Time to build a railway...but where?

[Peter Butler]

Looks great Peter,

Perhaps if you wish to add even more character to the scene you could put some chains around the sleeper on top of the rail to show that it's a bufferstop of some sort.

Stewart

How's this Stewart? Just for you!

[Stewart Gethin]

I'm privileged! Looks even better than before now

Keep it up Peter.

Stewart

[Peter Butler]

As mentioned above, I have been working on some electric powered locomotive projects and decided to build my own chassis. before we continue I should say I am not an engineer.
I think it all began when I purchased this on ebay...



Previously I had concern about motors, gearboxes and meshing issues. However, after seeing this method I decided to have a go myself. Searching for suitable motors on the 'net I discovered a motor with built-in reduction gearbox (available in 15:1, 30:1 or 100:1 ratios) for only £11.00 and a further search found nylon bevel gears in a variety of axle sizes and reductions.
I made the side frames from aluminium flat fixed together with spacers from Roundhouse. The wheelsets are on shouldered axles to set the gauge and run in brass bearings.
The first job was to devise a way of connecting the two axles to make four wheel drive. My chassis will be hidden from view so a connecting drive using a shaft was adopted. The shaft is held firmly in place by means of a Plasticard box unit (I told you I am not an engineer) with the shaft running in bearings from RC cars set into the plastic sandwich ends.
The gears themselves dont have grub screws as supplied so I drilled the boss and fitted small screws to them. Then I had to cut the boss to shorten it to allow meshing between the restricted wheel gauge.



Even that isn't enough to allow the shaft to run parallel to the chassis
but has no effect on the meshing or smooth running of the drive.
The motor itself is mounted outside the wheelbase and bolted onto another plastic support using the baseplate supplied.



All of the grub screws are tightened against flats filed onto the axles to prevent slipping.
I'm delighted to say it works well and is silent in operation!

[Peter Butler]

Here is a picture of the finished chassis attached to the underside of the locomotive it is intended to drive.,,



I can't recall ever seeing this method before, certainly not on this Forum but it must have been used before and I haven't invented anything new. However, I thought it might be interesting to others who perhaps suffer from the same frustration as me trying to get an inexpensive chassis to work well enough.
The loco itself will be the subject of another chapter in the life of my railway.

[Gralyn]

I have also bought a MFA Motor to use but my searches for suitable bevel gears was not a success. The ones you are using are just what I want, where did you get them from?.

[Peter Butler]

Hi Graham,  the bevel gears are available from www.motionco.co.uk and I can recommend their service highly.  Based in Oxfordshire they supply very quickly and offer advice via their e-mail too... info@motionco.co.uk

Address edited to .... www.motionco.co.uk

[Gralyn]

Hi Graham,  the bevel gears are available from www.motion.co.uk and I can recommend their service highly.  Based in Oxfordshire they supply very quickly and offer advice via their e-mail too... info@motionco.co.uk

Thanks for the info Peter.

[Lonsdaler]

Hi Graham,  the bevel gears are available from www.motion.co.uk and I can recommend their service highly.  Based in Oxfordshire they supply very quickly and offer advice via their e-mail too... info@motionco.co.uk

You've missed a 'co' out of the web address Peter; it should be www.motionco.co.uk

[Peter Butler]

You've missed a 'co' out of the web address Peter; it should be www.motionco.co.uk

I just can't get anything right these days!

[robc_wa]

I have also bought a MFA Motor to use but my searches for suitable bevel gears was not a success.

I have bought one too and had worked out that the only way to do it was with the motor off centre driving a lay-shaft out side the wheel base with power to the wheels via chain and sprocket. So far I have not started on it.

Peter, your solution to the problem looks very good. - I must get back to the drawing board!

Rob

[Peter Butler]

Hi Rob, I have tried the chain drive system on a loco which does have external (visible) chain drive and it is not as smooth in operation, although I think it could be improved with the use of a tensioner?
This is another project still to be completed... i.e. rebuilt!



This is 'Megaera' which was I.C. powered with external chain drive. A nice unusual loco which I could not resist building. I am going to make a new chassis with the motor centrally mounted between the axles and try again with Delrin chain running over some kind of tensioner to stop it slopping about.

[Alan P]

Peter, i have to say you have a wonderful collection of very unusual locomotives. I've never seen anything quite like that. Thanks for posting the pictures.

[Peter Butler]

Alan, many thanks for your kind comments, I have been entranced by 'Megaera' for many years and even had nameplates etched for her more than 15 years ago. Only recently did I get around to building her but had one image to work from and very little information to help me.



All I know is that she was built in 1914 by McEwan Pratt, had radiating cooling pipes at each end, long overall roof and outside drive chains. She survived until about 1930 at the Lewes cement works.... that's it!

[ge_rik]

Looks like the chain on the original was a bit floppy .....

Rik

[Peter Butler]

Continuing with the chassis build mentioned above, the reason for the construction was to get a battery powered, steam outline locomotive out on the line.
This is yet another project which I have been sitting on for far too many years.... something like 30 years in fact!
It came about during the exhibition years when a locomotive body shell was made by a good friend and colleague at the time. It just sat on a plinth, static with plastic disc wheels and covered in rust effect powder. It represented a forthcoming restoration project for the fictional preservation railway and was never intended to be completed.
During the installation of the model railway into my shed, certain items had to be removed and this was one! Although not intended to work it was too good to scrap so I set about it with determination and an assortment of tools!
Much alteration was needed to make the body look the part and hold all of the necessary equipment inside the shell. A lot of cutting and reinforcing was required and new access made for the battery pack and receiver to live.
I am happy with the overall impression and here she is just leaving the workshop......





I wanted to fit an on/off switch where it wasn't visible so bought a rotary switch to fit underneath here....





Just needs the receiver to be wired in and off we go...
I think she looks quite happy to be paired up with the 'Lady'

[ge_rik]

Very very nice, Peter. Having struggled to get the geometry right on a fairly straightforward saddle tank, I can really appreciate the quality of the modelling skills involved in making this little beauty.

Rik

[Lonsdaler]

You've missed a 'co' out of the web address Peter; it should be www.motionco.co.uk

I just can't get anything right these days!

Sorry - it wasn't a criticism; I was trying to be helpful. And, on the contrary, you seem to be getting a lot right these days!

[Dr. Bond of the DVLR]

Really like the look of that - its got a lot of the GER "Coffee Pots" to it.

[Peter Butler]

I think the 'coffee pot' was the prototype it was modelled on although I don't know enough about the original to make a comparison. The real one was standard gauge, that much I do know!
I have had the model running with a variety of stock and it looks pretty good all round. With the chassis made as described above it is enormously powerful and will take my three converted Bachmann coaches (which have turned out to be fairly heavy) with ease, just using a 9.6v power pack.

[Stewart Gethin]

Looks lovely Peter! Must say it looks rather like my Y5 that I've got in 5" gauge (Albeit a lot nicer)

Stewart