Well, the bogie repair broke at the fixing ring but was soon strengthened with a slither of acetate sheet linking the ring to the body of the bogie.
Next job was to find a motor. X03 or X04? I thought either would do but when I looked deeper I discovered these early motors are a bit of a minefield. First thing to understand is that the X03 post dates the X04! Also, there are 3 pole and 5 pole variants and there are gearing variants.
Identifying which one to use was made simple by finding the Service Sheet for the 1956 R59 3MT at Hornby Railways Collectors Guide. This identified X04 as the right one with a worm thread of 6. That website is an excellent source of historical details for Triang and later ranges.
The best place to buy an X04 motor is Ebay but the prices vary enormously from a few pounds to over twenty. Those at the top end tend to have a rewound armature and NEO magnet upgrade. I monitored for several weeks before bidding and winning one at £7.50 incl. postage. This is an original, used motor that works like new.
Some Sellers don't know what they are selling because I did see X03s listed as X04s. The X04s have felt oil pads, the X03s do not and are not so good build quality (I understand from others).
To Part 1.
