I have one of the Hornby 0-4-0 locos that has sprung it's spring..and before I get in over my head in an attempt to reattach and terminate it to the frame..any sage advice out there in internet land?
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Does it attach to the frame with a loop in the spring that wraps around a frame member? Did the spring break or simply get detached from the frame? Broken springs need to have the temper removed from them to reterminate; I use an ordinary propane torch to heat the end to cherry red. If the spring wraps around the frame (forming a loop with the end of the spring) then I would bend the spring while it is cherry red. Let it cool naturally - do not quench it in water or oil, don't even blow air on it. Pull the end of the spring far enough out of the motor using a pair of pliers so that you can safely work on the end of it. After you make the loop, just wind it in using the key and hook it on the frame. If the spring uses a hole in the end instead of a loop, you should be able to drill the hole after removing the temper from the end of the spring.
Sometimes you will get a spring that will just keep fracturing no matter how careful you are with the retermination process. In that case, the spring has work hardened and is brittle, it will have to be replaced.
Good luck, and let us know how it works out!
Originally Posted by WindupGuy:
Does it attach to the frame with a loop in the spring that wraps around a frame member? Did the spring break or simply get detached from the frame? Broken springs need to have the temper removed from them to reterminate; I use an ordinary propane torch to heat the end to cherry red. If the spring wraps around the frame (forming a loop with the end of the spring) then I would bend the spring while it is cherry red. Let it cool naturally - do not quench it in water or oil, don't even blow air on it. Pull the end of the spring far enough out of the motor using a pair of pliers so that you can safely work on the end of it. After you make the loop, just wind it in using the key and hook it on the frame. If the spring uses a hole in the end instead of a loop, you should be able to drill the hole after removing the temper from the end of the spring.
Sometimes you will get a spring that will just keep fracturing no matter how careful you are with the retermination process. In that case, the spring has work hardened and is brittle, it will have to be replaced.
Good luck, and let us know how it works out!
Thanks a great deal! I will take it apart with some idea of how to approach it thanks to your generous advice...sounds like some small clamps might be needed...and...caution.
The Hornby's in general are built like tanks...compared to Marx etc. Once the spring is fixed it should keep going long after I'm not. 
Originally Posted by tcox009:
Try this article
Thanks for the reading material..I will follow up and add it to my preparations..the more information, the better. The British headlamp code was very cool...much more information per light placement than in the U.s..or so it seems.
Bruce
