A Clockwork Orange (well 3V electric actually)

[invicta280]

Loosely based on an Australian prototype, this is the railbus i've been working on for the last couple of months. Never built anything like this before so it's a bit crude.
The original is 3'6" guage so it would probably have been better suited to 45mm but I want to build a 32mm line so 2' guage it is.



Still a bit to do, mainly trim and filler around the roof, seating inside, and new radiator grille more in keeping with the AEC original. The one tacked on the front here is a first attempt!





I'm anticipating possible stability problems and may need to retro fit some kind of compensation/springing to stop it lurching from side to side or listing to one side or t'other. However I only have an oval of Mamod track to test it on and haven't had chance to set this up since my first test of the running chassis.

There is a sliding door to be fitted on the rear panel to access a trailer car but not sure if I will build one. The rear light flashes red.



Im trying to bury as much of the messy wiring under the floor as I can. Seats are still to be fitted. A couple are shown in position. It should seat 10/12 plus driver who will have a bucket seat.

[kandnwlr]

Go for it. As for crude, I think it´s got a lot of character. Wondering about the roof at the front, tho. What was the Aussie inspiration?

[invicta280]

Hi, yes the roof is difficult to shape at the front so it is layered with plasticard/balsa but the edges will be smoothed off with Milliput.
I see someone else on this forum has built a railcar with a similar roof but he has used a much better system for the roof consisting of layers of balsa or similar sanded down to the correct profile which is a much better idea.

The prototype on which this is based can be viewed here.
http://youtu.be/NoKuRp6D0qs

I have adapted the design as best I could to 2ft guage to reduce the height but still tried to incorporate the main features which gave the original such character.

[kandnwlr]

Hi, yes the roof is difficult to shape at the front so it is layered with plasticard/balsa but the edges will be smoothed off with Milliput.
I see someone else on this forum has built a railcar with a similar roof but he has used a much better system for the roof consisting of layers of balsa or similar sanded down to the correct profile which is a much better idea.

The prototype  on which this is based can be viewed here.
http://youtu.be/NoKuRp6D0qs

I have adapted the design as best I could to 2ft guage to reduce the height but still tried to incorporate the main features which gave the original such character.

Fab prototype. I think that you´ve captured the character of the original. And shaping complex curved structures is an art in itself. I´m looking at 3D printing at the moment.

[GTB]

The original is 3'6" guage so it would probably have been better suited to 45mm but I want to build a 32mm line so 2' guage it is.

Looks good.

The QR considered converting a 45hp AEC to 2' gauge for use on the Innisfail Tramway in the '30s, but the local bus company beat them to it.

They would likely have used one of the older smaller railmotors, but there were a small number of forward control 45hp railmotors that look like yours, so it is plausible.

I wouldn't worry too much about it rocking and lurching as it runs, as long as it stays on the track. The 3'6" ones weren't renowned for having a smooth ride..............

Someone asked about the overhanging roof. Presumably it was fitted as a sun shade, most of Queensland is in the tropics.

Regards,
Graeme

[MDLR]

The prototype  on which this is based can be viewed here. http://youtu.be/NoKuRp6D0qs

................ and a delightful one it is, too! It was nice to hear the AEC engine and gearbox in use - full marks to the driver as AEC crash gearboxes were b'stards!

[gamma]

Very interesting prototype, full of character, great choice to have a start in scratchbuilding and you really did a good job, for being your first attempt you should be proud of it. Bravo!

[invicta280]

Thanks all for the very kind comments. It's good for a novice to get encouragement from high calibre modellers such as yourselves.

I think Graeme is right about the overhanging roof acting as a sunshade and i reckon the Queensland climate probably accounts for the two piece sliding windows which were a sod to replicate. Mine don't slide btw! In hot weather it must be a relief to have the window open for a breeze.
The sides were made up as a composite or laminate of Outer side/ outer window/window inner frame(made of cork sheet)/
inner window/ inner side. Then there were the window overlays - painted chocolate. Sticking it all together was a horror -never again!
As Brian observed it betrays its bus origins with the distinctive motor and gearbox noise. What were they -Leyland or Gardner engines?
I would love to fit a suitable sound chip! The 3V motor does not sound convincing at all!
Roof just about finished since the pics were taken but I still need to fashion a more realistic radiator grille and sort the seating out.

[MDLR]

As Brian observed it betrays its bus origins with the distinctive motor and gearbox noise. What were they -Leyland or Gardner engines?

Neither - that's a AEC engine under the cowling!

[invicta280]

I remember driving trucks with engines like that! If you got stuck at the lights you needed two feet on the clutch to stop your knees shaking.

My mistake. The certification will be for '20 persons seated' of course, not 10/12. The seats are doubles, assuming the passengers are not too supersize. This has made me think that the seating provided, and fitted, on my IP buffet car seems a bit underscale for 16mm, a bit like the folding seats deployed to watch a cricket match. maybe thy are aimed at a G scle audience?

[IrishPeter]

The old Donegal Railcars on the Isle of Man had Gardner engines, and if Graham Warhurst, the work's supervisor, was driving the ever present fag would glow a little brighter as he changed gears.  The knack was to change gears without loosing too much momentum when towing the other car dead. If you got it wrong then the results were painful to listen to, and a testimony to the fact that diesels produce more torque at low speed than petrol engines. They also had a horn like a ruptured bugle.

As for the ride, even allowing for the state of the track in the early 1980s, it would still best be described as the 3' gauge equivalent of the rumba, especially once you were in top gear and they were given their head.  No chance of a crafty nap on 19 & 20!

Peter in AZ

[GTB]

As Brian observed it betrays its bus origins with the distinctive motor and gearbox noise. What were they -Leyland or Gardner engines?

Neither - that's a AEC engine under the cowling!

Ummm......

RM76 was built with a 100hp AEC petrol motor, but was converted to a 102hp Gardner diesel before WW2. The radiator is still the original AEC one and I guess the crash box is still original as well. The small 'D' between RM and 76 is the giveaway.

The only one running in preservation with a AEC petrol motor I think is RM60 at Normanton, but that's one of the smaller 45hp ones.

Anyone interested in QR railmotors should look for a copy of this book. It goes into chapter and verse on all the variations and has numerous photos. The drawings are QR diagrams, not scale drawings, but still useful.

http://www.shop.slq.qld.gov.au/books-al ... queensland

Graeme