Wobbley, Wobbley 0-4-0

[SpaceMouse]

I got an IHC 0-4-0 and as near as I can tell, the width of the wheels are a tad short. When you combine a turn with the torque of the engine, the result is that wobbles down the track like a bass plug.

Any fix?

[cacole]

That's normal for an 0-4-0, even the prototype, because of the short wheelbase in the model, and cylinder pressure pushing on one side and then the other on the prototype.

There's really no cure for it that I've ever heard of. If you try widening the gauge of the wheels you're just going to cause derailments on turnouts and crossover diamonds.

[rrinker]

Indeed. Find some Mid-80's Model Railroaders where John Page was doing his "Looking Back" column. In one of the first ones, if not THE first one, John describes his experience with Mel Thornburgh and getting to operate a real B&O 0-4-0 switcher, and mentions the rocking motion while underway.

--Randy

[SPRR Pres CEO]

In addition to checking driver gauge, I would check the quartering of the drivers. I've had loco's with out of quarter drivers exhibit your problem.

[Don Gibson]

S.Mouse:

Weren't you looking for 'names' for your R.R.a while ago?

How 'bout the 'Misfit & Wobbly'? You can even use two 'S's . The MF&W.

[Eriediamond]

Spacemouse- All of the above answers are correct in my opinion. However, let me get technical here for a moment. As cacole stated, most of the wobble is because of the short wheel base of the loco. Now, in the old days of my machinist background, we figured for bearing clearances a thousanth of an inch per one inch of shaft diameter. A four inch shaft would require .004 clearance or a bearing journal of 4.004 inch dia. Our models have about .010 inch clearance and to compound things we also have larger clearances between the wheel flanges and the rails. With all this "slop" built in so that our trains will operate with out a lot of trouble, that 0-4-0 is going to wobble, in fact most of our model steamers tend to wobble. A fact of modeling-- somethings you can scale down, others you can't and sometimes as in the case of your 0-4-0 some things are scaled up in the process of scaleing down ie the wobble. Ken

[Jetrock]

Of course, in the 1890's through the early 20th Century, "Wobbly" had its own meaning--it was a term used to describe members of the International Workers of the World (IWW), the "One Big Union."

I'd have to go dig out the issue but in an old MR there was an editorial about a model railroader who DESIGNED an 0-4-0 to wobble as it went down the tracks--he wanted his switcher to have an attitude, like a bulldog walking down the tracks with a loping gait.

[twhite]

Spacemouse--these guys are right about the wheelbase making the loco wobble. In fact, I even have an old PFM Santa Fe 2-8-0 that has had a little wobble since I bought it in 1964. I had a friend of mine replace the old open-frame motor with a new can and gearing about six years ago, when I got it back and put it on the track--yup, still wobbled. I told him about it, he said, "Yah, I was thinking of doing something about it, but--hey, it's always looked so damn CUTE!" He's right--it does. I just left it alone and enjoy it,wobble and all.
Tom

[Jetrock]

Heck, my SW-1 (identical in body style to the Li'l Guy) wobbles too, at low speed...I'm tempted to leave it! Looks like a cowpoke walkin' around saddle-sore!!