Garden Railway Forum

great project looked very good on the video have you tried some sort of lube on the gearbox??.are you going to make it smoke iv got a very good smoke unit for one of my locos I can send you the link

Jimbo post the smoke unit here as be interested as I want to fit my diesel with one for start up clag.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RC-Smoke-Gen ... Ll_Bmrr53A

a bit expensive but the best iv found if you look at the sellers other some units .there are a few different types voltages etc .I also did a test and used my vapeing fulid in it and it worked fine and gave a lovly smell too .(you can buy vape fuild cheap off e bay in different flavour's) it does make a massive amount of smoke too

That's the nuts, post what you been up to with it in your own thread.

Looks like a great project Greg! Looking forward to seeing the finished results.

GTB wrote: ↑Sun Apr 22, 2018 4:34 pm The system uses a small neodymium magnet on a steering arm under a battery powered vehicle to follow a steel wire laid just under the road surface.
In garden scale the old Australian standby of fencing wire would probably work as the guide wire, if it was embedded in a cement road surface. The Faller models have Ackerman steering, but I can't see why it wouldn't work with the farm cart steering used on traction engines.
The description of the Faller System on the UK importers website should give you an idea of how it works. The magnet is mounted on the top of the brass skate that slides along the surface of the road, keeping the magnet to wire distance fairly contant.
http://www.gaugemaster.com/articles/pro ... ystem.html
Regards,
Graeme

Thanks for the link - most interesting. Wonder if it has been done in G scale, outdoors. I'm wondering how strong the magnets would need to be.
Anyhow, that's all for the future, maybe. I've put the auto mode idea on the back burner. I need to rebuild the road at Lilyvale, and straighten it, but that's a major town planning exercise! If I do I'll experiment with the wire and magnet idea before I start.

And NO to smoke - no room. I'm still trying to figure if I have room for a sound card and speaker, maybe mounted under the roof?

Great to see you have it sorted Greg.

I have now finished the painting and added a few details,- many more could be added, but I doubt I’ll bother.
I added some weight up front and glued rubber bands around the front wheels to get steering grip.
And used chains for the steering. I need to loosen off the steering to keep the wheels on the ground! I think the chains are too tight and hold the wheels up.

A rubber band drives the flywheel from the main axle – it may not be prototypical but adds some movement to the model.
The positive charging stud is the tap holding the bucket (I use small alligator clips and small studs for my battery charging points on all my locos.)
You might notice that the driver has suffered a work place injury and lost his hand – soon to be replaced I hope.

The on/off switch and neg charging stud are on the backplate.
The young lady on the pub verandah looks impressed.
So here’s the video of the final test run around Lilyvale streets.
https://youtu.be/jjLF57UJpG4

(I cheated and added sound to the video – I still can’t figure out how to get a speaker into the space.)

Loved the video Greg, it was a bit steep that hill….

Think the wheels need a pivot of some kind to keep them both on the ground on uneven surfaces don’t you think. In the full scale ones they have them don’t they..

BTW i have subscribed to your’e youtube channel.

A traction engine popping wheelies, very cool.

I like it Greg, the speed changes have improved it's running.

Can you not fit a speaker in the roof of the cab?

FWLR wrote: ↑Thu Apr 26, 2018 7:36 am Loved the video Greg, it was a bit steep that hill….
Think the wheels need a pivot of some kind to keep them both on the ground on uneven surfaces don’t you think. In the full scale ones they have them don’t they..

It was working fine before I added the chains.
I've loosened off the pivot screw and will see tomorrow if that helps or whether I need to loosen the chains as well. I did try today with both chains loose and I was surprised that it ran straight BUT everytime it hit a small bump, the steering wobbled around and then came back straight - a very unprototypical look, so I tightened them again.
Maybe if I loosen just one side.

As to the hill - the wheel was slipping on the axle which may have contributed to the 'fail to proceed'.

tom_tom_go wrote: ↑Thu Apr 26, 2018 7:40 am Can you not fit a speaker in the roof of the cab?

I have recorded that sound on the video onto a 20 sec sound recorder card. I only have a 25mm mylar speaker to test it, and it was just hopeless. I could fit two, 40mm mylar into the roof but I have used them before in a little diesel and the volume is so low that you have to be up close and personal to hear it.
I don't have the 'depth' under the roof to hide a 'real' speaker, although I suppose I could hide it in a box that stuck down.

And if I do put them in the roof, I have to get the wires up there somehow. The roof support tubes are hollow but I want the roof the pull off, so if I run any wires that will be difficult.

I need something to remind me that it is turned on too, but the sound card would only play while running so that won't help. I need a light.

And loosening the chains would help I’am sure Greg. They hang down on the full scale one’s on one side slightly so has to compensate for any rough roads. If you see one been driven, you will see the driver constantly adjusting the steering wheel to keep the engine running straight…

I think the reason why one side is slack on the real thing is that the steering chain is continuous and wraps several times round a horizontal rod/pulley, which rotates one way or the other to change direction, so its always tight on the side into which it is turning. Having both sides slack will always tend to create a self centring effect, assuming they are both the same length, since the weight trying to drop down on both sides will be the same.

Having said all that, the actual run is very impressive, but won't leave much brain power spare to run trains as well!

You could try and pick up a laptop speaker - generally compact, but of better quality than the mylar 'tranny' types.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/231573236571?c ... 342&crdt=0

Lonsdaler wrote: ↑Thu Apr 26, 2018 9:52 am You could try and pick up a laptop speaker - generally compact, but of better quality than the mylar 'tranny' types.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/231573236571?c ... 342&crdt=0

Thanks for that idea. I had never thought about laptop speakers being small.
I've ordered some similar ones already.

gregh wrote: ↑Thu Apr 26, 2018 11:00 am

Lonsdaler wrote: ↑Thu Apr 26, 2018 9:52 am You could try and pick up a laptop speaker - generally compact, but of better quality than the mylar 'tranny' types.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/231573236571?c ... 342&crdt=0

Thanks for that idea. I had never thought about laptop speakers being small.
I've ordered some similar ones already.

Not really my idea, but you're welcome. I think it is 'Chuffed to Bits' who supplies his sound cards with a laptop speaker as standard.

I use Peter Spoerer for laptop speakers. You need to be careful with buying small speakers on eBay due to quality and if it comes with a well made back box for reverb:

http://www.peterspoerermodelengineers.c ... fo.php?p=4

tom_tom_go wrote: ↑Fri Apr 27, 2018 11:06 am I use Peter Spoerer for laptop speakers. You need to be careful with buying small speakers on eBay due to quality and if it comes with a well made back box for reverb:

http://www.peterspoerermodelengineers.c ... fo.php?p=4

Well I've ordered some cheapies, so I'll report how they perform when they finally arrive. I'm not concerned if I've wasted a couple of dollars with free postage from China. AS I've said above, I doubt I'll waste any more time on the traction engine getting sound in it anyhow.