Can anyone point me at a site(s) where there are chain drive, gear drive steam engines and/or critters?
Thanx,
Les
The Home of Articulated Ugliness
Here's a nice un.
And another:
Okay,
Thanks guys.
So, come on les, what are you planning?
Looking to buy or build?
There are a few geared / chain driven live steam loco makers out there.
Regards,
T. Matt,
Buy?? Perish the thought.
If you have a collection of NG&SL Gazettes, in one of the 90's issue there is a critter article named Donkey Hote. (The 'e' should be accented, but I don't know how to make this 'puter do that stuff--so it'll sound like 'Don Quixoti', aloud.) Not sure on the spelling. It's a freelanced--aren't most of 'em?--little chain-drive steamer using a donkey boiler. I already know I'm going to change the gearing. I can give you the exact issue if you'd like.
The other reason I posted was, I'm getting so frustrated with unexpected projects--a furnace in my mother-in-law's apartments, for instance, complete with rewiring underwired outlets via crawlspaces (and I'm old)--that I've decided to string long extension cords as needed to my 'model shop' (1/3 of laundry room) and at least begin mocking up some projects. I realized that I have no good concept of how fast these small can motors turn under load, so I thought I'd put together a gear train and find out. All spur gears, so far. They're simpler to figure out. Obviously, starting at the beginning, much/most of my initial efforts will be aimed at building jigs and fixtures, like an engine roller test base. I have a nifty design in mind that beats these astronomical--make that galactic--prices by far. If it works out, I'll post it.
For example, when I read that the Japanese to excellent layered card-stock modelling, I got some heavy tag paper and glued up various thicknessess to see how workable it is. Got involved with a misc emergency, and now the specimens are MIA. Frustrating, I say.
Cabbage,
Regrettably, by building indoors I find I am forced to stick with the shortest possible engines and rolling stock. I'm figuring on two-axle rolling stock and x-4-x engines. (Though I did see an 0-2-0 + a single-axle tender--I think on the new AWNUTS site.) I'm not sure you'd find one of those interesting, given what you're building. I still need to see if I can build something in F scale that will navigate a 45mm gauged radius under 24", which number I believe I got from you some time ago as the recommended minimum radius for that gauge. Since my RR will be PP and mining, logging w. no passenger revenue, I think it can be done, figuring handlaid track. So the long ones, fascinating as they are, just won't do for my circumstances. This is no large problem, because my initial fascination with LS is/was the ability to scratchbuild.
Thank you for the kind offer, though.
Along these lines, This could be of some help.
Holy cow, Ralph! I had no idea such length was possible. Well, now ... new vistas opening....
Thanks for the headzup!
Gear,
Yeah, this is in the ballpark of what I'm looking for. Small, clunky-looking.
Thanks for the drawings.
Ralph,
"... the tighter the radius, the longer it gets..." ? Hm. Let me guess: and expansion-type connection between the mainframe and the 'tender'?
No, that's definitely not a beginner's model. 87cm? Let me think: @2.5cm/in we have ... that's pretty long, y'know??
I leave here for a week and find Les and Gear up to there elbows in chain! Oh man.
Toad
"I leave here for a week and find Les and Gear up to there elbows in chain! Oh man.
Toad"
You were gone?
Yeah left computer and all for about a week.....Was fun.
ToadFrog and WhiteLightn wrote: I leave here for a week and find Les and Gear up to there elbows in chain! Oh man.Toad
Toadster:
Chain drive is the wave of the future. Count on it. Don't doubt me.
Hoofe
Toad,
Dude. You need to take the ampersand (the &) outta your handle and change it to a plain 'and' (w/o the quotes). It makes this site barf my posts to you. I got Bernie to figure out what it was.
hoofe116 wrote: ToadFrog and WhiteLightn wrote: I leave here for a week and find Les and Gear up to there elbows in chain! Oh man.ToadToadster:Chain drive is the wave of the future. Count on it. Don't doubt me.Hoofe
Hoofe,
If you can pull off a Pikes Peak Loco then I would buy one from you. Cog man, I should be able to make the RR for it.
hoofe116 wrote: Toad,Dude. You need to take the ampersand (the &) outta your handle and change it to a plain 'and' (w/o the quotes). It makes this site barf my posts to you. I got Bernie to figure out what it was.Les
Les,
Yeah I have known all along..... All you have to do is delete it when quoting me.
ToadFrog and WhiteLightn wrote: hoofe116 wrote: ToadFrog and WhiteLightn wrote: I leave here for a week and find Les and Gear up to there elbows in chain! Oh man.ToadToadster:Chain drive is the wave of the future. Count on it. Don't doubt me.HoofeHoofe,If you can pull off a Pikes Peak Loco then I would buy one from you. Cog man, I should be able to make the RR for it.Toad
Not sure what model you have in mind, but I do believe I can build one. It's just a gear and a rack, and likely either well-laid track or sprung axles + judicious weight on same. What's the big deal?
H.
hoofe116 wrote:Not sure what model you have in mind, but I do believe I can build one. It's just a gear and a rack, and likely either well-laid track or sprung axles + judicious weight on same. What's the big deal? H.
Show me some Pikes Peak models and yeah I want the cog chain drive.
The big deal is I have always liked the old RR (that it was). Now it moves people.....
Mechanically, it shouldn't be hard. Can't you grab a rack loco and put the superstructure on it you want?
As for 'showing models' I have none and don't expect to for awhile as I'm still trying to get started myownself. Being a tool & die maker is one thing, being a scale modeller is a different ball game. I want to one day make a cog RR, just to see what it takes. The concept is simple enough, but, the devil's in the details.
H
GearDrivenSteam wrote:Does someone make rack track to go with the rack loco?
If my information is correct LGB at one time made the rack track but don't make it any more and the only person who may know is Buckso now.
I don't know. I'd assume, if a rack loco was made and sold, it would about have to.
From my perspective, making a rack is not a big deal. Just thinking off the top of my head, I'd try a delrin-type sprocket from one of these gear suppliers, and just to cheat, buy the matching chain. Fix the chain between the middle of the rails, affix the sprocket to the driven axle, and viola!
Here's the hard part (if one is building it): finding a pair of large driver wheels, and a smaller diameter set of other driver wheels--assuming you want an x-4-x, both of which provide enough 'rake' to keep the boiler level on the grade you choose. I'd imagine some fiddling back and forth would be necessary. Wait--the rack gear would be the driver, so the rest would all be idlers.
I have some wide gears that came out of a power tool. Perhaps 1/2" w. and about 1-1/4" dia. I was discussing with someone about using one of those, and just hacksawing teeth in a hardwood strip. By dusting the gear's teeth w. carpenter's chalk, perhaps one revolution's worth of teeth could be marked, then cut. Some filing would be needed, I'd think. But it could be done provided the gear tooth engagement was deep enough to accept unevenness in the track.
This board needs 'Etch a Sketch'!
Ol' Frogster seems pretty handy. Bet he could do it. I imagine anyone could if they wanted to climb the sharp part of the learning curve.
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