Mini lathes, making drivers. Any alternatives?

[2-8-8-0]

Hello all. I have started a rather ambitious program of constructing a reasonably accurate loco fleet (N scale) for my 1948 B&O layout. And i have run into a problem.

The EL class of 2-8-8-0s are easy enough, as far as drivers go, as the mechanicals for them are simply donated by a batch of P2K 2-8-8-2s i have. The EM-1, however, is a totally different issue. It has larger drivers (64 inch, versus 58 inch on the ELs and the donor P2ks) and the drivers on the EM-1 are solid, not spoked as on the earlier engines. Sets of drivers in N are basically impossible to find, so i have to either make my own or find some way to modify an existing driver to resemble these. I could get as drastic as buying a small lathe and machining my own drivers, but that is a time consuming, expensive, and potentially troublesome process. The good is that the lathe would likely find many other uses, but the bad is the length of time it would take to produce 16 identical drivers, especially in this small scale.

Does anyone have any other suggestions or ideas? Thanks, Tim

[2-8-8-0]

I wasnt aware they made any parts in N scale?

[R. T. POTEET]

2-8-8-0, you will probably be happy to see Intermountain get their AC on the market as it has drivers exactly like you are looking for an EM-1.

I'm not sure exactly how many EM-1s you are looking to run but you know if you turn and mill drivers for, say, five units and then turn drivers for an equal number of S1s you will be dollars ahead. And if you play your cards right and do everything According to Hoyle you can probably pay for the price of a convertible unit - Sherline or Taig - by marketing these to other N-Scalers who are continuously bellyaching about the lack of scratchbuilding parts.

No one in this world ever got rich from working hard; people in this world who got rich got that way from working smart! 

[dinwitty]

my only idea is to borrow from a big boy or challenger

[PMeyer]

Give them a call.  Deal with them directly and SOON because they are closing shop.

David B

NWSL is going out of business? Their web site doesn't say anything...

[cjcrescent]

Give them a call.  Deal with them directly and SOON because they are closing shop.

David B

They are not closing up shop. They are, however, for sale and have been for some time.

[2-8-8-0]

2-8-8-0, you will probably be happy to see Intermountain get their AC on the market as it has drivers exactly like you are looking for an EM-1.

I'm not sure exactly how many EM-1s you are looking to run but you know if you turn and mill drivers for, say, five units and then turn drivers for an equal number of S1s you will be dollars ahead. And if you play your cards right and do everything According to Hoyle you can probably pay for the price of a convertible unit - Sherline or Taig - by marketing these to other N-Scalers who are continuously bellyaching about the lack of scratchbuilding parts.

No one in this world ever got rich from working hard; people in this world who got rich got that way from working smart! 

Yeah, i have thought about that. As a former automotive machine shop employee, i know my way around a mic and a lathe, and think i could offset some of the cost by perhaps selling the wheelsets and other parts. I also dont have any real desire to do this, as i dont want to meet any sort of deadlines. I dont want to plunk down 2-300 bucks everytime i build a loco, the 2-8-8-0s are easier to swallow, as the engines i build them from cost about 100$ each, and i use the entire frame, cylinders, pilot deck, etc. with only minor modifications, and the tenders will become EM1 tenders with some work. I suppose a small lathe will find many uses, and anything that makes this process easier is alright by me!

I will check with NWSL anyway, if they have a couple dozen sets of wheels, i need not bother will smuggling a lathe into the house...

[xdford]

Pardon my intrusion as a *** and from down under at that but is the driver size that different etc. You could give the illusion of the correct "disc" shape by making an overlay to go over the wheels of the 2-8-8-2 for your 2-8-8-4 and stick them into place. Perhaps printed on paper and stuck on? Just a suggestion and whatever you do, good luck with it!

Regards from Australia

Trevor  www.xdford.digitalzones.com   

 

 

[xdford]

HI All,

 

Hope I was not being offensive but where you see *** I wrote a shortened version of HO Gauger... so it appeared "HO" then "er"!  Did I write something unwittingly offensive? 

 

TIA

 

Trevor

[R. T. POTEET]

HI All,

 

Hope I was not being offensive but where you see *** I wrote a shortened version of HO Gauger... so it appeared "HO" then "er"!  Did I write something unwittingly offensive?

TIA

Trevor

The edit program is designed to look for certain combinations of letters that either deliberately spells a vernacular or one which gives a phoneme. You said HO'er without the apostrophe of course and that combination of letters gives a phonetic definition to another word for prostitute; this is why I always say "HO-Scaler". *** just ain't gonna work!

[xdford]

Hi there All,

 The mistake was genuinely unwitting on my part... hope the description wondering what I had done wasn't taken the wrong way either. Sorry Gang, slipped badly on that one! The accent probably didn't help either...

BTW you are from the wild wild west... I'm a bit further west and south west!

Regards and Thanks for your forbearance

 

Trevor 

[cacole]

Greenway Products has drivers in many different sizes.

http://www.greenwayproducts.com

 

[tomikawaTT]

HI All,

Hope I was not being offensive but where you see *** I wrote a shortened version of HO Gauger... so it appeared "HO" then "er"!  Did I write something unwittingly offensive? 

TIA

Trevor

The site's profanity checker has a dirty mind!  Two examples:

1. Type any word ending in "SH" followed by a word beginning in "T" and you'll get **** even if solid waste was the farthest thing from your mind.
2. If you use the right name for the valve at the end sill that closes off the air brake line, you'll get "angle ****."  I haven't tested it with those standard boiler fittings next to the gage glass, but I'd be unsurprised to see that show up as "try****."  Apparently it hasn't figured out that locomotives and rolling stock aren't male.

This always happens when the person who set up the spell-checker is a few cards short in technical knowledge.

Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)

[Anonymous]

Well, I don't post often but I can add a little to this thread. If you do decide to get a lathe, I can tell you from years of personal experience: get the Taig or Sherline. You won't be disapointed. Just be careful though, once you fully realize what you can do with these little machines, it won't be long before you get a milling machine to go with your lathe and then you will start looking at CNC conversions and then.......no time (or money, lol) for model trains any more!!

Seriously, these are outstanding machines. Perfect for doing exactly what you want to do. They are not inexpensive though. And definately expect to spend at least as much for tooling as you spend on the machine.

Good luck! 

 

[lonewoof]

2-8-8-0: Assuming you are going to use the frame from the P2k 2-8-8-2's for your conversion -- are you sure you can fit 64" drivers in it? I recall there have been some models that had to use non-prototypical axle spacings, because there wasn't room for model-depth flanges. You are going to be adding a scale foot of driver, not counting flanges...

/Lone