Economy Steel Chassis

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Clive Aintreew
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Economy Steel Chassis

Post by Clive Aintreew » Mon Apr 04, 2022 9:14 pm

Thought that you all might be interested in a batch of one-piece chassis that I had made. They were made in 1mm steel basically for scratch building anything on four wheels, mainly wagons/vans but conceivably (and with a bit of ingenuity) small locos. They were made locally by Liverpool Laser & Tube Limited (https://liverpoollaserandtube.co.uk) at a cost of £100 for ten plus VAT, by far the cheapest quote that I got.

I had them made for Gauge 3 (63.5mm) but the firm told me that, using the same 3D model as a basis, they could also make chassis for the very popular G Scale (45mm) and possibly other gauges also. What with the state of things financially I imagine that lots of us will be thinking about scratch building and this sort of strong, cheap chassis would make an excellent starting point.

I don't run G Scale myself but would be happy to get a small batch made if anyone was interested. The chassis are folded using an LVD CNC " Robotic Bending System" making them very strong and to a high level of precision (https://www.lvdgroup.com/en/products/press-brakes).

I estimate that 22swg/0.7mm would be fine for the smaller scale and given that steel prices currently are a significant factor, the smaller chassis would be cheaper than my Gauge 3 batch so maybe around £8 each.

Scaled down to 45mm gauge, the approximate overall dimensions would be length 140mm, width 52mm and wheelbase 70mm.

If you would like to put your name down for a sample chassis, please email me direct (not pm) - roligdag@gmail.com.

Wheels in photos not included.

Thanks and stay safe,

Clive
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Re: Economy Steel Chassis

Post by ge_rik » Tue Apr 05, 2022 9:01 am

They do look good, especially at that price. With the demise of HLW as a source of cheap wagon chassis for 45mm gauge, these might well prove attractive.

Shall I repost your message on the G Scale Central forum?

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Clive Aintreew
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Re: Economy Steel Chassis

Post by Clive Aintreew » Tue Apr 05, 2022 10:29 am

Hi Rik,

Many thanks for that and yes, please repost on G Scale Central.

As soon as I have enough for Liverpool Laser's usual minimum order of around £100, I'll buy a batch to send out samples.

I'm not a dealer or G Scaler myself so if people liked them, it would be handy if clubs could then buy batches direct from LL from then on.

At those sort of prices, you can't really lose.

Thanks,

Clive

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Re: Economy Steel Chassis

Post by Clive Aintreew » Tue Apr 05, 2022 11:16 am

P.S.

WHEELBASE, LENGTH ETC

Just to point out that both of the above plus any other dimensions can easily be varied as per the customer's requirements.

So you could have a SWB version for bogies, LWB for modern freight cars or old four wheel coaches etc.

Also, the "buffer beams" at each end could be different depth and pre-drilled for buffers or couplings at no extra cost, same for axle holes etc.

Very versatile in fact.

Clive

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Re: Economy Steel Chassis

Post by MRail » Tue Apr 05, 2022 1:16 pm

Do we assume the axleguards are flexed outward to "pop" the wheelsets into place?
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Re: Economy Steel Chassis

Post by Phil.P » Tue Apr 05, 2022 3:23 pm

I also wondered about that..

Also, many 45mm gauge tracks, run some-sort of track power..
As these stand, you would need to use insulated wheel-sets.

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Re: Economy Steel Chassis

Post by Clive Aintreew » Tue Apr 05, 2022 9:40 pm

Flexing the axle guards and popping in could be an option for solid wheel sets though from what I know about G Gauge, separate axles ( usually 3.2mm) and slide on plastic wheels are sometimes used.

As to wheel insulation, I will leave that to G Scale experts. I use radio control and battery power on my garden layout so not an issue any more.

For further info including how to buy chassis, probably best to watch this G Scale Central thread:-

https://www.gscalecentral.net/threads/c ... is.318205/

Thank you

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Re: Economy Steel Chassis

Post by Clive Aintreew » Thu Apr 07, 2022 2:57 pm

FINAL SPEC AND ORDERING/PAYMENT ARRANGEMENTS

Wheelbase 80mm, total chassis length 150mm. Buffer beams 12mm deep and inner measurement between frames 60mm.
0.7mm steel with phosphate coating. 3mm axle holes.

Price £9 each with free postage for two or more ( postage for one £2-50.) Payment by PayPal only with full buyer protection.

To order, please email me direct at roligdag@gmail.com saying how many you require ( please do not pm.) As soon as I have ten chassis ordered, I will place the order with Liverpool Laser which should mean chassis ready in 7-10 days.

I will then send out PayPal invoices and post out by Hermes when payment received. The chassis will be packed in a box.

Clive

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Re: Economy Steel Chassis

Post by Phil.P » Fri May 27, 2022 2:16 pm

Did this ever happen, and has anyone used / built-on these chassis?

Exceedingly curious,
Phil.P

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