Zach Bond "Momentum Van" project
- Dr. Bond of the DVLR
- Retired Director
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- Soar Valley Light
- Driver
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- Joined: Sun Dec 08, 2013 5:18 pm
- Location: North West Leicestershire
Evening all,
My own momentum vehicle, a little coal truck is now complete - here it is with a Binnie slate wagon and a Mamod guards van to enable a size comparison:
And a side view:
I don't currently have a working manually controlled loco that isn't geared, but I tested it out behind my RH Russell, and it works pretty well I think. It seems to give the train a much weightier feel, making acceleration smoother (at least once the geared wheel has caught up with the rest of the train) and helping regulate speed - I had some lovely slow runs up my 1 in 50 gradient. It encourages smoother deceleration too, because if you stop too suddenly it looks plain daft bumping to a halt and then sitting with its wheels spinning - although it's pretty heavy for its size, it can't shift a stationary Russell! More testing is required, but so far, so good. I'm looking forward to running it with visiting manual locos too.
Perhaps best of all I've discovered how much I like building grotty little trucks - three more are now under construction!
Cheers,
Andrew.
PS video to follow sometime - attempts to drive and film at the same time weren't good!
My own momentum vehicle, a little coal truck is now complete - here it is with a Binnie slate wagon and a Mamod guards van to enable a size comparison:
And a side view:
I don't currently have a working manually controlled loco that isn't geared, but I tested it out behind my RH Russell, and it works pretty well I think. It seems to give the train a much weightier feel, making acceleration smoother (at least once the geared wheel has caught up with the rest of the train) and helping regulate speed - I had some lovely slow runs up my 1 in 50 gradient. It encourages smoother deceleration too, because if you stop too suddenly it looks plain daft bumping to a halt and then sitting with its wheels spinning - although it's pretty heavy for its size, it can't shift a stationary Russell! More testing is required, but so far, so good. I'm looking forward to running it with visiting manual locos too.
Perhaps best of all I've discovered how much I like building grotty little trucks - three more are now under construction!
Cheers,
Andrew.
PS video to follow sometime - attempts to drive and film at the same time weren't good!
- Soar Valley Light
- Driver
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- Joined: Sun Dec 08, 2013 5:18 pm
- Location: North West Leicestershire
That's a really lovely little wagon Andrew. Well done.
I'm itching for the day when all the work on the house and garden is complete, my railway is at least under construction and I have space for a little bit of a workshop in the cellar (squeezed in with the HD Meccano electric mice)!
I'm itching for the day when all the work on the house and garden is complete, my railway is at least under construction and I have space for a little bit of a workshop in the cellar (squeezed in with the HD Meccano electric mice)!
"Smith! Why do you only come to work four days a week?
"'cause I can't manage on three gaffer!"
"'cause I can't manage on three gaffer!"
- Peter Butler
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- Trainee Fireman
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Intuitively, since the mechanism only drives on one wheel and since the coupling height is above the axle height (when looking side on) if you wish to get the maximum 'drag' effect from the mechanism the driven axle should be closest to the engine. Thus the front wheels tend to dig in, whist the rear wheels tend to lift. The ideal (from an engineering point of view) is for the coupler to be level from the track with the axle, which would make it work equally well in both directions.Howardws:110938 wrote:Has anyone considered machining grooves into the wheels and fitting O-rings to reduce the inclination to slip and thus reduce the weight required? .
Tim
- Peter Butler
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Well, it's been some time since I bought my 'Zecar' and things have gone very quiet on this thread, but at last I have made mine into a working vehicle.
The wheelbase has been extended with a plasticard frame and metal wheels fitted. The driven axle running in its own original bushes and the trailing axle in brass. The axleguards are cosmetic and have no contact with the axles.
The finished vehicle is a goods van which can be run with any train combination.
Further build details can be found on my 'Time to build a railway'... thread.
The wheelbase has been extended with a plasticard frame and metal wheels fitted. The driven axle running in its own original bushes and the trailing axle in brass. The axleguards are cosmetic and have no contact with the axles.
The finished vehicle is a goods van which can be run with any train combination.
Further build details can be found on my 'Time to build a railway'... thread.
The best things in life are free.... so why am I doing this?
- Peter Butler
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- Joined: Sun Sep 09, 2012 10:33 pm
- Location: West Wales
- Peter Butler
- Driver
- Posts: 5219
- Joined: Sun Sep 09, 2012 10:33 pm
- Location: West Wales
Alan, I have described the long and frustrating search I had for suitable lettering elsewhere on this Forum, but briefly it was specially made for me by a local printing company. It was drawn out to my design and size on their computer screen then produced in a laser cut A4 white vinyl sheet so the letters simply peel off and are self adhesive.
The whole thing only cost me £12.
Originally I had two sizes on one sheet but in practise only used one of them, so I will now order a full sheet of the smaller size.
If one printing company can do this there must be others!
The whole thing only cost me £12.
Originally I had two sizes on one sheet but in practise only used one of them, so I will now order a full sheet of the smaller size.
If one printing company can do this there must be others!
The best things in life are free.... so why am I doing this?
Peter,
I have used this firm for my lettering in the past, I found him through my boat modelling activities.:-
http://modellettering.com/
David
I have used this firm for my lettering in the past, I found him through my boat modelling activities.:-
http://modellettering.com/
David
David Newell
- Peter Butler
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- Location: West Wales
They look just right. I must investigate our local printers to see if they can do something similar.Peter Butler:112136 wrote:Alan, I have described the long and frustrating search I had for suitable lettering elsewhere on this Forum, but briefly it was specially made for me by a local printing company. It was drawn out to my design and size on their computer screen then produced in a laser cut A4 white vinyl sheet so the letters simply peel off and are self adhesive.
The whole thing only cost me £12.
Originally I had two sizes on one sheet but in practise only used one of them, so I will now order a full sheet of the smaller size.
If one printing company can do this there must be others!
- Peter Butler
- Driver
- Posts: 5219
- Joined: Sun Sep 09, 2012 10:33 pm
- Location: West Wales
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