Garden Railway Forum

Just another one of my daft ideas but bear with me for a minute or two.

I have some constant force springs to play with. I intend to make a spring motor with speed control. It's a bit like a clockwork motor (like the ones by Meccano) but the spring is different and is wound from one drum to another. It's mainly for use with my marble machines and other kinds of kinetic art but there is no reason why it couldn't be used in a locomotive. Runtime would be quite a bit longer than traditional clockwork motors as far as I can tell. Speed control would be via magnetic braking (eddy current braking) as this is quite simple to do (at least in theory).

Would anyone be remotely interested in such a loco? I know there's been an annual Windup held in the US but I've not heard of anything like that in the UK.

I've fancied a "clocky" for a while, if you do a 45mm (inside frame - to fit your diesel body? ) version, I'd most certainly be in!

I doubt I could squeeze a spring motor into a loco that small. It would need to have more space available. A tram style body would be better.

I would definitely be up for that, 45mm though! Perfect for small lines

I'm afraid the tram outline would count me out, I've just never envisioned one for my line

Sounds like an interesting idea

Would it be cheaper than a normal battery loco.

Lner fan Sam:81826 wrote:Would it be cheaper than a normal battery loco.

No, you don't find cheaper propulsion than an electric motor. I sell electric motors for £1.45 - the spring alone is more than that. It's not a money saving exercise, it's just to have a play with a very basic mechanism.

I'm also intrigued by this. The beauty of this to me is that it would be instantly available - no worrying about batteries, water, butane. Count me interested.

I'd love a loco like that.

Iv always appreciated the odd and unusual and I love trams and clockwork.

The simple self-contained beauty of clockwork cannot be beat

The trouble with tensator motors as you describe, is that they just stop without warning rather than running down and getting slower. Other than that it's an excellent idea. The original Baygen wind up radio used one, as did some WW2 ships chronometers.

I found that I need to machine some parts but since I still lack lathe tools for my ML7 I will have to lower the priority on this project.

Originally users fitted gramophone governors and others used governors from old dial phones. I have just obtained a gramophone governor to have a go and obtained some photos...but its one that will have to wait...But yes I'd be interested in a motor or two

I like that alot! Didn't realise the gramaphones had centrifugal governors in them, makes sense I guess. I'm allways dismayed by fact that there are very few 45mm clockwork motors around (plenty in 32mm gauge)

To go with the above pictures, I have now tracked down this You Tube video... at about 1:45 you get to see the inners of the drive...makes it clear to me

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqUSdYGXPIg&hd=1

Crackingjob

ps he has posted other clockwork etc videos in the garden etc...very good

Good to see people restoring these old loco's. Made a nice job of it.

What great photography. Really captures the sheer fun of clockwork trains in a superb garden setting.

Love this video. I've got a Bassett Lowko clockwork mech I always wanted to fit into an old Leeds body.