This little Mainline J72 is the second of the six locos I've been given to repair. Suffering from split axles, extreme dirt and a weird connection issue.
I bought one of those as a non-runner. I spent ages trying to fix it, only to find that the armature was broken. I tried getting hold of a replacement motor, only to find they are not readily available. I then sourced a small motor from China intended to power drones. Although not the right shape, I did manage to rig-up something that worked for a while - albeit noisily! I then left it for a while and managed to buy a somewhat 'wrecked' J72 from Ebay that had a working can motor. After a clean and service - voilà - my J72 is now working. Keep up the great videos.
Using graphite as a lubricant on the axles allows the current to flow. Being stone deaf would appear to be an advantage when running an early Mainline loco. :)
Wouldn't have made any difference in this case as even with no lubricant at all it still wouldn't pull away. Graphite is not something I like the idea of on a locomotive to be honest.
I've rubbed pencil graphite on the chassis on a couple of old Bachmann/Mainline locos and it seems to work well. I don't know if it lubricates as well as oil, so I don't give the models too much use. Using oil, apart from not conducting electricity very well, probably causes issues with the plastic axles too.
@@oobill The split chassis designs have great natural pickup, because the wheels touch the chassis block. The grease you used is a electrical insulator and would definitely block current. Graphite grease would be correct electrically and can be bought in a tube from Marklin (LGB range) but can be a bit messy. Great video though.
I have two BR black ones. They are nice little models even if they are horribly noisy. Like you I had fully ballasted track on my layout which really amplified the sound of all my locos and made the Mainline ones even more unbearable. My childhood layouts were on Peco foam underlay and noise on that was a lot less of an issue. The first J72 I had was as a sprog back in the 80's. It hasn't had this problem - yet. The second I bought on Ebay about 5 years ago and discovered the problem when it arrived. The seller was brilliant. He gave me a full refund when I sent him the photos of the damage, and told me to keep the model for spares as a gesture of goodwill. I decided to try and repair the engine. I cut an empty biro (Bic) refill to pieces of the right length to make axles and replaced the two outer axles with that. Fortunately the gear drive axle doesn't seem to have this problem! The metal wheel spigots were a tight push fit into the tubes. Works an absolute treat! So essentially I got a free J72. It would probably also be a way of cheaply converting it to EM 18mm or P4 18.83mm gauge for people who work in those gauges. Above all it was a solution for a stingy git like me who didn't want to pay for spares!
Always fascinating . You go a lot further than I ever would with these models . Never seen anyone actually split the split chassis of these Mainline locos . Good stuff . Cant wait to see what’s next
Hi there Bill,, i got 1 of these a few months ago and it sold to me as a wonky wheel and it is a luvly runner (but without the wheel set in the chassis) but my mainline one has a broken axle where the wheel meets the axle so im thinking about just drilling out the centre of the and the wheel and tapping a scew into it and using some loctite on the screw and the broken bit. Anyway another job for ron ie later-on haha. Cheers from John in Australia
Just in time thank you Bill. I've had a run-in with a Mainline Jinty so it's the guitar string trick for me too! Worst thing about it was getting the semi circular magnets back in the right order. I never thought about it when I took them out! I thought yours had sound fitted at one point. Blimey what a racket for such a tiny motor in a solid frame!
Hi Bill, I’ve finally set up a new channel just for railways separate to my main (caravan) channel. Another great video, and again very timely as I this morning ordered a second Mainline J72 off eBay. Because when the split axle locos work, they work well. I’m hoping I’ll never need this video again, but something tells me I’ll be coming back to it in the future. Cheers from Uist.
mainline j72 terrible engines had one many years ago it ended up packing up of the same trouble with the axles splitting still got it 12 years after it happened let me know if u ever want it for bits your welcome to it lol great video by way :)
I thought that too but I do say in this video that I removed all the lubricant and the problem persisted. I am going to try graphite though on my own J72. Which runs fine with silicon grease by the way.
Another great video & great fix. You're patience & expertise far exceed anything I could hope for. Patience is not one of my greatest qualities, and poor eyesight & arthritic fingers make fiddly things a bit of a challenge
Hi again, Peters Spares do sell new axels for nearly all mainline engines. I think they all eventually go that way. It is a continuing problem with most of Mainlines split chassis loco's. I am not too sure but I think that Bachmann did rerelease the j72 when they bought out Mainline. I know on some of the engines. The 4mt as an example they changed the axels so that they were no longer just a pin and friction fit but a square peg in a square hole. I see that the spare set of wheels you have had been modified in a similar way. I wonder with the connectivity issue with the engine if the contacts in the chassis are wearing out. I repaired my 2 using an industrial super glue called Hafix a couple of years ago and they are still ok.
