gears compatible with playmobil?

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I have a dummy motorblock from a playmobil 4029 tender(I've since replaced it with a powered one), but I want to power the dummy motorblock with an extra playmobil RC motor I have for another playmobil train. It seems that the RC motor itself fits perfectly in place inside of the electric motorblock, but it seems that the brass worm gear needs to be scooted away from the motor slightly so it will fit properly in the support which is currently interfering with a proper seating:

But this leads me to the dilemma of finding proper gears to fit to one of the bare axles from the dummy motorblock. Does anybody know the specifications of plastic gears which would be required for compatibility with playmobil worm gears?(question 1)

I have an old one of these can openers which I've dismantled for parts a long time ago:

It has a gear whose teeth match the playmobil worm gears, though its a much larger diameter gear. I was thinking I may be able to fit it to the larger Steaming Mary wheels since the larger diameter gear may compensate for the speed difference of the larger diameter wheels.


Of course these wheels would not be put into a standard playmobil motorblock. I have another RC motor which I could try to fit inside the Steaming Mary locomotive chassis itself(though I'm not yet sure if the large gear will fit in there).

The point is that the gear teeth required by playmobil worm gears seem like a standard sort if they are found in can openers, so I don't imagine that the gears for the regular sized motorblock wheels are very proprietary. I don't have any LGB gears to test to see if they match the playmobil worm gears. Does anyone know if there are compatible gears from LGB since they had a hand in the development of Playmobil trains?(question 2)... or better yet, does anyone know of any compatible gears from random gear suppliers which should be cheaper?(question 3) Or does anyone know of any cheap common toys or tools which happen to have compatible gears?(question 4)

This leads me to another question: If I power the 6 volt RC motor from the track with a DC to DC buck board step down converter( since the track has a max of 14 volts DC and I don't want to go higher than 6 volts on the RC motor), would the change in track voltage translate into a change in output voltage on the buck board, or do buck boards have a constant output voltage?(question 5)

 

[Paul2727]

Wow. That's quite a mixture of parts you have there...
The motorblock shown is an older track powered one, which had a double ended motor and both axles driven. The rebate at each end would have held a little brass disc to act as an end float bush.
LGB axles are a much larger diameter so an LGB drive cog would not fit on a Playmobil axle.
Unfortunately my Plamobil spares are all packed away, so I can't check if an LGB worm would mesh with Playmobil drive cogs.
It is worth noting that the track driven motor blocks were common across the range of non RC Playmobil locos.
But I'm sure someone else on here will have the answers you're looking for.
Regards,
Paul.

 

[PhilP]

Can't help on the cogs, but the Buck converter's are designed to give a fixed output, over their operating input range.

I believe you can go to 10V on the Playmobil RC motors?
But it may also depend on the type of Controller you have.. A PWM controller will give you pulses of full track-voltage, even at lower speeds. - This might stress the motor. Possibly causing it to run hot.

PhilP

 

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LGB axles are a much larger diameter so an LGB drive cog would not fit on a Playmobil axle.

That is good to know, I wonder if anybody knows the diameter of the LGB axles... There are a couple of different axle sizes in playmobil (eg. the Steaming Mary large wheel axles are much larger in diameter than the playmobil motorblock axles). I've drilled out the center of a cog before to make it fit on a larger axle, but I haven't fully mastered precision hole centering, so there's a slight wobble in that cog, though it seems functional.

 

[Paul2727]

That is good to know, I wonder if anybody knows the diameter of the LGB axles... There are a couple of different axle sizes in playmobil (eg. the Steaming Mary large wheel axles are much larger in diameter than the playmobil motorblock axles). I've drilled out the center of a cog before to make it fit on a larger axle, but I haven't fully mastered precision hole centering, so there's a slight wobble in that cog, though it seems functional.

Just got the digital calipers out, hope this helps.
Playmobil RC Axles 6v. (not including Steaming Mary 3.89mm diameter. 4010 4011 4016 4017 4018 4019 4020 4021
Playmobil track powered Axles (not including Steaming Mary 3.89mm diameter. 4004 4024 4027
LGB axles Bolt on and Press on wheel type: 5.9mm diameter.
LGB Bolt on and Press on wheel type drive cog: 5.75mm internal diameter.
Numbers in italics are Playmobil model / set numbers.
Drilling out Playmobil wheels to accept an LGB axle would leave very little of the wheel huba and would also require enlargement of the motor block axle holes, weakening it substantially.

