I am glad it helped. I sometimes used superglue on the end of the axle as long as the axle isn't oily. It would last a year or two. I much prefer repairing older stuff... Keeping it on the rails. I do agree that they can be puzzling when one just does not see what is going on! Once had a Lima diesel power bogie locking up and then it would run again as if nothing had happened. It was odd. One day I thought "That's it" and stripped the whole lot down, and found right behind the wheels hidden between the plastic underframe and the circular pancake motor was a track pin which the motor magnet had attracted. It was so hidden I had not noticed it was there. It would move and jam one of the wheels up, but when I reversed it and went again, it would shift the pin and it would run fine... Until the next time the pin moved! It had me puzzled for ages as I had the motor itself apart several times but had never checked the underframe side as there didn't seem to be any room to hide anything in there!
Some of the more modern complex stuff today has gears on top of gears! There are a lot more moving parts and a few extra electrical stuff such as a circuit board to make them more easily converted to DCC. Yes, they are a lot easier to convert to DCC, but if one is just using 12v DC, they just have a little more that could go wring such as the DCC socket plug can come lose or act like a dry joint. Hidden mask rot is another potential issue in the last 15 years or so. But the old stuff just soldiers on!
Probably the most impressive older 00 locos I love are those made by Hornby Dublo (2 rail) and Wrenn. (Hornby Dublo did make 3 rail before that but it needs 3 rail track). Wrenn basically took over where Hornby Dublo left off with their 2 rail, and built good solid heavy locos. (Some later designs were a little less solid such as their class 20 or Deltic or Co-Bo etc). The Wrenn class 08 is a superb piece of work when it comes to its mechanical side, and was more than capable of even running outdoors in all weather in long term use, though don't expect to convert one of these Wrenn or Dublo 08's to DCC. If one removes the body and looks, one does not even want to go there! But for DC, it is an incredibly long lasting loco if one does not mind a giant screw in the top of its body!
The Hornby Dublo or Wrenn 2 rail Duchess or 2-6-4T or the A4 are all lovely heavyweight locos, as is the 2-8-0. Very nice things! One may need to change the couplings and ensure one has a 2 rail version, and avoids finescale paintwork... But they are very nice and a bargain these days too!
(The only thing many older ones suffer from with age are weak magnets, but these can be remagnetized, as there are places that do this if needed.nother than motor brushes they tend to just go on and on!)
Budget modelling in 0-16.5...