Hi Bill - well done in getting the loco running - I've got an identical one and it suffered the same axle problems, In the end I managed to make a new drive gear and new plastic axles on my lathe - it does run now but its certainly not perfect. It is such a pity that the chassis and wheels are so poor when the loco body is so finely moulded! I also have a Mainline BR Class 4 and that suffered the same axle problems. Eventually I managed to sort it and it does run reasonably well. Since I tried, and spectaculary failed, to convert it to DCC I'm giving it to a friend who runs on DC - a pity, since again the loco body moulding is of a far higher standard than the mechanical parts - very frustrating!!!
Can’t wait to see what follows next, will they progressively get more challenging. Time will tell. Thanks again for a good video, never seen spilt problem
Picked one up on eBay with split axles and poor motor. The magnets were weak but old glue fragile so got magnets out, remaged and now runs much better.
hi there, great video.just goes to show some owners haven:t a clue about looking after locos, inspite of instruction leaflets given with every loco.the circus would be very interested in giving these clowns a job. keep up the good work, a job for life.
To be fair the owner hasn't owned all these locos from new. And not everyone has the skill or knowledge to do some of the maintenance or repairs required. It's up to the manufacturer to make models as easy to maintain as possible but sadly none of them seem to really care about that. Mainline clearly didn't. Please don't blame owners blame the manufacturers for producing rubbish products that either require too much maintenance or can't be maintained easily by the majority of their customers.
Morning, I'm Eddy and new to your channel, its nice and refreshing to see a small layout with so much interest I've been looking back to some earlier videos, doing a bit of catch up. My layout is only 6'x4' but I've got a lot going on. Most of my locomotives are from when my lad had a layout and I've got his sons who are showing interest aged 7 and 5, I was intrigued to hear hear you say that you used T cut to clean some of the parts, one question is it ordinary auto t cut you use or do you have something special? Enjoying following your repairs thanks for sharing. See you on the next one. Eddy xx
Noisy little sucker, but that’s Bachman Mainline for you. They come up with som beautifully detailed bodies, but their mechanisms let them down horrifically
Very helpful, thank you. I love your relaxed style of presentation; it makes your videos easy to follow. In this one at minute 3 and second 47 (3m 47s) you manage to clip the body off quite easily. Do you have to push the two lugs or just clip the body off with a screwdriver. Please can you briefly explain how to do this. Many thanks.
I get the criticism of the axle but if I’m to give Mainline fair credit, the newest loco that made is almost 40. Something I do like about them is not having pickups to go wrong and I have even managed to DCC a Mainline Manor, 56xx and a Bachmann (ex-Mainline) 43XX. I have an early current Hornby Terrier whose pickups are bloomin’ useless! In your experience, what solution have you found best? I’ve not got a dog in the fight or axe to grind for any solution. Great video, thanks for sharing
Totally agree. The split chassis idea is actually much, much better than having pickups. Unfortunately, Mainline poorly engineered it. In principle chassis pickup is more efficient with fewer points of failure. I wish there was some sort of axle conversion solution for these old Mainline locos that would make them as good as they should have been. I've had sleepless nights thinking about it....
Thanks for these video's. You prompted me to buy a Hornby 00 Gauge GWR 0-6-0 Pannier Tank. Unfortunately the clips which hold the body to the chassis are broken. Any idea where I can get a replacement base moulding?
Hi Bill. Many thanks for the clip. I have the Bachmann J72 acquired as part of a job lot. No split axles, but lots of detritus! I'd like to add in the extra connectivity - what gauge/diameter do you use?
This Channel Goes from Strength to Strength- I’ve encountered these probs, so was “Gripped”to see how DrBill would Deal with them & Needless to say, the T cut doesn’t live in the Garage anymore 🤣🤣
I've just picked up one of these but the motor is running intermittently. I think one of the plastic spacers is missing from the armature. Does it have one or two plastic spaces in the motor? And if so, where do they go precisely?
