I know we have discussed the Faller Car System in the past, but I want to raise the question again. Would it be feasible to adapt the system to G scale? Or, how would one go about building such a system from scratch?
Faller Car System
- Thread starter Madman
- Start date
In a word, yes. Many years ago I experimented with 1/32 scale model buses using Britains cattle lorry chassis as a base. This has steerable front wheels which can (just) be made to operate like the Faller system. The rear wheel drive system requires some thought however. Mine never really worked that well but the range of parts available for r/c vehicles has increased dramatically which should make things easier now. Being the other side of the pond I suspect 1/32nd scale is not too far adrift from your widely used 1/29th system.
If you can get some steering gear, that's probably half the battle. A decent sized rare earth magnet, maybe on a couple of tiny wheels rather than a skid, and some steel rod embedded in the roadway. Ebay mike makes a good point about the drive - I reckon you need to keep the speed down, and the track radius generous. What you are really trying to avoid is driving the magnet off the track, as far as I can tell. The only other advice I've been given is to get the magnet as far in front of the steering as you reasonably can.
To be fair, I considered this for a couple of Wilseco tractors, but they are way too heavy so I'll cop out and go for a single rail or a groove. Thats it I ever get round to it.
To be fair, I considered this for a couple of Wilseco tractors, but they are way too heavy so I'll cop out and go for a single rail or a groove. Thats it I ever get round to it.
Slightly off-topic but has some relevance. In the current edition of British Railway Modelling (BRM) there's a DVD and an article about 'The End of the Line' 0 scale layout. He has a couple of r/c lorries which trundle around the layout - see: - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOcCpTOzXcA
He powers his ex-Corgi trucks with those small 12v epi-cyclic gearbox motors which often come up on eBay (eg http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/121153503958 ) . I'd say that would probably be a good starting-point for a conversion in G scale as well.
Rik
He powers his ex-Corgi trucks with those small 12v epi-cyclic gearbox motors which often come up on eBay (eg http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/121153503958 ) . I'd say that would probably be a good starting-point for a conversion in G scale as well.
Rik
Dtsteam said:If you can get some steering gear, that's probably half the battle. A decent sized rare earth magnet, maybe on a couple of tiny wheels rather than a skid, and some steel rod embedded in the roadway. Ebay mike makes a good point about the drive - I reckon you need to keep the speed down, and the track radius generous. What you are really trying to avoid is driving the magnet off the track, as far as I can tell. The only other advice I've been given is to get the magnet as far in front of the steering as you reasonably can.
To be fair, I considered this for a couple of Wilseco tractors, but they are way too heavy so I'll cop out and go for a single rail or a groove. Thats it I ever get round to it.
Good point about keeping the magnet forward of the steering wheels. Also, I hadn't considered the tiny wheels or skids that would be required to keep the magnet from digging into the road surface. When I have completed a couple of the projects I am currently working on, and have slowed down with my regular paying but mostly non paying work, I will do some serious study on building a street system in the garden. SWMBO may have something to say about that however.
I believe Ed de Bruyn now makes a car system for G scale.
He is on this forum, so it might be worth sending him a PM....
He is on this forum, so it might be worth sending him a PM....
I've tinkered with converting a Playmobil RC steering unit to follow a slot, which worked OK at low speed. Maybe I'll dig it out and see what can be done with suitable magnets and hidden steel rod.
My original thinking was as follows:
1:Being plastic the Playmobil vehicles are quite light.
2: They already have a working steering set up.
3:The RC unit can be used in several different configurations to fit different vehicles.
4: Without the 2nd channel being used to turn the steering motor, maybe it could be used to power light or a horn.
5: They are around the right size and pretty robust.
6: They already have a battery pack and parts are reasonably cheap and easy to get.
www.playmobil.co.uk
Paul.
My original thinking was as follows:
1:Being plastic the Playmobil vehicles are quite light.
2: They already have a working steering set up.
3:The RC unit can be used in several different configurations to fit different vehicles.
4: Without the 2nd channel being used to turn the steering motor, maybe it could be used to power light or a horn.
5: They are around the right size and pretty robust.
6: They already have a battery pack and parts are reasonably cheap and easy to get.
Remote Control Set 2.4GHz - 6914 | PLAYMOBIL®
Buy PLAYMOBIL® toys directly from the manufacturer: Remote Control Set 2.4GHz | made in Germany
Paul.
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