Garden Railway Forum

Well ive been beavering away at this for the last week or so, It is a kit to covert a TE to a loco. Crackingjob has a similar one but there are many differences in design that I can see. Mine seems alot more basic.

I fitted the chain this morning and after some tweaking the loco ran on blocks but was reluctant to run on the track I had put to test it on. The wheels just slipped.

I have since de-greased them but feel that it needs to be wieghted. Adding more traction on the chains will result in the small cylinder being un-able to turn.

heres a picture of it before the (rough) paint job..


And today..


Does this make me the second owner on the forum?

Will

Well, that's interesting. Good work there mate.

we need a double header now!

Yours has different rear end on to Crackingjob's. Look's a bit rear heavy though, how about adding some sort of weight on the front, i.e. a water barrel or whatever... Looking super anyway! I really must get to work on my "Trethivick"!

One step ahead young pete

I found an old OO fish van wich will be painted and put on the front to hold some lead fishing wieghts

(dad does alot of sea fishing so they are in plentifull supply!)

Ill keep you updated!

Will

I wonder which one will be better, crackingjobs or made-in-englands.....
Theress only one way to find out.......

FIGHT...though John kellands will be running soon...we missed a chance at Exeter...so for both EXETER 2010!!!! or STONLEIGH...upto you...

As for mine it runs!!!!!!!!!!!

First the wheels on mine and young Wills are large (John went for Roundhouse)...you have to ensure they are turnned to 16mm specs (get an old 16mm starter book they are in there or reserach via web....i'm on a borrowed PC so cant't email them.

Weight...its overall heany enough...you will need weight to the front...in the original kit there was an exstension to the boiler into which you place lead weights.....i was uncertain i would damage the boiler or not when if i drilled out the rivets..so built a platform based on small heavy solid brackets which did the job.

The back end on Wills is as designed, but i found it difficult to insert the meths burner and it did not look like the Porter/Avlings i had seen, so i resdesigned it to take the normal scuttle.

I also changed the cyclinder to an improved one from chasteam, which now has run it and is excellant.

You need to ensure chassis is stright ...mine was corrected with a wedge of rail...this ensures the chains are not strained

Chains...don't make too tight, they soon loosen

here ends the lesson.....any other tips out there???? or are there any other DIY geared/chain drives being built??

Crackingjob

ps dont use gas burner on an old mamod boiler...its soft solded and will fail...you need a silver solded boiler if using gas
meths is good enough.....plus smells better!!!!!

Is there a design for these?

Crackingjob wrote:are there any other DIY geared/chain drives being built??

Yes... but very slowly!!

Stonleigh sounds good

Actually, i may cut the back end down to take a normall scuttle hmmm

This things bloody greating on me

Just spent over an hour with it on the compressor and the thing will run fine backwards but NOT forwards, tbh this dosnt really worry me too much as the couplings are at the front..

The thing that annoys me is that I can run it backwards in the time it took me to make a coffee, then stop it to rest the air supply and then when I start again the chain keeps falling off!

Im pretty much there now and dont think im gonna be fiddling with it alot more untill after the 12th when ive run it at the track open day!

Will!

Modifications to date include..

Re-fitting the rear scuttle for ease of getting the burner in and out without getting burning meths on your hand..


Moving the drive wheel under the boiler and filling the smokebox with lead.


Extra Power Piston


And a rubber drive instead of chain

How has this altered performance??
Nice to know you still have faith in it!

Well it runs very very very very well! Ian will vouch for that as it overtook his garrett hehe


Wobbles ALOT since it fell and had to have everything bashed about..

next job getting it to go through points!

Any video?

Sadly I forgot my camera.. as I would have also of liked to filmed a bit of stuff last night

They really do look unbeleivably rear end heavy though. Are you planning to add anything to the front like 'Myles'?

Balance is important and MYLES has heavy shelf brackets to aid the balance

Also the wheels are made for tin plate track and will need turning down, and being of soft metal cared for.

We do however need a class name .... any ideas

Crackingjob



picture of MYLES on tour at Andover

The "Wheelie" class.