A Doozie of a Christmas prezzy! Getting there now.

[Riograndad]

I found this just before Christmas and bought it for myself as I have been a good boy this year and it turned up on New Years Eve,I have been looking for some sort of railbus for some time to go with the Bachmann railtruck and this fitted the bill.Its the Delton item not HLW later model so only one drive axle but the grades on the railroad should not pose any problems for the old girl.Overall its in great condition for its age and although its not been on track yet I have run some bare wires to the wheels and all electrics work fine but the car sidelight bulb in the main cabin will need toning down with some sort of defuser,I don't know if it came with a driver figure but alas he`s missing so first job is to find one and make some sort of control panel for the cab so at least it can stop and go, I have some plans to change it slightly,repaint and lettering,detail to the pilot (or build a new one) and detail the interior and exterior a little.I have painted the first coat on the floor to give a wooden effect but for now that's about it so I suppose its the seating to paint next job?

 

[simon@mgr]

They are wonderful litte beasties.

 

[LVT]

They are wonderful litte beasties.

Be certain that the worm gear is well lubricated!

 

[Riograndad]

I have been looking at the driver figure today and come up with a soIution, as only very limited space in the cab a small little fella was needed so a LGB workman item was perfect,the base was cut off and head and arms removed and re positioned and repainted ,a gear lever knocked up from some scrap odds and ends and fits from the floor to one of his hands,simple dash board to fit in put together and fold up seat,having a slight "lean" he looks to be having trouble with that heavy shift lever.?

 

[Riograndad]

Be certain that the worm gear is well lubricated!

Yes I have read that these can be a problem? Have you(or anyone) ever taken the motor block apart on one of these as never seen one before,I can see some sort of square holes in the base and they appear to be some sort of clip arrangement, not tried as yet to take the unit apart but any help would be useful before I get the club hammer and cold chisel out,,,,,and gear oil or grease on the drive?

 

[Riograndad]

The boys in the shops have been busy making a replacement exhaust system for the Doozie,the original set up from the Mack truck runs out along the chassis underneath but I wanted something different,the plan was an up the front of the cab and out over the roof one piece item but then the first problem was how to fit it to the car to allow the body/roof off if needed,more thought required?I finally came up with the solution and should work fine,a 3 section system that splits as the silencer/muffler is fitted(or will be)to the cab front on the panel next to the window on the drivers side,the actual exhaust pipes then slide into the top and bottom of the silencer box so allowing the body off if required and leaving the top pipe loose the outlet pipe can be angled to the side or over the roof and can be removed when heading back into her box.When the pipes are in they meet in the center of the silencer so spacing always the same,the black dots are bolt head mouldings.The pipes are strengthened with wire and a glue inside which also helps with heat bending.

 

[LVT]

Yes I have read that these can be a problem? Have you(or anyone) ever taken the motor block apart on one of these as never seen one before,I can see some sort of square holes in the base and they appear to be some sort of clip arrangement, not tried as yet to take the unit apart but any help would be useful before I get the club hammer and cold chisel out,,,,,and gear oil or grease on the drive?

My painful experience with what I consider to be a very attractive, well-proportioned model was a failure of the worm-driven axle gear after what was probably about an aggregate of six hours’ use. Many years ago Northwest Shortline offered a rebuild kit w/replacement motor and gears ( I believe with the option of powering both axles.). I ended up using the original motor and worm driving the new composition axle gear— the new ratio increased the car’s speed to where it was incompatible with LGB units, and I installed a rheostat to slow it down. My recollection is that, with the motor block removed, access to four sunken screws on the top provides the path to the power truck’s innards (the clips are now a mystery to me and hopefully are only a secondary mounting feature). You will want to examine the axle gear and grease it. As to whether the present iteration of Northwest Shortline, or anyone, can provide a replacement is unknown to me. Also, my car had inordinate rolling resistance from the pickup brushes on the front truck, largely related to the wheels not being mounted truly on the axle; hence some extra strain on the gear. As with so many G products, poor component material choices obliviate all the effort that went into the creation of an attractive model.

 

[tac foley]

I found this just before Christmas and bought it for myself as I have been a good boy this year and it turned up on New Years Eve,I have been looking for some sort of railbus for some time to go with the Bachmann railtruck and this fitted the bill.Its the Delton item not HLW later model so only one drive axle but the grades on the railroad should not pose any problems for the old girl.Overall its in great condition for its age and although its not been on track yet I have run some bare wires to the wheels and all electrics work fine but the car sidelight bulb in the main cabin will need toning down with some sort of defuser,I don't know if it came with a driver figure but alas he`s missing so first job is to find one and make some sort of control panel for the cab so at least it can stop and go, I have some plans to change it slightly,repaint and lettering,detail to the pilot (or build a new one) and detail the interior and exterior a little.I have painted the first coat on the floor to give a wooden effect but for now that's about it so I suppose its the seating to paint next job?View attachment 278613View attachment 278614View attachment 278615

Don't forget that you will NOT be needing a steering wheel......

 

[Chris Vernell]

Don't forget that you will NOT be needing a steering wheel......

