Momentum Cars?

[Anonymous]

So anyway, one of my MRR friends has these 2 "momentum cars" he picked up at a train show. Theyre just 40' boxcars but with a rubber band going around the trucks which spins a HUGE flywheel inside. Once you get the cars going it takes them a long time to coast to a stop. So, I was wondering. Are there kits available to make these cars or is this just one mans craftsmanship?

[cacole]

Never heard of it, so maybe it's some individual's invention and isn't produced commercially.

[Anonymous]

well, i might build one myself, just have to figure out what kind of bearings to use for the flywheel... any suggestions?

[ndbprr]

It was an invention of John Armstrong I believe. Bearings aren't real critical. The mass will overcome just about anything. John allan had one with a ball inside that would roll back and forth. If switched to roughly it would sound a buzzer when the ball gotto the end of the track. he thought it was hilarious. The crews thought otherwise.

[Anonymous]

hahaha, I like that buzzer car idea too. I was thinking, what if I took a truck, took the wheels off the axle and put a flywheel on the axle instead. any thoughts?

[Anonymous]

That could work well - you'd need to make sure the wheels were free-rolling to get the best effect from the flywheels. I've seen it used over here to build a "Slip Coach" (these were intended to allow GWR expresses to drop off passengers without stopping - an extra crew member would be stationed in the last coach which would be detached while the train was in motion, relying on its momentum and brakes to get into the station and stop). Hope this is of some use!

[Anonymous]

I think that the momentum car was also the brain child of John Allen instead of John Armstrong. MR did and article on both of these cars, the "momentum" and "rough start" car.

If you were interested you could probably find the articles in the MR past index. I think both articles were published in the late 50's or maybe the early 60's.

Bob

[Eriediamond]

A flywheel mounted directly on an axle will not do much good at all. It would have to be smaller in diameter then the wheels to clear turnouts, crossings and bridge guardrails, etc. Sorry!!

[CNJ831]

QUOTE: Originally posted by TEFFY

I think that the momentum car was also the brain child of John Allen instead of John Armstrong. MR did and article on both of these cars, the "momentum" and "rough start" car.

If you were interested you could probably find the articles in the MR past index. I think both articles were published in the late 50's or maybe the early 60's.

Bob

I tend to agree with Bob on this one. John Allen created a number of quirkie cars for his layout, including the "momentum" car, "rough start/rough coupling detector" car, and the self powered "helper/runaway" car. The latter had a tiny Lindsay drive in it and alternately could be used as an unseen mid-train "helper" or to confuse and mystify fellow modelers by taking off on its own after being spotted at an industry (with John controlling the power unseen).

The powered "helper" car was offered as a kit by Lindsay under the name "The Lindsay Ghost" and I think the "momentum" car might have been offered also. Check MR ads from the 1950's. Walthers has offered the "rough coupling dectector" car...as late as the 1980's, as I recall.

CNJ831

[cjcrescent]

NWSL offered a chassis for a 40' boxcar rigged just as you describe during the 1970's at least. Never saw one in action but once and it really didn't work that well. But I can't remember where NWSL said the idea for this car originally came from. Could have been either Allen, Armstrong or Ellison.

[IRONROOSTER]

I don't know if he ever built one, but John Armstrong suggested this type of car if you wanted to model a "flying drop" also called a "Dutch drop". The idea was to be able to spot a car on a facing spur. You uncouple the rest of the train and the locomotive and boxcar accelerate towards the turnout, the loco slows to allow slack over the uncoupling ramp and then speeds up over the ramp. The car and loco are now separate, but both heading towards the turnout. After the loco passes the turnout is thrown so the boxcar rolls into the siding, you then need some way of stopping it at the desired spot (or let it bang into the bumper).

Obviously there are a number of thing that can go wrong, such as not gettng the slow down/speed up technique right and failing to uncouple; throwing the turnout too soon and derailing the loco; throwing it too late and derailing the car; everything works great except the car doesn't roll all the way through the turnout. According to John real railroads had these problems too, which is why they didn't approve of this manuever. It would, however, be something really neat to show off; if you can get it to work.
Enjoy
Paul

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Eriediamond

A flywheel mounted directly on an axle will not do much good at all. It would have to be smaller in diameter then the wheels to clear turnouts, crossings and bridge guardrails, etc. Sorry!!

What I mean is a third truck mounted inside the car with the flywheel on the axle driven by a rubber band connnecting to one of the "real" trucks.

[Bob Hayes]

I have about 15 of the NWSL momentum cars, and while one alone won't do much, I can remember an operating session about 20 years ago in which all the momentum cars were on the layout and in the same yard. One of the operators who was running the yard and operating as dispatcher got so upset, that he took them off the layout. You see, with that many momentum cars in one train, when you try to move them too fast, they resist and the wheels just slide, and when you try to stop too quickly, they will pu***he locomotive down the track until the flywheels in each car stop turning, giving the impression of a heavily loaded train. Really improves you operating technique. No more jackrabbit starts and stops. Don't know if NWSL still makes them. They came without a body, so you had to add you own and couplers.

Bob Hayes

[lonewoof]

John Armstrong's article, "Flywheel Boxcar" was in the Feb.1955 Model Railroader. He built his car(s) in O scale. He said he tried rubber band coupling as a first effort; the result of a "kick" was a dead stop, followed by a lightning restart as the slack in the bands transferred from the "driven" side to the "driving" side. His final effort used a chain & sprocket drive.
I think the NWSL momentum cars are still in their catalog.
I built a "rough coupling" car, using a ball bearing rolling on a U-shaped set of rails inside a boxcar. Seems to work, but I haven't tried any switching with it as yet...

[mcouvillion]

I've seen the momentum cars years ago. I don't think that I have one, but I might. The car with the ball and buzer is an impact car. Its intent is to determine if the load is handled too rough during shipping. There are actual impact devices shippers install in their goods to verify whether they have been dropped or slammed during shipping. I've seen plans for this car and it is simple to build.

Mark C.

[Anonymous]

Mark- Do you think you can get me a copy of the plans?

[Anonymous]

I found it. NWSL item #3101-9. Ill call them tonight and see what they sell for.

[mcouvillion]

JPM335,

I've seen plans for it but it was years ago. I would not even know where to begin looking.

Essentially, you have a metal trough mounted on a car that is bent slightly in the center such that the center is lower than the ends. A large metal (stainless) ball rides on or in the trough. The trough is connected to one side of the circuit and a contact at each end of the trough is positioned such that the ball touches and makes contact only if the momentum of the car causes the ball to roll to the end of the trough. Connect a buzzer in series, power it off the track, and voila, you have built an impact car. The trough will be a gentle arc, you might be able to do it with a short piece of 1/2" conduit bent slightly. You would probably have to use a 50' or longer boxcar to get all the stuff inside. The lighter the arc, the gentler you have to handle the car.

To make the offender 'fess up to rough handling, you could make the ends of the trough effectively "catch" and hold the stainless ball so the buzzer stays on. You'll embarrass(spelling?) the guys into operating more gingerly on your layout, or they'll use a five-finger switcher to stop the incriminating noise. Should be fun.

Mark C.

[mcouvillion]

Joe,

I looked at "The Drifter" by NWSL, #3101-9. I know I have one of those but I can't remember which boxcar it is in. Might be Great Northern, just like the ad.

Mark C.