Unimog!

[mlehman]

Thanks for the comments everyone!

Ulrich,

Those are great videos. I love the way it gets on and off the track, just like ones are used for switching, etc in real life. The steerable front wheels and the ability to riase and lower the hyrail wheels are great features, far past a simple powered model...which I will be lucky to achieve.

BTW, for those without German skills, these hyrail Unimogs are referred to as zweiwege, or two-way Unimogs, in German. The package of accessories included with the Roco model includes the drawbars needed to move European-style cars, even though it is an unpowered model.

[mlehman]

I spent some quality time with the 3' gauge RailMog this evening adding lots of details. The biggest part of the project was building a rollbar/headache rack. This Mog seems to be fast enough. Look at all the bugs stuck on the front.

I found an amber beacon, a crosscut saw, etc in the junk drawers.

I added a ladder to help get into the bed, along with a walk across the air tanks, oxygen and acetylene tanks, ties, a couple of tool boxes.

An overhead view

Anyway, that was fun. Be nice if it was powered, but I can be patient.

[mlehman]

OK, the Engineering Dept had a brainstrom. Responding to user input that the front-mounted rail wheels tended to hang-up getting on and off the track in the rugged terrain the Silverton Union runs through, long hours were spent rebuilding the lift and drive mechanism up front. The result was a machine with a much cleaner look and considerably improved approach angle, the key to operating off-road and off-rail in the San Juan Mountains.

Basically, I just left the front rail wheels swung underneath 180 degrees from the original deployed position. It looked good, so I just left it that way.

[hon30critter]

Mike:

It does look better with the wheels flipped under.

Long hours eh?!? You had me for a minute there.

Dave

[mlehman]

Some of my best engineering has been comepletely happenstance. KISS is a great princple, too.