy
Next week (hopefully Tuesday). There will only be a very limited amount available to start with but more motors are on order so will be continually restocking.
Were do you get the upgrade kit from
There is an eBay link in the video description. Out of stock at the moment but should have some more available in a couple of days.
Nice upgrade and a good outcome.
You obviously don't appreciate the simplicity or longevity of the vintage X.04 or X.03 motors or are a collector of vintage Tri-ang locos. These old girls don't really wear out unlike the plastic upgrades.
Those of use who are collectors love the 1950's and 60's locos and know how good they are. DCC is not a necessity for these old girls and they run best with the vintage controllers of the same age.
Take the base plate off to solder the brown wire on without fear of damaging anything else.
The intent is good but bagging the old motor that probably just needed a full strip down and clean wins you no friends in the collector world.
Some valid thoughts there, however an alternative view could be some collectors or owners who have models of sentimental value would relish the chance to put a more modern motor in their older model. Absolutely accept that it isn't for everyone though.