Many operators of road vehicles appear to believe that

 

[Riograndad]

My painful experience with what I consider to be a very attractive, well-proportioned model was a failure of the worm-driven axle gear after what was probably about an aggregate of six hours’ use. Many years ago Northwest Shortline offered a rebuild kit w/replacement motor and gears ( I believe with the option of powering both axles.). I ended up using the original motor and worm driving the new composition axle gear— the new ratio increased the car’s speed to where it was incompatible with LGB units, and I installed a rheostat to slow it down. My recollection is that, with the motor block removed, access to four sunken screws on the top provides the path to the power truck’s innards (the clips are now a mystery to me and hopefully are only a secondary mounting feature). You will want to examine the axle gear and grease it. As to whether the present iteration of Northwest Shortline, or anyone, can provide a replacement is unknown to me. Also, my car had inordinate rolling resistance from the pickup brushes on the front truck, largely related to the wheels not being mounted truly on the axle; hence some extra strain on the gear. As with so many G products, poor component material choices obliviate all the effort that went into the creation of an attractive model.

Thanks for the feedback,yes you were correct and 4 sunken screws undo the motor block,pulled the old girl apart the other day and all appears fine as plenty of grease already in there and so a little more didn`t hurt and overall seems in excellent condition for her age,there are some weights in the chassis frame and I am assuming that they are factory fitted but a little more weight might help traction but will sort that when I finally get her out on the tracks,as you say there is some resistance with the secondary pick up,thanks again

 

[Riograndad]

Don't forget that you will NOT be needing a steering wheel......

?????not even for going back`ards , re thinking it all now.

 

[Riograndad]

I have managed to get quite a lot done over the past couple of days and the exterior is almost finished,some work on the interior done too but not sure where I`m going with that yet.The car was pulled apart and gear box checked for wear and lubrication and all well there,while it was in bits I painted out the steps and end platform together with the car body so all matched,the pilot deck was extended about 20mm to allow a place for the bell(from Cornwall Model Boats, ordered and delivered the next day great service)so a bell pivot had to be made from scrap styrene,the horn added to the front chassis and hood ornaments to allow the two sections to be lifted together with some extra louvers to help cooling.While the car was apart I noticed that the exhaust stack would actually fit to the body/chassis without needing to split the system to remove the body of the car but it would have to come off from the main chassis and appears to come through the frame so the frame was "beefed up" to compensate using square tube and strip and looks fine.The headlight had a cover fitted with a few bolt head moldings for good measure,Lettering also from Cornwalls.the only thing I want to do to the exterior is add a couple of radiator grilles to the sides next to the cab as a little short of detail in that area but again still thinking of how to do them.The interior so far has only really had the seats and floor painted to loose the ivory coloured seats and have tried to give an antique wood and upholstery look but still a lot to do in there.The driver 2nd coated and now fitted in.

 

[Madman]

I found this just before Christmas and bought it for myself as I have been a good boy this year and it turned up on New Years Eve,I have been looking for some sort of railbus for some time to go with the Bachmann railtruck and this fitted the bill.Its the Delton item not HLW later model so only one drive axle but the grades on the railroad should not pose any problems for the old girl.Overall its in great condition for its age and although its not been on track yet I have run some bare wires to the wheels and all electrics work fine but the car sidelight bulb in the main cabin will need toning down with some sort of defuser,I don't know if it came with a driver figure but alas he`s missing so first job is to find one and make some sort of control panel for the cab so at least it can stop and go, I have some plans to change it slightly,repaint and lettering,detail to the pilot (or build a new one) and detail the interior and exterior a little.I have painted the first coat on the floor to give a wooden effect but for now that's about it so I suppose its the seating to paint next job?View attachment 278613View attachment 278614View attachment 278615

If you find that one powered axle doesn't cut the mustard, HLW will sell you one of their motor blocks with two powered axles. Some slight modification to the railbus undercarriage will be required. The fellow at HLW gave me a few pointers, over the phone. I found the swap of motor trucks worth the minimal effort it took.

 

[Riograndad]

If you find that one powered axle doesn't cut the mustard, HLW will sell you one of their motor blocks with two powered axles. Some slight modification to the railbus undercarriage will be required. The fellow at HLW gave me a few pointers, over the phone. I found the swap of motor trucks worth the minimal effort it took.

Thanks Dan,something to bear in mind although I was on the understanding that HLW was now no more although of course I could be wrong,I do hope that the single drive axle should and I say should work fine as only very very slight grades on the railroad,will just have to see when finally get it outside.

 

[Madman]

Thanks Dan,something to bear in mind although I was on the understanding that HLW was now no more although of course I could be wrong,I do hope that the single drive axle should and I say should work fine as only very very slight grades on the railroad,will just have to see when finally get it outside.

Well isn't that a kick in the teeth. I went to their website, just now. They've sold all of their inventory and suggest finding a dealer nearby to order parts. Too bad someone didn't offer to take over HLW. Seems train manufacturers come and go with only Lionel, Bachmann, Marklin and a few others who have stood the test of time. MTH Trains, manufacturers of "O" gauge trains has also bit the dust after forty years.

 

[Riograndad]

Well isn't that a kick in the teeth. I went to their website, just now. They've sold all of their inventory and suggest finding a dealer nearby to order parts. Too bad someone didn't offer to take over HLW. Seems train manufacturers come and go with only Lionel, Bachmann, Marklin and a few others who have stood the test of time. MTH Trains, manufacturers of "O" gauge trains has also bit the dust after forty years.

Yes Dan bad news,I was sure that I read somewhere that HLW had gone,it seems that a few good names now have met their demise?