Eighton Bahn AKA testing testing RhB

[Paul M]

Ahhhh Dandelion and Burdock. Brings back childhood memories of the Bryn Dairy in Holyhead Town. It never tasted the same anywhere else

 

[Nodrog1826]

Various bits of activity over the last few weeks, but todays train/railway sponsorship, provided by that Al Fresco chap was...



...various bit of freight and passenger run, well it all adds to the revenue...



...and the final train of the day was a charter, for a group of web designers...



...get it...

 

[Nodrog1826]

Age is something to comes to all things, and my origional loco a 20400 Crok is no exception.
Something is not right with this loco, even with extra power pick ups added, it's the first loco to let me know if the track is not clean enough.
So it's gone into that mode again, and even with the track rubber deployed (my knees are killing me) it's still not happy. So an investigation of sorts has been undertaken.

Resulting in the sight of a strange beast running around...



...now there is a school of thought that you need to remove the body first to then remove the bonnets, but that's not the way I do it.
Not sure more weight is needed in the nose ends, (the newer crock is a lot nose ends heavier) or it's a case of older wiring, but everything checked out.
I could be takling myself into a total re-wire as a winter project.

 

[PhilP]

Teaching to suck-eggs, but have you cleaned the wheel-backs and the tyres which contact the rail head?
Any hung-up carbon brushes?
Can you measure how much current it is pulling?

PhilP.

 

[Nodrog1826]

Yep PhilP , all checked and re checked, cleaned, continuity tested etc., current draw is fine as well, all leccy connections checked as well. It's behaving as if it needs more nose ends weight, as older Crocs just have the in body weights as standard, the extras I have added to the nose ends are those sticky car wheel balance ones.
Stick it on the rolling road, romps away, but out on the track, runs then the lights start to flicker, stutters to a halt. But it's also blowing bulbs like they are going out of fashion, four up to now at the last count.

 

[Nodrog1826]

Having managed to get ahold of some wheel balance weights of the sticky variety, have now added an extra 6oz ish (180g) to each of the nose ends, which doubles up on what was previously added to each nose end to 12.5oz ish (360g).



...sort of lego (note there is no "s" for those on the other side of the pond.) brick style assembly method, then positioned and stuck down...



...after reassembly a haulage test, with a longer than standard train.(Yes it looks as if the last of the surviving replanted tress from last year has finally expired)...



...current draw was also checked, whilst climbing the spiral.

 

[JimmyB]

...sort of lego (note there is no "s" for those on the other side of the pond.) brick style assembly method, then positioned and stuck down...

What SLEGO !!



Note all uppercase, no lowercase letters

 

[craigwrdouglas2]

removed

 

[craigwrdouglas2]

Having managed to get ahold of some wheel balance weights of the sticky variety, have now added an extra 6oz ish (180g) to each of the nose ends, which doubles up on what was previously added to each nose end to 12.5oz ish (360g).

View attachment 344689View attachment 344690View attachment 344691

...sort of lego (note there is no "s" for those on the other side of the pond.) brick style assembly method, then positioned and stuck down...

View attachment 344692

...after reassembly a haulage test, with a longer than standard train.(Yes it looks as if the last of the surviving replanted tress from last year has finally expired)...

View attachment 344693

...current draw was also checked, whilst climbing the spiral.

I'm interested to know if the weights help with wheelslip as both on mine are quite bad at that.

I don't have problems with pickup on the crocs, even the 2040 that has fairly original iirc pickups, so I wonder if a power buffer could be the way to go. I do need to sort out the lights and I think one of the motors is on the way out so I might have a look at that during the week.

 

[Software Tools]

sort of lego (note there is no "s" for those on the other side of the pond.)

In the other hemisphere we have....

 

[Nodrog1826]

I'm interested to know if the weights help with wheelslip as both on mine are quite bad at that.

I don't have problems with pickup on the crocs, even the 2040 that has fairly original iirc pickups, so I wonder if a power buffer could be the way to go. I do need to sort out the lights and I think one of the motors is on the way out so I might have a look at that during the week.

I was once told that Croks were noted for wheelslip at a layout visit. But mine have been modified, with an extra traction tyre axle, and a extra pair of pickups on the inner pair of wheels on one bogie. (I posted about it in here somewhere, if I find the page I'll add a link.) If you ever strip that part of the bogie down it looks to have been designed with the fitting of carbon bushes in mind. As for the older Crok, to me it's about the position of the weights, the newer one has nose end weights and one body weight, the origional just two body weights. Maybe this causes the body to dip, and lift the bogie up at the outer ends, not sure but it's just a working theory. It may be that I have a damaged/worn wires, bogie pivots or the motor(s) could be at the end of their life. Trying the easier fix first, to bring it in line with the newer one that runs without problems rather than do a full strip down and rebuild.

Post in thread 'Eighton Bahn AKA testing testing RhB'

12 Jul 2024

Today after the purchase of various spare parts, I have revived something I have had in my mind to try for a while.

So as some of the photos have not come out, you will just have to take my word for it, but I have fitted a second traction tyre to the older Crock.
Now as it is on the opposite corner, it's not as simple as swapping out an axle for a traction one, you have to strip and swap the actual wheels over
because if you just drop it in the drive gear won't mesh.



.. see what I mean about the earlier photos, i must have had the shakes...



...but as you can...

• Nodrog1826

• 

 

[dunnyrail]

I am just wondering if you are being a little over ambitious with your expectations of what the Crock can and should pull? Noting your line is pretty well on a par with the real thing having spirals and steep grades Croks can and have pulled pretty long trains with one consist in my book equating to around 8 bogie coaches. However a trawl through that book shows many of the RhB trains in the 4-5 bogie coaches and many with just 2 and possibly a few wagons tagged behind. Though there are longer trains these appear to be in the minority in that book of the RhB.

In later years of the Croks they were limited to the odd special but regularly worked Mixed Freights with just 1 coach and a few wagons tagged on. The newer Bogie Locomotives being on the longer express drags.

Ok I know rule 1, but noting you have already been advised of the Croks abilities to slip I would hate to see you damage your pride and joys.

 

[Nodrog1826]

Wheelslip isn't the main problem, it's that I have two Croks, the newer one runs without any real problems, yes it's newer and therefore the design has evolved.
It has nose end weights that the older does not, all the weight is in the main body and there must be some reason for it, as the electronics etc., don't make that much difference on the newer one. The older one with all it's power pick up points is prone to juddering then stalling at any slight excuse, even without a load. All it takes for it to resume running is either a light nudge on a nose end, or just prod the body. To me it's as if the body weight is causing the loco to sag enough to render the pick ups inoperative.
Just for the record, I made my layout to run a six coach train, because that was just the length I built my platform, but I engineered the line with gradients that could and occasionaly do take trains of almost twice that length.

 

[craigwrdouglas2]

both of my crocs slip - I didn't notice any difference between the 2040 and the blue one to be honest, but I'll look into that in more detail. I've had a look at the bottom of 2040 and it has one traction tyre on the front axle, which probably needs replacing, so the jobs are adding up with that one.

 

[Nodrog1826]

Pointwork maintenance today...



...now who's stupid idea was it to plant a windbreak, without realising it may grow and cause access problems...



...and whilst I sat at the picnic table doing whatever to the points, something set away and was left to trundle around at a modist speed. I knew it was still running when it kept triggering it's whistle courtsey of the track magnets at each end of the station/bridges, every 10 min., or so.

 

[Paul M]

it kept triggering it's whistle courtsey of the track magnets at each end of the station/bridges, every 10 min., or so

I bet the neighbours love you!

 

[Nodrog1826]

I bet the neighbours love you!

No complaints, up to now.

 

[Nodrog1826]

So having done one end of the station, today was time to have a look at the other one.



...so up came some of the pointwork...



...also changed the belt n braces power jumpers for something less obtrusive...



...then test, may as well use that stuttering old Crok, that I may have cured...



...that painting guy Al Fresco provided lunch, something I think he said was SW19 ish, whatever that ment...







...the older Crok now runs around like it's former self, scary at full tilt...



...you hardly have time to check on the wildlife.

 

[PhilP]

That reminds me..

Better prep the strawberries for tonight...


PhilP.

 

[Fezwig]

...that painting guy Al Fresco provided lunch, something I think he said was SW19 ish, whatever that ment...

I Say, it's just not Tennis you know.......