Darth:
Congratulations---I've got 4 Akane articulateds, including their AC8-12 cab-forward. Terrific locomotives, simple mechanism that is almost indestructable. These locomotives are real TANKS and they'll pull anything you want to put behind them.
I was thinking of re-motoring my AC-8 with a coreless, then someone suggested Rare Earth magnets in the original open-frame motor. Tried it out. Knocked the amperage WAY down, set the low speed to an absolute crawl and resulted in an incredibly smooth and quiet running locomotive. Here's a photo of the magnet installation:
Also, instead of using flexible tubing to connect the two sets of drivers, I went with NWSL Universals, it seems to put less torque on the motor around curves. Congratulations on your Akane, like mine, it's probably about to celebrate its 50th birthday soon, and mine still runs as if it just came out of the box. I wonder how many of today's plastic imports will be able to say the same thing? Tom
Also, instead of using flexible tubing to connect the two sets of drivers, I went with NWSL Universals, it seems to put less torque on the motor around curves.
Congratulations on your Akane, like mine, it's probably about to celebrate its 50th birthday soon, and mine still runs as if it just came out of the box. I wonder how many of today's plastic imports will be able to say the same thing?
Tom
Tom View my layout photos! http://s299.photobucket.com/albums/mm310/TWhite-014/Rio%20Grande%20Yuba%20River%20Sub One can NEVER have too many Articulateds!
I did consider adding a new neodymium cube magnet to the motor, but I wanted quieter running and better low speed operation for this one, so I decided on the coreless.
After quite a bit of running and tuning, I'm actually replacing the tubing with NWSL universals, so going out of alignment won't be an issue. The tubing works well, and it's been excellent for some of my projects, but this is one that will really benefit from a good universal.
_________________________________________________________________
Congratulations on your find. I got one of these myself a few years back from a guy who never ran it but kept it in the box for half a century. When painted with proper MRR paint the detail was certainly acceptable and the old open frame motor only needed cleaning and oiling. One question: Did you consider refitting the motor with rare earth magnets a la Micromark? The biggest detail omission is the brake hangers between the drivers. Any suggestions for retrofitting? A final caution. When handling this engine be sure to support the articulating drivers so they don't droop and fall out of alignment!
I've seen some Akanes with extra details added, and they can make very good looking models! The ones finished by Mark Schutzer are especially nice.
My layout is actually any and all railroads that want in, so the SP steamer will fit just fine.
This one does have the simple slotted frame for the axles. If it ever wears out, adding new bearings should be easy enough, but it'll last a long time as well as I keep it oiled. As far as I can tell, the thing barely has any actual run time. Poorly painted, handled roughly, and put back in the box for the next few decades.
My coreless motor is coming in the mail today, so I know what I'll be working on. The one I got is a large 19x37mm 5-pole made by Canon. I've used a couple of them before, and their low speed torque and overall control is some of the best I've come across!
hon30critter My problem is that I have a very bad back so standing for an hour or two is almost an impossibility, let alone bending over repeatedly. I guess I'll have to dust off the cane. Dave
My problem is that I have a very bad back so standing for an hour or two is almost an impossibility, let alone bending over repeatedly. I guess I'll have to dust off the cane.
Dave
Dave - join the club - at some point the back hurts so much that ALL I can see at train shows is what is under the table ....
By the way I have some recollection that some Akane steamers lacked bearings for the driver axles and they just ran in slots in the frame. I recall some guys enlarged the slots and inserted Mantua/Tyco brass bearing "half sleaves" so that steel axles were turning in softer metal, as they should, but the bearings could be replaced in the event of wear.
Dave Nelson
Akane locomotives were the brass equivalent of Penn Line and Mantua in their day: short on detail, but very rugged mechanisms. They could be detailed pretty nicely by anybody who wanted to put in the time & effort. If Akane had branched out into the manufacture of bulldozers, they'd have had no trouble at all making the transition!
Very, very nice job. Maybe you can justify the engine on your PRR layout by saying he engine is brand new, in transit from Baldwin.
Yup, I'll be painting it. It'll be painted for SP, since they were the ones who owned these. I usually like to paint my brass for the appropriate railroads that owned the prototypes.
Some of the best deals can be found in boxes and nearly out of sight. Even if it doesn't seem like there's anything there at first, it's always worth a look to see what may be hiding.
I don't know what look the original owner was going for. Probably something for a custom railroad? It certainly wasn't well taken care of, and I'm glad that Akane's designs are simple and tough so the repairs were pretty easy!
Wonder what look the previous owner was going for with the bright yellow cab and sky blue pilot...
My secret vice - though they never ran anywhere near here - cab forwards. Always wanted one. I even liked the silly Kemtron conversion of a Dockside, as seen in Sutton's book - short pilot truck, and a tender to make a 4-4-0T cab forward.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Neat find! Great job on the stripping and repair. I will assume that you are going to paint it. What road?
Next train show I will have to pay more attention to what is lurking in the background and under the tables. My problem is that I have a very bad back so standing for an hour or two is almost an impossibility, let alone bending over repeatedly. I guess I'll have to dust off the cane.
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
I was looking at all the great stuff at the train show a couple weekends ago, and there were a lot of nice trains on display I probably would've purchased. But then I found an old Akane box tucked away, so I took a look inside and found a brass 4-8-8-2 Cab Forward. It had a very poor paint job, and the solder joints holding the frame in were broken. Also, it wasn't running. The guy running the table gave me a heavy discount.
The yellow, green, and sky blue was brushed on so heavily it obscured or rounded out almost every detail (yellow was close to 1mm thick in some places!), and the black was so thin you could see through it. So, after some paint stripping, soldering, and fresh tube to replace the hardened old rubber, I got a very smooth and strong runner that also looks great!
I did make a few other small modifications for better running. I replaced the articulated engine spring with a heavier one for better traction, increased the spring tension on the trucks to prevent derailing, and put in a slightly longer flexible pipe to the articulated engine so that it could go around my 22" radius instead of the original minimum 24" radius. I'll also be replacing the massive marker lights with Cal Scale parts, and I'll be replacing the stock open frame motor (which is actually a decent runner) with a coreless motor, so it'll run quieter, stronger, and smoother, and with better low speed control.
Akane really made some great brass, and this is certainly an exceptional piece! The inspection card dates it at November 13th, 1961, and it runs just as smooth as top quality steam engines that are 50 years newer.