Excellent little fix, well done. As a novice, it seems like Mainline aren't the best when it comes to locos What is your recomendation for locos when it comes to finish & detail etc? Regards Chris (I subscribed btw)
My recommendation is not to get too fixated on finish and detail and to buy what you can afford and have fun. But learn to dismantle and service old locos. :)
I'm not a professional so wouldn't dream of charging for doing what I find fun. To repair properly would require replacement axles which are around £8. Plus there is postage of the loco both ways.
Can’t help but notice that you put the replacement wheels in upside down! The lubricators (that little square detail on each crank pin on the con rods) should point up, but they point down at the end of the video. Might be the cause of your connection problem?
@@gs425 The wheel set on this model has an off set gear and will only fit (as assembled) one way. Either Mainline assembled it wrong or a previous owner did but I'm not going to split apart an otherwise serviceable wheel set especially a Mainline one!!! The aim is to get the loco running not aesthetically correct!
I bought one of those as a non-runner. I spent ages trying to fix it, only to find that the armature was broken. I tried getting hold of a replacement motor, only to find they are not readily available. I then sourced a small motor from China intended to power drones. Although not the right shape, I did manage to rig-up something that worked for a while - albeit noisily! I then left it for a while and managed to buy a somewhat 'wrecked' J72 from Ebay that had a working can motor. After a clean and service - voilà - my J72 is now working. Keep up the great videos.
Using graphite as a lubricant on the axles allows the current to flow. Being stone deaf would appear to be an advantage when running an early Mainline loco. :)
Wouldn't have made any difference in this case as even with no lubricant at all it still wouldn't pull away. Graphite is not something I like the idea of on a locomotive to be honest.
I've rubbed pencil graphite on the chassis on a couple of old Bachmann/Mainline locos and it seems to work well. I don't know if it lubricates as well as oil, so I don't give the models too much use. Using oil, apart from not conducting electricity very well, probably causes issues with the plastic axles too.
@@oobill The split chassis designs have great natural pickup, because the wheels touch the chassis block. The grease you used is a electrical insulator and would definitely block current. Graphite grease would be correct electrically and can be bought in a tube from Marklin (LGB range) but can be a bit messy. Great video though.
They are beautiful engines considering their age, glad you got it running again.
I have two BR black ones. They are nice little models even if they are horribly noisy. Like you I had fully ballasted track on my layout which really amplified the sound of all my locos and made the Mainline ones even more unbearable. My childhood layouts were on Peco foam underlay and noise on that was a lot less of an issue.
The first J72 I had was as a sprog back in the 80's. It hasn't had this problem - yet.
The second I bought on Ebay about 5 years ago and discovered the problem when it arrived. The seller was brilliant. He gave me a full refund when I sent him the photos of the damage, and told me to keep the model for spares as a gesture of goodwill. I decided to try and repair the engine. I cut an empty biro (Bic) refill to pieces of the right length to make axles and replaced the two outer axles with that. Fortunately the gear drive axle doesn't seem to have this problem! The metal wheel spigots were a tight push fit into the tubes. Works an absolute treat! So essentially I got a free J72.
It would probably also be a way of cheaply converting it to EM 18mm or P4 18.83mm gauge for people who work in those gauges.
Above all it was a solution for a stingy git like me who didn't want to pay for spares!
Thanks for another enjoyable video and the tip on using t-cut to clean the commutator. Worked well on my 3 rail Hornby Dublo Bristol Castle loco.
Always fascinating . You go a lot further than I ever would with these models . Never seen anyone actually split the split chassis of these Mainline locos . Good stuff . Cant wait to see what’s next
Hi there Bill,, i got 1 of these a few months ago and it sold to me as a wonky wheel and it is a luvly runner (but without the wheel set in the chassis) but my mainline one has a broken axle where the wheel meets the axle so im thinking about just drilling out the centre of the and the wheel and tapping a scew into it and using some loctite on the screw and the broken bit. Anyway another job for ron ie later-on haha.
Cheers from John in Australia
It's a pretty loco. Brought back memories of my dad's loco in the 70s. That's in a display cabinet now, sitting on its split axles.
Just in time thank you Bill. I've had a run-in with a Mainline Jinty so it's the guitar string trick for me too! Worst thing about it was getting the semi circular magnets back in the right order. I never thought about it when I took them out! I thought yours had sound fitted at one point. Blimey what a racket for such a tiny motor in a solid frame!
Hello Bill, I had the same problem with my J72. Your guitar string idea works a treat. The loco runs smoothly now. Thanks, Mookie.
