1951 Model Railroader - Loco Fluid Drive

[Anonymous]

Wanted to send this to MR, but they advise that they can not read all emails. While reading The above mag, I ran across a "Trade Topics" item concerning a Winton Fluid Drive, and an ad for a similar drive by "Tomhar". This looks like a flywheel. It is shown installed in a Varney F3. It is filled with oil; different oils can be used to change viscosity , thereby changing the rate of inertia. The advantages are a coasting/momentum effect, and automatic speed adjustment when double-heading engines. Sounds very interesting and a relatively simple , mechanical device. Don't know how long these were marketed. They might still be with us, if manufacturers had offered them installed. Cost may have been a factor. The developement of solid flywheels, and then DCC, (and axial(?) gearing)would have surpassed them, but some flywheels do not really provide any coasting effect. Anyone have further experience/comments?

[Anonymous]

Sounds interesting. I've heard of a flywheel-alternative called Dyna-Drive? Worked rather like a car (auto) differential. The motor could turn over with the loco stationary at low speed, and as motor speed increased the loco would move off slowly. Not sure if these are still available

[rogerhensley]

Revell had something like this in their SW unit. You could run up the power prototypically until the little switcher began to move. I donated a train set with one of these locos in it to an NMRA auction last January. It found a good home with a young person just starting out.

As an aside, the rolling stock in the set was nearly as good as some of the 'better' r-t-r stuff today. The steps were thin and the detail was very good except for the door slides on the boxcar. Those were very oversize. However, I don't think the oversize door slides were a problem with the folks that got this set, nor with the folks who bought it originally... :-)

[ndbprr]

They were basically turbines. The original was an MR article and the guy liked that the motor kept idling while in a station. The came a version that had two hemispherical weights and a hole drilled vertically through the center so that a pair of pins on the drive shaft kept tham in place. As the shaft speed increased the weights would slide out and make contact with the outer casing and transfer power. The problem with both was limited pulling power as they would just slip and spin. An additional problem with the turbine was fluid leakage. There was also a guy that used dry ice in a tank in the tender and made real pistons for his steam engines. The electric power opened the valve from the tank and worked the reverse gear somehow.

[nfmisso]

QUOTE: Originally posted by ndbprr

They were basically turbines. The original was an MR article and the guy liked that the motor kept idling while in a station.

Just like the fluid couplings in the first automatic transmissions, before torque converters. Torque converters add a stator and surface roughness to the works.

QUOTE:
The came a version that had two hemispherical weights and a hole drilled vertically through the center so that a pair of pins on the drive shaft kept tham in place. As the shaft speed increased the weights would slide out and make contact with the outer casing and transfer power.

The classic centrifugal clutch, like on many go-karts. Material selection can make this very effective.

QUOTE: The problem with both was limited pulling power as they would just slip and spin. An additional problem with the turbine was fluid leakage.

yes.