 

[Paul2727]

That is good to know, I wonder if anybody knows the diameter of the LGB axles... There are a couple of different axle sizes in playmobil (eg. the Steaming Mary large wheel axles are much larger in diameter than the playmobil motorblock axles). I've drilled out the center of a cog before to make it fit on a larger axle, but I haven't fully mastered precision hole centering, so there's a slight wobble in that cog, though it seems functional.

Hi, Dug out a track powered Playmobil motor block.
The drive cog is 18.36mm overall and double shanked.
Please see pics.
Regards,
Paul.

 

[-bbbb]

What I'd like to know are the technical specifications of the gears, specifications sufficient to find equivalents from a gear supplier.

I measured the Steaming Mary loco axles at about 5.9mm diameter, and the axle of the leading 2 wheels on the 4029/4052/4031 is also about 5.9mm. So I guess LGB gears should work on all of those? Now I just wonder if the LGB teeth mesh with the playmobil RC worm gear.

I also wonder if these were LGB gears on this motorized version of the Steaming Mary loco with 5.9mm axles in this image from the French train forum:

It seems like everything fits well in there as if it was designed to take it. With over 800 pages in one thread there, it's kind of hard to find which page this came from again.

 

[Paul2727]

What I'd like to know are the technical specifications of the gears, specifications sufficient to find equivalents from a gear supplier.

I measured the Steaming Mary loco axles at about 5.9mm diameter, and the axle of the leading 2 wheels on the 4029/4052/4031 is also about 5.9mm. So I guess LGB gears should work on all of those? Now I just wonder if the LGB teeth mesh with the playmobil RC worm gear.

I also wonder if these were LGB gears on this motorized version of the Steaming Mary loco with 5.9mm axles in this image from the French train forum:
View attachment 281355
It seems like everything fits well in there as if it was designed to take it. With over 800 pages in one thread there, it's kind of hard to find which page this came from again.

I was under the impression that you were only looking for info on suitable gears for the 0-4-0 engine block.
As far as the steaming mary and similar goes, the axle diameter does seem to be compatible with LGB drive cogs. The cogs for the earlier (Bolt on wheel.) models (2020D etc.) are also helical cut and double shanked and the pitch looks right. So probably worth a try. It does seem to be a common motor, so if the LGB cogs do fit the steaming mary, it may be possible to sleeve the gears to fit the smaller Playmobil 0-4-0 axles.
LGB did originally supply drive train components for the Playmobil trains.

NB: just tried a LGB cog on a Playmobil worm and they do mesh correctly. Pic 2 LGB cog on left, Playmobil on right.
Paul.

 

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Yes, I am looking for gears for the regular playmobil engine block axles, but knowing what works with the Steaming Mary Locomotive axles is good to know too.
To sleeve the gears sounds interesting and something I'd probably try, though I'm not quite sure what the best way is, or what the best material or component to use to avoid slippage of the gear on the axle would be. I imagine that even if I just wrap enough cellophane tape around the axle to make it tight enough not to slip, that might work. Thanks for testing the meshing, that's exactly what I wanted to know.

 

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I'm wondering about the LGB 62007 Idler Gear for Moguls; I think they are for the standard LGB axle diameter, but are the mogul wheels that these gears go to larger than other LGB wheels? The reason I ask is because if these gears are larger than standard LGB gears it might be better for the larger Steaming Mary wheels, for better speed synchronization with the powered Steaming Mary tender which has smaller wheels.

 

[Paul2727]

Yes, I am looking for gears for the regular playmobil engine block axles, but knowing what works with the Steaming Mary Locomotive axles is good to know too.
To sleeve the gears sounds interesting and something I'd probably try, though I'm not quite sure what the best way is, or what the best material or component to use to avoid slippage of the gear on the axle would be. I imagine that even if I just wrap enough cellophane tape around the axle to make it tight enough not to slip, that might work. Thanks for testing the meshing, that's exactly what I wanted to know.

