Gmeinder & Co loco

[philipy]

Following on from my post on Rik's thread:

https://gardenrails.org/forum/viewtopic ... 9&start=20

I've played some more, so as promised I'm starting a new thread.

This is where I am, atm:

Screenshot 2024-02-27 09.53.09.png (847.94 KiB) Viewed 104982 times

The biggest problem is with no known dimensions! However, I believe it was for 600mm gauge lines, so I drew two verticals from the bit of track visible at the front and assumed them to be 600mm apart and "guesstiscaled" from that! I eventually ended up with a door height of about 91mm, which seems reasonable, so hopefully overall I'm not too far out.

Still a lot of fiddling about needed and a couple of questions need answering. The biggest question is, what is the "thing" on top of the front of the bonnet? It looks as though it could be a radiator top up filler at the front, but what the cowl looking thing and the 2 red blobs are, is defeating me. Any offers?
(I have wondered if it could be the remains of a headlight, since this beastie doesn't seem to have any lights, or fittings or brackets for one.)
I still have to draw and mount the bell, of course, couldn't have a loco without one of those!

There is a square box on top of the bonnet, which at the mo I've drawn as an open top box, assuming it was used to dump tools, or chains, or something, in.

That one 3/4 photo shows no detail at all for the rear bonnet apart from the works plate, so I've made the shape, and height and face the same as the front one but with the radiator grille removed. No idea what else to put on it.

Similarly, there is no info at all about the far side, so I've just made it a mirror image, until somebody tells me otherwise.

The second picture gives some nice cab detail, when I get that far, but is also useful in giving some detail of rivets and bolts on the side sheets which are too blurry on the main picture.

I haven't even thought about a mechanism yet, but as best I can guess, working from the centre of the bearings to the nominal rail level, it will be 24mm wheels.

Thoughts and even answers to my queries are very welcome.

[-steves-]

Could be an air intake / filter on the top, though no idea about the two red blobs. I would guess the exhaust outlet at the bottom would only be on one side, but it is a guess.

[drewzero1]

My first thought was also an air filter, but a similar structure shows up on the front of KdF/VW Typ 84 (Kubelwagens) and Typ 144 (Schwimmwagens) of the late 30s, which have their engines at the back, an d the mounting pipe seems a bit thin for an air intake. I found this diagram which calls it a blackout driving lamp.

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It's hard to tell from the picture if it's far enough forward to work though. Maybe it is an air filter after all?

[drewzero1]

As for the two red blobs, to me they look like one red blob behind the mounting pipe for the cowled thing.

[philipy]

Thanks Drew, that's brilliant... I'm sure that is exactly what it is. Putting the two pics side by side, it couldn't be anything else.

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Heaven knows how to draw that shape, but I'll give it a go and then, with the filler cap in front, worry about the red blobs later!

I've jusrr found one for sale on ebay for £490
Usefully they have put up loads of pictures from every angle.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/276156648383

[philipy]

Edited to add, that I've just found a taillight on ebay manufactured by the same company and I just wonder if that is the red blobs?
Logically they could have needed rear lightt as well .Take a look at
https://www.ebay.ca/itm/385685812805?it ... R57k0LW9Yw

[ge_rik]

Well done, folks, for identifying the lamp. No way, I'd have guessed that's what it was.
I think I'll put a conventional lamp on my loco. Presumably, as this loco worked on a wartime airfield, it needed a blackout lamp.

Rik

[Phil.P]

A blackout light, might have been less confusing to returning planes, perhaps?

I was going to say 'better than a landing light'..

I'll get my coat.

Phil.P

[drewzero1]

Well done, folks, for identifying the lamp. No way, I'd have guessed that's what it was.
I think I'll put a conventional lamp on my loco. Presumably, as this loco worked on a wartime airfield, it needed a blackout lamp.

Rik

Thanks! Thought it looked familiar and went from there. I would expect they wouldn't have kept the blackout lamps fitted during peacetime operation, unless perhaps Peckforton was home to a secret military base.