Hi Bill, I’ve finally set up a new channel just for railways separate to my main (caravan) channel. Another great video, and again very timely as I this morning ordered a second Mainline J72 off eBay. Because when the split axle locos work, they work well. I’m hoping I’ll never need this video again, but something tells me I’ll be coming back to it in the future. Cheers from Uist.
I fixed my Manor class 🚂 loco with an axle set from Peters spares. Glad you got the j72 running 🏃.
mainline j72 terrible engines had one many years ago it ended up packing up of the same trouble with the axles splitting still got it 12 years after it happened let me know if u ever want it for bits your welcome to it lol great video by way :)
Great video.
I wish my loco's are this easy to service.
Keep up the good work.
Silicone grease is preventing the current flow. You need to use a conductive lubricant.
I thought that too but I do say in this video that I removed all the lubricant and the problem persisted. I am going to try graphite though on my own J72. Which runs fine with silicon grease by the way.
Another great video & great fix. You're patience & expertise far exceed anything I could hope for. Patience is not one of my greatest qualities, and poor eyesight & arthritic fingers make fiddly things a bit of a challenge
Hi again,
Peters Spares do sell new axels for nearly all mainline engines. I think they all eventually go that way. It is a continuing problem with most of Mainlines split chassis loco's. I am not too sure but I think that Bachmann did rerelease the j72 when they bought out Mainline. I know on some of the engines. The 4mt as an example they changed the axels so that they were no longer just a pin and friction fit but a square peg in a square hole. I see that the spare set of wheels you have had been modified in a similar way. I wonder with the connectivity issue with the engine if the contacts in the chassis are wearing out. I repaired my 2 using an industrial super glue called Hafix a couple of years ago and they are still ok.
Yeah I know. But I had spares anyway. 👍
@@oobill I've heard that some people superglue the plastic parts that have split!
Hi Bill - well done in getting the loco running - I've got an identical one and it suffered the same axle problems, In the end I managed to make a new drive gear and new plastic axles on my lathe - it does run now but its certainly not perfect. It is such a pity that the chassis and wheels are so poor when the loco body is so finely moulded! I also have a Mainline BR Class 4 and that suffered the same axle problems. Eventually I managed to sort it and it does run reasonably well. Since I tried, and spectaculary failed, to convert it to DCC I'm giving it to a friend who runs on DC - a pity, since again the loco body moulding is of a far higher standard than the mechanical parts - very frustrating!!!
Can’t wait to see what follows next, will they progressively get more challenging. Time will tell. Thanks again for a good video, never seen spilt problem
I was given one of these that had Mazak rot in the chassis halves, managed to find a spare on EBay also replaced the axle plastic parts.
Good golly that is loud. Wonderful watch about the repairs though.
Actually, believe it or not, for a Mainline J72 it's quite quiet! :)
I suspect that the connecting rods are upside down with the grease pots facing down.
Picked one up on eBay with split axles and poor motor. The magnets were weak but old glue fragile so got magnets out, remaged and now runs much better.
I'm surprised you didn't do a joint running at the end with your J72!
Good call ! 🚂 🚂
By gum, you know your stuff. Well done.
A Nineteen Century design still being built by BR after 1948.
hi there, great video.just goes to show some owners haven:t a clue about looking after locos, inspite of instruction leaflets given with every loco.the circus would be very interested in giving these clowns a job. keep up the good work, a job for life.
To be fair the owner hasn't owned all these locos from new. And not everyone has the skill or knowledge to do some of the maintenance or repairs required. It's up to the manufacturer to make models as easy to maintain as possible but sadly none of them seem to really care about that. Mainline clearly didn't. Please don't blame owners blame the manufacturers for producing rubbish products that either require too much maintenance or can't be maintained easily by the majority of their customers.
@@oobill hi there, that sounds about right,thanks
Great video as your others
thanls bill. ive fixed my loco.
Morning, I'm Eddy and new to your channel, its nice and refreshing to see a small layout with so much interest I've been looking back to some earlier videos, doing a bit of catch up. My layout is only 6'x4' but I've got a lot going on. Most of my locomotives are from when my lad had a layout and I've got his sons who are showing interest aged 7 and 5, I was intrigued to hear hear you say that you used T cut to clean some of the parts, one question is it ordinary auto t cut you use or do you have something special? Enjoying following your repairs thanks for sharing. See you on the next one. Eddy xx
Ordinary original T-Cut. I only use it on commutators and then wipe over with Contact Cleaner.
Thanks bill I'm loving the channel x
Great vid, I really enjoyed it, that loco was bogging! Keep up the good work 😁
You can buy replacement axles from peters spares
Noisy little sucker, but that’s Bachman Mainline for you. They come up with som beautifully detailed bodies, but their mechanisms let them down horrifically
Very helpful, thank you. I love your relaxed style of presentation; it makes your videos easy to follow. In this one at minute 3 and second 47 (3m 47s) you manage to clip the body off quite easily. Do you have to push the two lugs or just clip the body off with a screwdriver.
Please can you briefly explain how to do this. Many thanks.
I have a j72 runs lovely. But when the axle problem appeared I bent the siderod , and for some reason, it ran?
I get the criticism of the axle but if I’m to give Mainline fair credit, the newest loco that made is almost 40. Something I do like about them is not having pickups to go wrong and I have even managed to DCC a Mainline Manor, 56xx and a Bachmann (ex-Mainline) 43XX. I have an early current Hornby Terrier whose pickups are bloomin’ useless!
In your experience, what solution have you found best? I’ve not got a dog in the fight or axe to grind for any solution.
Great video, thanks for sharing
Totally agree. The split chassis idea is actually much, much better than having pickups. Unfortunately, Mainline poorly engineered it. In principle chassis pickup is more efficient with fewer points of failure. I wish there was some sort of axle conversion solution for these old Mainline locos that would make them as good as they should have been. I've had sleepless nights thinking about it....
Hi Bill. Your J72 is a later type I believe. I wonder what other horrors await you in the set of locos that guy sent you!
Hi Bill thanks for all these videos. Love your work. Please could you let me know what grease you are using. Many thanks Paul
Thanks for these video's. You prompted me to buy a Hornby 00 Gauge GWR 0-6-0 Pannier Tank. Unfortunately the clips which hold the body to the chassis are broken. Any idea where I can get a replacement base moulding?
Hi Bill. Many thanks for the clip. I have the Bachmann J72 acquired as part of a job lot. No split axles, but lots of detritus! I'd like to add in the extra connectivity - what gauge/diameter do you use?
This Channel Goes from Strength to Strength- I’ve encountered these probs, so was “Gripped”to see how DrBill would Deal with them & Needless to say, the T cut doesn’t live in the Garage anymore 🤣🤣
You could drill thru plastic and axle and fit a metal pin
I've just picked up one of these but the motor is running intermittently. I think one of the plastic spacers is missing from the armature. Does it have one or two plastic spaces in the motor? And if so, where do they go precisely?
Where can I get replacement brushes and springs for the mainline J72 ?
petersspares.com
Excellent little fix, well done.
As a novice, it seems like Mainline aren't the best when it comes to locos
What is your recomendation for locos when it comes to finish & detail etc?
Regards
Chris
(I subscribed btw)
My recommendation is not to get too fixated on finish and detail and to buy what you can afford and have fun. But learn to dismantle and service old locos. :)
@@oobill Thanks, I love to tinker in my old age!
Hi bill I was just wondering if you sell any of your locomotives on eBay if so what are you selling at the moment: good video by the way 👍
Not at the moment but I think there's a good chance I will do at some point.
how much do you charge for doing the split axle repair please bill?
I'm not a professional so wouldn't dream of charging for doing what I find fun. To repair properly would require replacement axles which are around £8. Plus there is postage of the loco both ways.
excellent job great vid subscribed
Can’t help but notice that you put the replacement wheels in upside down! The lubricators (that little square detail on each crank pin on the con rods) should point up, but they point down at the end of the video. Might be the cause of your connection problem?
They only go in one way round because of the gear on the rear axle. If the wheels are upside down that's Mainlines fault.
@@gs425 The wheel set on this model has an off set gear and will only fit (as assembled) one way. Either Mainline assembled it wrong or a previous owner did but I'm not going to split apart an otherwise serviceable wheel set especially a Mainline one!!! The aim is to get the loco running not aesthetically correct!
@@oobill anyway. Keep up the good videos Bill. We all like to see these older locos running. Point made I'll delete my earlier post. Regards Gary
Have you been drinking again ? ..... You've got some serious trembling going on there !!
It's even worse than Hornby.
Still sounds awful, once the wheel quartering goes, BIN IT.