Garden Railway Forum

Let me introduce you to my little SNCF Y9200 diesel shunter, very common here in France in the 1950s-1970s, which has been running since 3 years on my club's layout and on friends' tracks, as I don't have a track in my backyard.
It's an entirely personal construction, in 1/32 scale, as my club has several 45mm circuits for live steam. After several live steam locos built for this gauge, I wished something “different” as a challenge, hence this live “diesel” loco!
She's not powered by a true diesel engine as on the original, but by a mini 4-stroke engine with a single 12mm bore and stroke cylinder, i.e. 1.35cm3 displacements, of my own making, running on unleaded petrol. An electronic ignition box - less cumbersome - now replaces the HT coil and the contact breaker and its battery to power the spark plug.
the engine runs at around 2500-3000rpm to drive the loco and its cars at a realistic speed, and with an efficient muffling and a noise frequency of around 25 Hz, the noise level is at a very reasonable and realistic level in the midst of live steam locos, which allows me to be accepted on circuits! in fact, the noise of IC engines generally rules out this type of motorization for model railroading.

after 2 years of monthly faultless runs, I can say that the engine is tuned up, so the plans is obviously available, although not professionally drawn, plans of the loco too...mainly for the transmission, which took me long time to set and tune...

Welcome to the forum.
That is a great looking loco and it runs so quietly.

Have you thought about adding radio control, or would that be too difficult?

Rik

a radio remote control is also a request from many club friends!
Even though I don't like modifying something that works, I'm thinking about it, but I could only control forward and reverse at different speeds, which would give a bit more life to the operation of the train, but of course throttle control and “press-button” starting of the engine is out of the question, there's really no room on the machine.

Absolutely phenomenal.

Just a curiosity - What is the o-ring on the brass wheel in the centre of the last photo? I'm guessing a drive belt to the running gear..

thanks for the appreciation !
this wheel with the O ring forms the basis of the clutch-gearbox:
it rests on the motor plate (the steel disk) and rotates with it, as well as sliding on its axis to change drive direction and speed according to its position ; the end of the axle carries the gears to the loco's wheels.
the center of the motor plate has a depression where the clutch wheel no longer turns, a neutral to allow to start the engine without driving the loco.
I've been told that this system is used on some lawnmowers.
I've redone the pressure system on the motor plate 3 times, and was very tricky to adjust before finding the proper set up : a ball trust bearing and a large knurled brass ring with a fine thread behind the motor disk to set the proper pressure of the o ring (not visible on this picture)

Fascinating! The explanation is much appreciated.

Thanks for your sharing.This project is so meaningful,I learned a lot of useful skills from it.

Incroyable!