[philipy]

I would expect they wouldn't have kept the blackout lamps fitted during peacetime operation, unless perhaps Peckforton was home to a secret military base.

Doing some searches there are quite a few preserved vehicles which still carry them ( as you might expect)

[philipy]

Been fiddling some more...
Now have the makers plate on the rear bonnet side, the bell, radiator cap and a "blackout light".
I'm not altogether happy with the light, but its a really complicated 3d shape and this is the best I could come up with so far. I might have another go at it in the future.

Interestingly, there are two hinges on the rear side of the cab door opening, but they are inside the grab handles, and the doors would have mangled the handles when swung back past 90 deg, so presumably there were doors ( armoured?) during the war which were removed and the grab handles fitted after hostilities ended.

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[philipy]

Looking again at the website that Rik linked to originally, I realised that there is a picture of the loco and its train from the far end. It's a long way away and little detail is visible, but there is definitely an opening which equates to the radiator grille at the front but seems to have a solid ( hinged?) cover on it. There is also something low down on the LH side, but no idea what it is, and there could be something on top of the bonnet at the RH side against the cab. Any offers?

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[-steves-]

That's looking really good

[ge_rik]

Looks like hinges on the LHS of the 'flap'. It might be something similar to the hatches on the side of the front bonnet but minus the louvres.

Rik

[philipy]

Looks like hinges on the LHS of the 'flap'. It might be something similar to the hatches on the side of the front bonnet but minus the louvres.

Rik

Yes, thats about what I was thinking as well, thanks, just wondered if anyone else might see something different.

[dudeface]

As for the two red blobs, to me they look like one red blob behind the mounting pipe for the cowled thing.

I disagree.

[philipy]

I've been fiddling about with the details, it's amazing how many there are on two or three not brilliant photo's, once you really start looking!

Anyway, this is where it is as of now:

I've tried to produce an animated gif using Gifcap, having seen what others have done in the past, but I can't find any way to remove the the rest of the "SketchUp Window", so here it is, warts and all.

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[ge_rik]

Wow, that is good! Especially the cab detail.

Rik

[philipy]

Wow, that is good! Especially the cab detail.

Rik

Thanks Rik. It remains to be seen how well the fine bits will print!

[philipy]

Been working on the mech for this loco.
When I built the Chingford Contractors Loco I used an "N20GearMotor" with a cross shaft output. The motor is fine but the shafts are a few mm too short to allow a 28mm B-B, so I ended up with 3d printed extended wheel hubs which are less than totally satisfactory.
Googling around a couple of days ago, I found on AliExpress, the same mech but with 30mm shafts in a range of voltages, so I selected the 6v one. Perfecto! So now waiting for Mr Ali to deliver one in a couple of weeks time.

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However since I have the dims, together with a standard motor which I have in stock, that allowed me to design the chassis. I want to get 4W drive using Delrin chain and sprockets. In the past this has been a bit of a pain because the sprocket hubs are a bit long to get inside the frames and need shortening, however with the 30mm shafts, the motor can be offset to one side and allow room for the sprocket as supplied.

The chassis is cut lengthways so the the outer faces could be printed flat on the bed and give a good surface. So, this is the two halves with a standard N20 GearMotor laid in to check. The one which is on order is longer at 33mm, because of the crosshaft :

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This shows the two halves just placed on top of each other, illustrating the off-centred motor. In due course it will be trapped in place by a keeper plate, screw fixed to the bottom. This also shows the space for the chain sprocket.

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I'm planning on everything beind attached to this chassis, and the body just dropped on over the top, because in the past I've tended to have the Rx and batteries, etc, just poked in where ever they will go. So, the motor will be powered by 5xNiMh AAA rechargeables sitting in a box fixed to the chassis in the rear loco bonnet - unfortunately there isn't quite room for AA batteries. The box is currently on the printer.