Garden Railway Forum

This year rates up there as the worst of my life, but I have finally got some modelling enthusiasm back. So I started looking for a loco to build. I don’t need any more, but having a ‘project’ and a goal will help. So I got started.

I found this pic of a cute little Heisler type geared loco here: https://www.mylargescale.com/threads/m ... ler.90542/

I thought it could be built on a ‘diesel‘ motor block. (I don’t have any spare steam motor blocks but do prefer steam to diesel).
I ‘scaled’ the size of the loco from the sleeper spacing in the pic.
The USA Trains motor block I bought years ago, seems a pretty good fit for wheel dia (28mm) and axle spacing (95mm) and only 40mm high.
As the pic shows, the motor extends above the plastic motor block by about 3mm.

I also had an old boiler discarded from some previous build, which seemed it could fit the bill.
So I started ‘sketching’ by ‘skewing the pic to give a side-on view. Then using Libre Office drawing function in their Writer program to overlay the various bits at scale.
I already have a number of small locos that are 240mm long so I decided to aim for this length again. This gave me the rough dimensions.


to be continued....

What a great looking loco you're using as your inspiration. Looking forward to seeing how it develops.

Rik
PS Glad to hear you've got your mojo back!

It's worth building for the spark arrestor chimney for a start. It looks like a genie might pop out if conditions were favourable.

invicta280 wrote: ↑Thu Dec 30, 2021 10:35 pm It's worth building for the spark arrestor chimney for a start. It looks like a genie might pop out if conditions were favourable.

Yes, I think that was what convinced me to give it go. I still don't know how I'll make that shape. Might dust off the old wood lathe but I'm worried it might be too heavy. Or maybe I could cut a whole lot of annular rings from 2mm styrene, glue them together and finish off in the lathe.

part2
My first attempt put the baseplate on top of the motor block but that looked way too high, so I cut out a hole for the motor and lowered the baseplate by 10mm to be 38mm above rail.
I contact glued some 10x5mm timber under the 2mm styrene baseplate for the ‘frame’ and similarly glued some 10x10mm aluminium angle to the side of the motor block. This allows the base to be screwed (from beneath) to the motor block. Note my painted spokes – more on that brain wave later.



Now I took the old boiler and cut it into 3 parts.(top left pic) By the time I was finished I think it would have been faster to start from scratch.
Because it was from a tank loco, the boiler was only a ‘half cylinder, so I had to fill the underside in. (bottom left)

But the major problem was that it rested on the motor but had to be attached to the baseplate, so I had to figure out how to support the cab end on the baseplate– After 3 attempts I finally used some timber disguised as ‘tool boxes’, which cantilever over the motor block. The boiler will be contact- glued to these. (top right).
The firebox is attached to the cab, not the boiler, so that it lifts off- see later.


Now I started thinking of where everything will fit and how to access to it.
I had two, 18650 LiIon cells lying around (from an old laptop). I tested them in series with the motor block and they gave 30 kph scale speed which I figured was fine for a Heisler. They will go in the boiler along with the Hobbyking 2.4GHz receiver. The bunker then has plenty of space for the ESC (speed controller) and my design of sound circuit and the reversing relay (more on this later). Plus the on/off switch and charging lugs (not shown)

Greg, have you thought about the neck-sections, from a couple of small plastic bottles, for your spark-arrestor?
You could add a styrene disk, between the two, for added support.
I think people have used the 'pro-biotic' drink bottles, in the past..

Phil.P

Phil.P wrote: ↑Sat Jan 01, 2022 10:20 am Greg, have you thought about the neck-sections, from a couple of small plastic bottles, for your spark-arrestor?
You could add a styrene disk, between the two, for added support.
I think people have used the 'pro-biotic' drink bottles, in the past..

Phil.P

I'd forgotten that others had also used yakult tops. But I think they are a bit small for this monster. It is around 50mm diameter. I thought I'd found something - the bottles that cheap 'arts' craft acrylic paints come in. But they are only 40mm dia. Still looking.

gregh wrote: ↑Sun Jan 02, 2022 3:57 am

Phil.P wrote: ↑Sat Jan 01, 2022 10:20 am Greg, have you thought about the neck-sections, from a couple of small plastic bottles, for your spark-arrestor?
You could add a styrene disk, between the two, for added support.
I think people have used the 'pro-biotic' drink bottles, in the past..

Phil.P

I'd forgotten that others had also used yakult tops. But I think they are a bit small for this monster. It is around 50mm diameter. I thought I'd found something - the bottles that cheap 'arts' craft acrylic paints come in. But they are only 40mm dia. Still looking.

Plastic doorknobs for utility garden buildings (an old design, I think they used to be bakelite, but still available). About 50mm diameter too.

Lonsdaler wrote: ↑Mon Jan 03, 2022 12:09 pm Plastic doorknobs for utility garden buildings (an old design, I think they used to be bakelite, but still available). About 50mm diameter too.
Z.jpg

I do like the idea of repurposing everyday items. The domed smokebox door on my Southwold Manning Wardle started life as a castor.


Rik

Lonsdaler wrote: ↑Mon Jan 03, 2022 12:09 pm Plastic doorknobs for utility garden buildings (an old design, I think they used to be bakelite, but still available). About 50mm diameter too.
Z.jpg

Great suggestion. Will get to a hardware shop someday.
(until then, now how do I open my kitchen cupboards???

gregh wrote: ↑Tue Jan 04, 2022 2:21 am
(until then, now how do I open my kitchen cupboards???

Well, if you've got a spare spark arrester knocking about.....?

philipy wrote: ↑Tue Jan 04, 2022 7:04 am

gregh wrote: ↑Tue Jan 04, 2022 2:21 am
(until then, now how do I open my kitchen cupboards???

Well, if you've got a spare spark arrester knocking about.....?

Of course! I think there might be one in my train room...
Thanks Phil.

Progress continues slowly.

I had a cab from an old Bachmann Porter which was the right size so I used it.
The cab is not attached to the base and just lifts off to allow access to the batteries and Rx in the boiler.
Usually I like porthole windows, but I didn’t think they suited a Heisler, so I squared up the rear ones, but the front ones were too hard to get at for cutting.


Then all I had to do was make the bunker from some 2mm styrene. As usual, I covered the main styrene with 0.5mm styrene with the rivets embossed from behind.
The top with the logs, will lift off for access to the electronics. I cut ‘logs’ from balsa, but forgot to fit a water filler. Oh well, it must be under the logs.
The front wall of the bunker has the small, oval shaped speaker mounted facing into the cab, with a corresponding hole on the cab wall. I hope the volume is loud enough.

The on/off switch is a single pole mounted under the baseplate/cab.

The two charging studs are copper nails under the rear buffer beam. (I do not use sockets or 2-way switches for charging – just alligator clips on my chargers.)

The cylinders are cut from an old pen barrel, with steel washers epoxied to the ends.
The air pump came from bits of the same pen.

So lots of bits are awaiting painting when the humidity falls a bit.


Phil had brilliantly suggested plastic door knobs for the balloon shaped chimney. I went search my junk piles, sure that I had some, but didn’t find any. A search of the big hardware shop’s website turned up nothing. So I decided to turn it from wood. While looking for my hole saw, I found this…
I think it was a ‘handle’ from an old hammer drill. Anyhow, it’s a great start and close enough for size.


Here's the first mockup.

A brilliant example of keeping things which "may come in handy one day".
SWMBO can never understand why I say that!

philipy wrote: ↑Sun Jan 09, 2022 6:14 am A brilliant example of keeping things which "may come in handy one day".
SWMBO can never understand why I say that!

I'm glad I'm not the only one who does that. I see there are now TV programmes which get people to declutter their homes. No chance they would be welcome here. I'd spend the whole programme arguing why I should hold on to that box of wood offcuts or container full of secondhand screws.

Rik
PS BTW the loco is coming along really well, Greg

ge_rik wrote: ↑Sun Jan 09, 2022 8:23 am ...container full of secondhand screws.

I keep mine in an old baby milk tin from 50 years ago... it came in handy>

ge_rik wrote: ↑Sun Jan 09, 2022 8:23 am I see there are now TV programmes which get people to declutter their homes.

I'm told that there's one such programme where the ENTIRE contents of the subject's house are laid out in a warehouse, presumably to make them realise what a lot of unnecessary junk they have.

The presenter would be SO confused if they tried that here, and probably even more confused by my explanations...

Sorry for the thread-drift - it's a fascinating project which should result in a unique and attractive loco, I look forward to seeing further progress Greg!

All the best,

Andrew.

I think that knob will do the trick Greg, some suitable artwork with some isopon or similar and it can become a dead ringer is this kleptomania a side effect of modelling, do you think?

Love it!

philipy wrote: ↑Sun Jan 09, 2022 10:12 am I keep mine in an old baby milk tin from 50 years ago... it came in handy>

Me too!
I have a dozen of them for my nails too! plastic lids are perishing after 45 years, but the tins are great.