LGB gears are a very tight press fit onto the axle, normally you need to use a hollow drift or puller to get them on and off, so tape probably would not do the job that effectively. I'd be tempted get a pair of LGB 'push on type' axles and machine the ends down to fit the Playmobil motor block and wheels. (The bolt on type axles have an internal thread which would prevent them being machined down small enough.)
You could also try machining up a spacer from brass and bonding it to the Playmobil axle. Basically you want to produce a stepped axle.
You could also try making up a simple wooden jig to hold the axle and gear centralised and in the correct position, then filling the gap with a strong resin or hard setting epoxy glue. If you try this, it would be a good idea to roughen up the axle where the gear sits to aid adhesion.

Hope this helps.
paul.

 

[-bbbb]

Yeah, epoxy would probably be the easiest one for me to try first. Thanks for the tips.

 

[Paul2727]

Yeah, epoxy would probably be the easiest one for me to try first. Thanks for the tips.

It should be relatively easy to make a simple centering jig for what you want to do.
1: mark the Playmobil axle at the mid point,add half of the width of LGB cog including shanks. Mark the axle at this point. this should ensure that the cog is in the centre of the axle.
2: Cut a 50mm cube of wood. Ensure ends are both square.
3: Drill a vertical hole the same diameter as the Playmobil axle. (Tight fit.) right through the block
4: Using the same hole drill it out to the same diameter and depth as one of the LGB shanks.
5: Prepare jig with a silicone or ptfe lubricant to prevent epoxy bonding to jig.
6: Push cog fully into the enlarged part of the hole and tap in axle until the mark is level with the top of the protruding shank.
6a: The hole through the jig will allow you to use a fine drift to both fine tune the axle position and aid in removal of the the finished piece when set.
7: Protect cog and pour epoxy into the gap between the cog shank and axle until full. The tight fit of the axle in the jig should prevent leakage.

Good luck.
Paul.

 

[Jessicarow]

but would need to be used with caution. The motor has more than enough torque to strip the gears in 60:1 ratio if stalled. Dont ask
This will be even worse with lower ratios so a slipping clutch of some sort would be essential.
A compact unit though, for the number of ratios available.

Jef

 

[-bbbb]

The playmobil RC train motors can indeed be fitted into a playmobil non-RC electric train motor-block, if both are slightly modified:

 

[Xav204]

This can help a lot.
Thank you for sharing

 

[-bbbb]

It should be relatively easy to make a simple centering jig for what you want to do.
1: mark the Playmobil axle at the mid point,add half of the width of LGB cog including shanks. Mark the axle at this point. this should ensure that the cog is in the centre of the axle.
2: Cut a 50mm cube of wood. Ensure ends are both square.
3: Drill a vertical hole the same diameter as the Playmobil axle. (Tight fit.) right through the block
4: Using the same hole drill it out to the same diameter and depth as one of the LGB shanks.
5: Prepare jig with a silicone or ptfe lubricant to prevent epoxy bonding to jig.
6: Push cog fully into the enlarged part of the hole and tap in axle until the mark is level with the top of the protruding shank.
6a: The hole through the jig will allow you to use a fine drift to both fine tune the axle position and aid in removal of the the finished piece when set.
7: Protect cog and pour epoxy into the gap between the cog shank and axle until full. The tight fit of the axle in the jig should prevent leakage.

Good luck.
Paul.

I found a random gear from some sort of toy car axle which fit. Your wood cube idea, as well as the marking suggestions, helped a lot. Milliput epoxy putty was applied after scratching the axle with a file to give it something to grab onto. I didn't need silicone, as I applied the epoxy putty to the exposed side above the jig, and waited for it to cure before doing the other side without the need of a jig.

I know it's not beautiful, but it's intended to be hidden inside the motor-block and I wanted to build up it's mass for increased strength. The one side is messier than the other because I was using a tool with lot less force in the application of the putty, while trying not to disturb the alignment of the cog in the jig, as it could have become misaligned relatively easily in this instance.

Edit:
The miliput was too bulky for the motor-block cover, so I had to shave it down. It seems sturdy enough driving. I also had to remove the extra metal sleeve from the RC motor for the lid to close properly: